Apocalypse Now

I took this picture from: http://www.follow-me-now.de/assets/images/Apocalypse_Now-1.jpg

The first time I viewed this film was in high school, so I didn't remember much going into to Tuesday night's viewing. All I could remember was that the film was dark and a little scary but important to see. Coming out of Tuesday night's viewing of Apocalypse Now (1979), I can still say that the film was very dark, a bit scary but important to watch. Even though I left the viewing a little sick to my stomach, I still enjoyed this film very much.
What I liked most about this movie were the details and the use of color. There were many different colors used for every scene. In fact, it almost seemed as though each scene was a completely different color than the last. From yellow, to purple, to white, to black, etc, each scene was presented with a different color scheme.
Probably my favorite use of color/light and dark were the scenes in which the viewer was first introduced to Captain Kurtz. Almost the entire introduction, or the entire time the viewer first 'views' Kurtz, they only can see part of his bald head because his face is completely black. The viewer can only see half of his head which is also a bit of a yellowish color. It isn't until later that the viewer sees Kurtz in his entirety. I think that was smart because you, as the viewer, probably already know what Marlon Brando looks like, and even if you don't, you already know what his character is supposed to look like from the pictures shown of him previously in the film, so you're left in a state of suspense because you think you know what to expect, but do you really? But you can't tell because you can't see his entire face! But you DO know what he looks like! It's an extremely intense part of the film.
I also loved the details in this film. The final scenes in the jungle when Martin Sheen finally finds Marlon Brando are especially full of little details. From the chopped off heads on the ground and dead bodies in the trees to the 'apocalypse now' written accross the stones, the details give this part of the film a bit more of an intensity. I'm not sure you even need more 'intensity' at this point in the film, but it definately works.
In all, although this film was gruesome and dark and almost evil, it was a great film to analyze in terms of how color and details were used to invoke intensity or other emotions in the viewer. And, even though I could hardly sleep last night because of thinking about the message of the film and the darkness of the war, Apocalypse Now really is an important film for people to watch.