analysing sound and editing in parts of my fav film apocalypse now!

“Apocalypse Now” was directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, who also directed “The Godfather”, another film full of violence and menace. The film is based on the book “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad.  It is a 1979 American War film set during Vietnam War.  The film stars many famous faces, such as Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando.  The scene I am going to be concentrating on is the first. It is common in Vietnam War films to concentrate on mental deterioration.

The purpose of this opening scene is to draw the viewer into the realisation that War is devastating, changing people and leaving them mentally disturbed. It also establishes the main character in the film.

The film begins with the submerged sound of one helicopter whilst the screen is still grey and then this sound continues as it is shown flying at half speed over the still jungle. The use of submerged sound in this way ensures the viewer aware that we are seeing Sheen’s memories. This is disturbing to the viewer because we know from the film title that the memories cannot be good ones, but the trees appear to be growing in an unspoilt paradise.  “Cultivate the garden within. What was Paradise? but a garden, an orchard of trees and herbs, full of pleasure and nothing there but delights.” William Lawson, explorer.  This quote by Lawson is suggestive of the Garden Of Eden, untouched and unspoilt, parallel to the initial part of the scene. It soon becomes apparent that there is a War going on and just like the Garden of Eden everything unspoilt is turned to devastation. At this point the audience is left bewildered.  The non-diegetic sound of “The End” by The Doors, is layered onto the scene. The song begins parallel with the images, mirroring the apparently serene landscape, and then gradually becomes contrapuntal as the gentle singing slowly becomes at odds at what is emerging as a theatre of War. This makes the audience uncomfortable because there is the gradual realisation that this idyllic situation is going to be destroyed and that there will be pain and death. The music volume (which is non-diegetic) and tone increases with time and the audience hear the sound of the helicopter again superimposed. The rhythm of the song is at odds with the sounds of the rotor blades which are fragmented. As The Doors sing “this is the end” bright explosions flare onto the screen but no sound accompanies them. The use of nondiegetic music getting louder instead of the noise of bombing, raising a feeling of anticipation in the audience as the destruction they are seeing maintains an unreal quality.  The director has purposely chosen a disturbing song which has a lilting melody but morbid lyrics.  This is confusing and worrying for the spectator because the soundtrack is both parallel and contrapuntal simultaneously, throwing him or her into the same waking nightmare that the main character is experiencing.

The editing in this scene is also interesting and echoes the sound nicely. The idyllic palm trees are a long take which is then broken by the devastating explosions.  The use of continuity editing builds up anticipation and tension for the audience. It also provides a back drop for the audience’s introduction to modern warfare. The first helicopter is filmed in slow motion and out of focus so that the audience hardly notices it, whilst still focusing on the trees. So the wafting yellow gas appears beautiful rather than deadly. Again when the next helicopter appears the audience only sees its runners, so the sudden bright explosions amongst the same trees come as a complete shock. Coppola has used the long take to great effect to impress upon the viewer the lack of culpability that comes with modern long range fighting.

As Martin Sheen’s face becomes superimposed on the landscape, the music becomes louder. The nondiegetic sound of the song brings the audience into the consciousness of the main character. As he drifts in and out of sleep the rotor blades become fragmented. The sound is disorientating because whilst it synchronises with the helicopter pictures, it also synchronises with the ceiling fan which the audience can see but not hear, whilst knowing that the fan is what the main character can hear. This serves to reinforce the half waking state of Sheen, and the confusion between memories and reality.

Sheen narrates his feelings in a nondiegetic voiceover, his slow smokey voice making him sound uneasy. This is accompanied by  one minute of conventional filming where the audience is able to focus on a single edit. The voiceover is clear and the audience is aware that at this point the character is lucid.  This makes the audience feel un-comfortable, the character is disturbed yet retains his brains and intellect. The audience does not quite know what to make of Sheen.   The diegetic sounds of the passing helicopter and street noises are the only soundtrack. But discontinuity editing is used instead of tracking the actor around the room. This implies to the observer that Sheen’s thoughts are dotting around and time is passing without him being conscious of it. The audience are made aware that he has been through a lot and has been left desensitised and damaged.

As Sheen sits musing in his room, nondiegetic jungle sounds fade in and out of the monologue. This reinforces to the audience what the character is saying – that he may be sitting in Saigon, but his heart and head are still in the jungle. As he says, “I’ve been here a week now, getting softer” his face fades into a shot of the fan which then fades into a shot from the ceiling down onto Sheen. The viewer knows that the longer Sheen stays, waiting for the next mission, the further his break down will progress.    

Then more parallel non-diegetic sound fades in. It is still the same Doors track. The sequence begins with more dual images cut together. Initially, the images are of Sheen practicing martial arts in the room and of the fan, but these then fade to more disturbing shots of the character at war in the jungle. This reveals how emotional the main character is as Sheen is faded back in looking unstable and drunk. The situation seems and strange and surreal as the cross cutting and discontinuity editing used have a nightmarish quailty to them and make the spectator feel nervous. The nondiegetic percussion and strange spitting and vocals in the background are used to add confusion for the main character and show madness.  The climax of the end of the Doors track parallels the actor’s increased agitation and drunkenness as he thrashes around, breaks a mirror and collapses in a bloody drunken heap at the side of his bed. This makes me the audience worried and scared for Sheen. As the actor gets drunker everything seems to move faster and the audience gets more anxious.

In this first sequence from “Apocalypse Now” the use of sound helps to create meaning and generate a response from the audience. It makes the audience feel anxious and excited.  Coppola uses both parallel and contrapuntal sound as well as simultaneous images to imply confusion and mental instability. Much of the time, it is not clear whether sound is diegetic or nondiegetic, adding to the audience’s bewilderment.  The editing is also vital to the film as it shows the spectator how the main character is feeling, and they begin to sympathise with him. By the end of this sequence it has been made clear to the viewer that the confusion and anguish that the character is experiencing is going to set the mood for the rest of the film. Nightmare and death are all that Sheen knows, and the story will continue until he kills or is killed. This man is going to face the apocalypse.  “...the idolaters and all liars- their place will be in the fiery lake of sulphur.” The Bible, Revelation 21.