Apocalypse Now: the dehumanization of American soldiers in the VietnamWar
into the river with suitcases begging them to take them home, a completely un-soldierly and irrational response. The soldiers that reach Do-Long bridge have completely lost sight of reality, exemplified and amplified by Lance tripping on acid whilst he and Willard move through the war zone, symbolizing his acceptance of madness. This could be interpreted as meaning that, if you accept the madness, you can survive, which is why Lance and Willard are the only ones who survive out of the crew, as the rest of them still shared some compassion for one another and themselves.
Lance is seen taking in the warfare as if he were watching fireworks or having some kind of spiritual awakening. According to Sam Bottoms, the actor who played Lance, to portray his character’s descent
into acid, he tried a lot of drugs on set, even during scenes. For the most part he smoked marijuana and took acid, but for this scene Bottoms admitted to being on speed during filming. 2 So when Coppola notoriously said, ‘ My film is not
about Vietnam, it is Vietnam, ’ one can understand where he was coming from. When Willard encounters the men who are left fighting on the hills, they all seem to have lost their minds, most notably the character named Roach, who seems to be in some kind of trance, and yet can kill his tar get with a grenade launcher without a glance. When Willard asks him if he knows who’s in command, he simply says, ‘ Yes, ’ and walks away.
These men are so far past their breaking points from journeying through not only the jungle’s but their own innermost evil , they have been completely dehumanized, losing sight of who they are. They no longer have any compassion for
their enemy, their comrades or themselves. This scene is filmed in total darkness, lit by the flames and flares of the battle. It’s interestin g to notice how the filmgets darker and darker as they go further down the river, symbolizing their proximity to the heart of darkness.
When they finally arrive at their destination, Colonel Kurtz and his tribe of worshipping natives,
2 Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse ‧ Documentary ‧ 1991 ‧ Directed by Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper and Eleanor Coppola.
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