Apocalypse Now has been loosely inspired by Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness. Marlow takes a trip on the Congo River through Africa to meet ivory hunter Kurtz. Coppola’s movie is very faithful to its source material, with the exception of Martin Sheen’s portrayal as Willard. Marlow in the novel becomes disillusioned with the society he once belonged to after his ordeal. Willard’s story is at this point when the film begins. However, he still has some vestiges of civilisation left. Willard becomes even more depressed when he murders Kurtz. Willard’s crew and he become increasingly agitated when they are moving upriver. Each person experiences their own mental breakdown.
The first is the scene where ‘Chefs’ leave the boat in the jungle, searching for ingredients. They have a run-in, and his temper changes. The rule ‘Never Leave the Boat’ is now firmly established upon returning to the ship. Lance is also a drug addict, but his face is camouflaged, indicating a different self. “Clean”, a 17-year-old Vietnam veteran, represents all the men who went to war when they were just kids. Like many soldiers drafted to the war, he is essentially cannon fodder. The boat is occupied by Clean, who dances and annoys Willard. He is briefly unhinged in the sampan scenes. Chief is changed when Clean dies. “Willard”, who is already a broken man from his first Vietnam war tour, becomes obsessive with his target.
Masks are seen at various points in the movie to represent anti-self, or the new identities that characters adopt to deal with war. It is a symbol of symbolic destruction of the previous self. Willard’s destroying of his own reflection suggests such a self-destruction. By the film’s end, many of the characters are wearing masks and camouflage on their faces, which is a sign they no longer feel like themselves. Lance’s breaking point is reached when he paints his face with camouflage and drops acid. Kurtz is a perfect man in the eyes of the photojournalist. The photojournalist, who has been influenced by Kurtz and his philosophy, acts as a character connecting Willard to Kurtz. He plays the fool in Kurtz’s kingdom and brings comic relief to the dark ending scenes. Kurtz’s facial features are often obscured or hidden by shadows and darkness. Kurtz even wears face makeup when he tosses Chef’s severed body into Willard’s cage. Willard then covers Willard’s face with mud when he prepares for the killing of Kurtz. These masks show the dramatic change in the human personality during wartime.
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