The Story Behind The 'Mission Briefing' Scene | Ep7 | Making Apocalypse Now

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In Episode 7, we look at the story behind the Mission Briefing scene including the bit part played by Harrison Ford, Kurtz's original name, the cinematography, where "terminate with extreme prejudice" came from, and how it was re-filmed after Keitel was fired. We also take a look at cinematographer Vittorio Storaro and his life leading up to being involved in Coppola's epic war story.
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This video essay was written, edited, and narrated by Tyler Knudsen.
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(Travers) Coppola's Monster Film: The Making of Apocalypse Now by Steven Travers: amzn.to/3ZybjS1
(Commentary) Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut: amzn.to/3npMry6
(Playboy)The Playboy Interviews: The Directors: amzn.to/40Ez8IO
(Martin) New Waves in Cinema by Sean Martin: amzn.to/3FSCdge
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse: amzn.to/40CnoGB
(Phillips) Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola By Gene D. Phillips: amzn.to/3lCPlzj
[Cinephilia & Beyond] Incredible collection of resources on Apocalypse Now: bit.ly/35Mvv7M
[Time] Luca Brasi - bit.ly/2UtcxhY
Interview With Vittorio Storaro - American Cinematographer - Feb 2001 (pg 95) - bit.ly/35yw2fy
NYFF55 - bit.ly/32PpXJR
Writing With Light - bit.ly/2ICNTJp
Music:
Epidemic Sound

[@CinemaTyler]

Lee-lee Lay-lee Lee-lee Lay-lee -> kzbin.info/www/bejne/nImYhoadbcRknaM

[@clemdelaclem]

Clearly it's Lay-Lay then

[@TituslovesPop]

Brando was a wind up . I love the Superman story where he suggested he was played by a suitcase that made bleeping noises

[@mezzanoon]

La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo

[@RoseUnseen]

DUDE YOU JUST SQUEEZING EVER DROP ARENT YOU

[@brandos83]

ITS THE LAY-TAY!

[@andrewmceneff2010]

Always loved that cut from the Willard's scream in the shower to the helicopter.

[@isaachaze1]

what about helicopters to ceiling fans?

[@-0rbital-]

That’s an excellent cut.

[@nigelft]

Kinda like Kubrick's famous jump-cut in "2001: A Space Odyssey" ...

[@kamuelalee]

@@nigelft Yes!

[@DaveAnchovies]

Hey buddy, ya gonna shut the door??

[@Mindcreat0r]

Coppola was untouchable in the 70s. He saw a dude flubbing his lines and made it a very memorable moment of contrast, with a big man being nervous. He saw Ford tired and stuttering a bit and used it to best emphasize the uneasiness of having an American colonel assassinated. Dude had a star lead get drunk and it turned into one of the most iconic scenes in all of cinema. So much could have went wrong and it just didn’t.

[@liquidbraino]

Things DID go wrong. Do you know nothing about this movie or even film making in general? Nothing EVER goes 100% according to plan. I'm pretty sure he didn't originally plan to fire Harvey Keitel and I'm sure he DID plan on being able to get a Chinook helicopter to drop the riverboat but it didn't work out that way. Working in the film industry in any capacity can be a lot like serving in the military (and I've done both) you either learn to improvise, overcome and adapt or you fail.

[@prinzalbatross9526]

@@liquidbraino did you even read what you replied to? He said so much could go wrong but didn't, not that everything went right.

[@ronstallworth9421]

That’s ballsy.

[@gonzolonzo1383]

Yeah im just curious as to wtf happened from the 80s onward lmao

[@livingadreamlife1428]

@@liquidbraino It’s been said that everybody has a plan until the shooting starts. That’s true in both War and in making movies.

[@JanBockaert]

Fun fact about the Baler location. After they wrapped up filming, the crew left their surfboards behind. The local Philipinos started surfing, and what once was a fishing village is now a (surfing) tourist hotspot in Luzon. We got our first surfing lessons there last winter. 😀

[@dabsafe]

Do the locals blast Wagner’s “Die Valkerie “ when tourists hit the curls?

[@JanBockaert]

@@dabsafe nope, they were to busy making sure we didn't drown :p. Or surfing themselves.

[@travismcclymans5487]

CHARLIE DONT SURF JAN ..

[@diogeneslantern18]

Charlie don't surf, but the Filipinos sure do!

[@marleneg7794]

The only positive legacy coming out of the war.

[@bobloblaw378]

I didn't realize Ford was jet-lagged when he filmed this. I always took his reticence and obvious discomfort as a sign that he was deeply uncomfortable with the mission they were asking Sheen's character to undertake.

[@navblue20]

He probably was a combination of both.

[@MrJohndoakes]

Ford's "Col. Lucas" knows that Sheen's "Capt. Willard" is no longer really "regular Army", he's been doing Special Forces stuff before this assignment. I don't know if Harrison Ford was told all of Sheen's character's background, but he was a paratrooper, then Special Forces, then moved to working for MACV-SOG, so he is Army taking CIA orders at this point.

[@RudyJayTravels]

@MrJohndoakes Exactly. A modern day version would be today’s JSOC.

[@nickporter574]

Definitely. Gave the scene nice depth. Each character is memorable.

[@FP194]

Only problem with this scene is Ford’s character is way to young to be a Col.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

I love how Harrison Ford plays the antithesis of his usual confident swashbuckling character... he puts on the glasses and was able to act nervous and uncomfortable

[@RDSArcade]

Most of it wasn't acting. He was still suffering from jet lag when the scene was being shot.

[@derekwischmann6123]

Agreed. Even watching this as a kid, I always read Harrison’s performance as: “I don’t want this to come back on me.”

[@biffmercury]

Han Solo acted the same way when questioned over the radio while Luke is rescuing Leia in STAR WARS (1977). Guess Ford just draws from what he knows.

[@liquidbraino]

It's called "acting". That's what actors do, that's what they get paid to do and it's what they spend years training for.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

@@liquidbraino I thought Harrison Ford was a carpenter when he landed the role in Star Wars. Do carpentry classes also offer acting lessons? LOL... that's called "joking" and I've spent many years training to joke

[@keiththorpe9571]

I read an article once about this scene, and how the three men giving the captain his mission were affected in entirely different ways. The colonel (played by Ford) was obviously uncomfortable by the whole thing, the General (Spradlin) was upset yet resigned to the necessity of destroying a once-great soldier like Kurtz, while the CIA operative Jerry was cold, unfeeling, and very matter-of-fact about it all, with no qualms about assassinating an American combat commander who had gone insane.

[@georgemorley1029]

For me, Jerry’s insouciance is what sells the emotions that the other characters are feeling. G D Spradlin is experiencing disgust, regret and sadness at the fate of Col Kurtz. Harrison Ford is conveying nervousness and a deep seated reluctance to issue the orders that will condemn an American soldier to death, Martin Sheen is trying not to puke and hold his head on his shoulders, not just because of how hungover he is but also because of how incredulous Willard is at what he’s being told to do. And then there’s Jerry. He says nothing but he watches, eats without concern (the only one who does) and simply observes. He’s the reason they’re all in the room. He’s the cold, impassive representation of decisions being taken thousands of miles away in other rooms. And it’s his line that caps it all off. When all is said and done, Jerry is the man in charge in that room. It’s his cigarette that Willard takes and it’s the only thing he does take. I’m so glad you see the significance and the power of this scene to the film, it’s long been a favourite of mine. Great work!

[@notsoancientpelican]

Masterful analysis. Yes, you get it. CIA was behind all, in control, pulling the strings. The military including the General Officer were props, stage hands, office boys and (as Kurtz says later) “grocery clerks.” Nameless (except for “Jerry”), formless, inexplicable and unexplained, but obviously sized up and made by Willard. The character absolutely makes the scene and, IMO, is the central image and episode of the whole work.

[@JH-lo9ut]

I agree, I have always seen Jerry’s precence in this scene as unsetteling for some reason. He has such a non-military look to his face. His expression is that of someone with a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, that has to delegate that responsibility onto people he’s not totally confident in. It is a part played so well, with basically no words. Great analysis!

[@sgt.thundercok4704]

Well stated. One of my favorite scenes as well. That said, Harrison Ford's part is the one that always stood out to me as off key.

[@509Gman]

This scene called that trope out to me, and I love seeing it in other films. Nothing makes a character look casually deranged much like being the only one eating while in a tense discussion.

[@SETHREN1]

well...i really like the way you put it... "Fucking-A! C-I-A!"

[@johnsowerby7182]

I certainly have always looked at 'The Civilian' being a CIA Agent. There were a number of CIA stations around Vietnam, and a considerable amount of overlap between Army Intelligence and the CIA

[@MarcosElMalo2]

My take was CIA Agent and Asian/Caucasian mix, probably Vietnamese/Caucasian. He looks “hapa”.

[@kenanmorg4677]

@@MarcosElMalo2 Absolutely; that's always been my impression as well....local knowledge is a big part of intelligence operations (I am an ex-Navy operator myself) and who better than a half-French, half-Vietnamese CIA agent or contractor to be the one who actually orders the assassination. That way, the characters played by G.D. Spradlin and Harrison Ford maintain 100% deniability. Plus, the way he digs into that shrimp lends even more force to this impression. The actor, Jerry Ziesmer, is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and his Wikipedia bio gives us no clue as to why he has such an "Asian" appearance. But the overall effect makes him a valuable addition to this scene. Thanks for your comment and thanks Cinema Tyler for this breakdown.

[@andrewkennemer1358]

Oh, its CIA.

[@ledeyabaklykova]

Jerry looks pretty much like a Filipino in the nation’s professional or academic class. A father of a close friend of mine in L. A. (whose family migrated to the SoCal region in the early 70s for a better life and to flee from Pres. Marcos’ restrictive martial law order) looked exactly like Jerry n the movie, haircut and facial features and all. Uncanny! The fact that A Now was filmed in that country further confuses me!

[@Kevin-od2pc]

Pretty sure the whole damn thing was a clown run show

[@werdle92]

Apocalypse Now has always been a movie to me that sounds totally rad on paper as a kid, but bores 11 year old you, but then you actually appreciate what the movie was as an adult

[@OldMusicFan83]

The US Army played it for us at the beginning of Basic Training in 1984. We loved it!

[@shrimpflea]

I saw it at age 12 and it was instantly my favorite movie ever.

[@jj80808]

I loved the opening scene as a preteen but everything else was a bit beyond my comprehension tbh lol saw it just a few years later and it stuck with me ad the masterpiece it is since and only gotten better with each viewing. Funnily enough, I'm overdue another rewatch as I haven't watched it through in years and used to watch both the theatrical and redux cuts too frequently to count, but with all the grandiose scenes this is one I forgot until just rewatching hearts of darkness(literally finished it within the last last hour) and when I saw this scene it was the one that most made me want to watch it again as this is another scene that stuck with me from that first viewing aged 10 or so. With the dire atmosphere and briefing in kurtz as a person and the team assembled(esp. Cia grey haired guy with his prominent face and stoic expression).

[@NormAppleton]

It's a movie for people 30+ years old.

[@c.s.s.1723]

The playing of the tape.... I love the subtleties of the reactions to what Kurtz is saying. Basically, he is in the room, calling them nay-bobs, saying that he hates them. They have to just take it....Brilliant.

[@smartalek180]

"They have to just take it...." But did they? Did they "just take it"? You have to wonder just how much of their determination to off the guy came from his "operating without any decent restraint, totally beyond the pale of any acceptable human conduct" -- when they themselves were massacring innocents -- and how much came from his disrespect to them?

[@AA-ke5cu]

Truth is keitel would of ruined the film; a short stubby dude is not indictive of an assassin. The fake tough guy acting like de-Niro is lamely obvious and far from any reality-based structures.

[@alisterfolson]

Favorite scene: Doesn't want cigarette: doesn't want the mission Reluctantly takes the cigarette: accepts the mission

[@seanrichards9569]

Interesting that this is what occurs dramatically with nothing more than accepting a cigarette, but it’s a motif Coppola used before; the scene outside the hospital in Godfather where Pacino lights someone else’s cigarette has been pointed out as a pivotal dramatic moment, and one where a non verbal and simple cue has enough weight that the whole film turns on it.

[@daveyboy_]

He took that cigarette with no hesitation.

[@MarcillaSmith]

@@daveyboy_ When the Company Man offered it at the end. In the beginning of the scene, he declines a smoke from the Col. Lucas character

[@daveyboy_]

He took that smoke quik fast because of the gravity of that mission

[@delete---7593]

Cool..................tho........ .🤔😑.

[@AIC5150]

Willard's response, "what are the charges?" I mean his character had done so much evil in the name of the righteous, and mix that with his unending stress of the place he was always in, and also mix in heavy drinking would make anyone unsure of what was real, fake, good or bad. How would you maintain your identity, when it is constantly challenged and denied?

[@AIC5150]

@Barry Super exactly, and at what point does the awe and splendor of working for a 3 letter agency yield to the excessive toll it takes on one’s life?

[@davidlean1060]

It brings to mind the line later about charging Kurtz with murder. Charging him with such was like 'handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500!'

[@mikestenzel2003]

I always assumed it was because he was so wasted from the night before, he couldn’t remember whether he had annoyed any senior officer with drunken antics.

[@davidlean1060]

@@mikestenzel2003 Does he strike you as a first time offender?! No me neither. Willard has had many nights and mornings like that.

[@marklisa9967]

Metaphor for the war.

[@valmarsiglia]

Huh. Been watching "Apocalypse" for 40 years, always been a favorite, and I never noticed the dubbing in that scene. Really interesting.

[@isaachaze1]

It's because your mind doesn't want there to be dubbing. it smooths it over for you, so you don't see it. The human mind is such a funny thing.

[@daveyboy_]

After this scene Matthew Modine came in and said , "Does this mean Ann Margaret's not coming ?"

[@valmarsiglia]

@@daveyboy_ Lol!

[@misein1]

@@daveyboy_ LOL...good one.

[@ChrisThomson-y7l]

Truth be told, even tho I knew that before I saw the movie it was really hard to notice. No wonder the movie won an Oscar for sound mixing, it literally matched flawlessly

[@travisa7669]

I was stationed in Iraq during 2004 and the air base I lived and operated out of had so many little touches of Americana. Hand painted bike lanes, grass planted and grown in certain areas, and hair salons along with lots of other things. All of this in the middle of a war zone. The mobile home, air conditioning, and food seen in the Mission Briefing scene all makes sense.

[@johanstone]

Americana?

[@travisa7669]

@ yes, touches of “home” aka America that included certain foods at the chow hall, a movie theater and fast food restaurants like Pizza Hut and Burger King.

[@willlienellson7451]

Shooting Luca practicing his lines for meeting the Don after he was fumbling his lines was brilliant.

[@tomservo5347]

There will never be a movie quite like this ever again. It was the excess of the 70's, pre-CGI, an obsessive director with access to too much, actors not acting but actually out of their minds on drugs and alcohol, and of course Brando being a complete diva on set. Martin Sheen keeps the entire thing glued together with his incredible acting and smoking Marlboro Reds like a boss. The Reds were a part of the cast also-much like in Platoon.

[@TheSwordfish009]

maybe that's the key to "acting". Get them high and aggravated.

[@liquidbraino]

@@TheSwordfish009 It isn't the key to acting although it has been used in the 70's. You'd never get away with that on any union production today. We don't even use real cigarettes on set, we use herbal cigarettes and different combinations of drinks to get the correct color. If you have to actually get high and drunk then it's not acting AND you're a lot more likely to screw up your dialogue and cause excessive reshoots which costs a lot of money. Spielberg learned this the hard way after Robert Shaw completely ruined the Indianapolis speech in Jaws and they had to reshoot it the next day. I actually do smoke and drink in real life but never before or during a production unless it's 1. Non-union and 2. Being produced and directed by friends and 3 they actually insist that I smoke or drink for real (which I've only done once). I didn't spend three years training to become an actor just to get in front of a camera and NOT act.

[@smkh2890]

The only movie that compares is Fitzcarraldo.

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

I think Sheen had a heart attack on set at 1 point. 😟

[@brindlebucker4741]

I was a 13 year old kid when this film came out. None of my friends wanted to watch it, so I went to the cinema alone and was blown away by it.

[@Mark-uv6sm]

Same here,Had to bribe a friend to take me to theatre.

[@chrismascaro3263]

you were the smart one....... I bet your friends have seen it since.........

[@ChrisThomson-y7l]

How did you get into the movie if you went alone? Did your dad bring you or did you literally just go alone?

[@coltseavers6298]

Oh thank you for doing this! Now I know know exactly why Harrison gave Lucas the little nervous fingers twitch right before he turns off the tape machine. This has always been one of my favorite shots, but I cold never explain exactly why. Thanks again.

[@CinemaTyler]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@SailaSobriquet]

Wow. You packed a whole lot of great stuff into this! Outstanding! I particularly liked the backstories of Lenny Montana as Luca Brasi, the brilliance of Coppola's inclination to work with Montana's nervousness and translate it into the character, and Coppola's selection of Vittorio Storaro, and the trust he had in him. Great job!

[@CinemaTyler]

Thanks so much!

[@victorbrunswick]

The thing that always struck me about Jerry is his somewhat angelic appearance which suggests that in a sense he's the Angel of Death.

[@marknewton6984]

A great scene, among many others. Maybe the best!

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

That part is a lot like the wierd guy with 🕶 in the van who just shows up to brief Lt John MacClane in Die Hard lll. He's with the NYPD inspector. He's a CIA or Mossad type spy 🕵🏼‍♂️. I like how he says very little & the NYPD are coy about it.

[@jessielee8511]

This is probably my favorite movie of all time. I was a kid during the Vietnam war. My dad did two tours. I loved the earth bound intensity, wild adventure and realism of confusion and dissonance of the movie.

[@criticalmass613]

One of THE BEST scenes in movie history.

[@jdraven0890]

Storaro seems like such a humble man, committed entirely to his profession

[@cpking7]

Wow. First time on this channel and instantly subscribed. 30 year career in movies, and now I know one more thing I can do for young people when they ask for advice: send them the link. Great work.

[@kamuelalee]

Out of such a compelling masterpiece of a movie "Apocalypse Now" this really is one of the more compelling scenes. Didn't realize after all these years they were saying Leighly. Great video, keep them coming!

[@lancecampbell4323]

Agreed. It defines the tone of the entire movie. A brilliantly understated acting performance by everyone involved

[@johnappleby405]

Yes agreed I particularly liked GD Spradlin as the general an actor with an interesting background as a lawyer and politician he was convincing in this role quoting Lincoln ‘the better angels of our nature’ and talking about Kurtz being a good humanitarian man before giving an order to kill him.

[@schmidt640]

Before I even start this video, I just have to say that this is one of my favorite scenes from the movie. The intrigue is unbelievable and I feel like I notice something new each time I watch it. I love the behind the scenes stuff in war, especially anything with military intelligence or CIA briefings. Always fascinating stuff and potentially FUBAR missions or implications.

[@unclegumbald989]

Please don't ever stop doing these Apocalypse Now episodes!

[@ID-8491]

This is one my favorite scenes from Apocalypse Now (which happens to be my favorite film). Such great acting. I also view "terminate with extreme prejudice" quote as a more important quote the the "napalm quote".

[@zapillofilms]

Jesuschrist! The quality of this series is superb. Keep on with this extraordinary channel!

[@CinemaTyler]

Thanks!

[@jasonmadinya7759]

I love this scene, I had no idea harrison ford was exhausted and nervous, it fit the scene so well I thought it was intentional.

[@marknewton6984]

Jerry steals it. Spradin is terrific!

[@ST-kr7hz]

the amount of research and editing that goes into these phenomenal videos doesn't go unnoticed! so glad I found this incredible channel.

[@narta11]

In a movie full of epic scenes, this is my favorite. The attention to detail, the subtleness of the acting, the seriousness of the mission. Maybe it’s my military background or my previous security clearance, it’s just a powerful performance for me.

[@Dirt-McGirt]

This is a great scene and it immediately drew me into every second of this movie! I don't know what exactly it is, Jerry's facial expressions and him being quiet through the majority of the scene, Harrison Ford seeming nervous or just off, and Korman just nonchalantly talking about the food, and Willard just having a wtf look on his face while taking everything in.

[@AJamesDarkly220]

Long-time viewer here: I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate and enjoy your videos. You are one of a kind and your passion for cinema is infectious. Just when I thought I couldn't love cinema more, you come along and start making KZbin videos. Keep up the excellent work!

[@neilburrows6670]

"Terminate with extreme prejudice" and "Use of unnecessary violence in the apprehension of the Blues Brothers...has been approved". Two reasons to adore cinema right there! :)

[@thomasthomas2418]

"Leelaigh, huh? Okay thanks, Marlon, we'll get back to you on it...."

[@CasperLCat]

Further proof, if any is needed, that even Brando had some terrible acting ideas. I’m amazed Coppola even went along with it during these early scenes. Knowing Brando, he probably threatened to walk off the set unless they bought all his stupid little ideas. And Coppola took the threat seriously, because who the heck knows what that spoiled bastard will do ?

[@buzznot1012]

This is probably my favourite scene in the movie. Watching it again recently I wondered what exactly Willard meant when he said in the voiceover: "It was no accident that I got to be the caretaker of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz’s memory any more than being back in Saigon was an accident." This suggests some link or similarity between Willard and Kurtz. There are similarities. Of course, I wish there was a prequel so I could learn more about who Willard is, who Kurtz really is, beyond the dossier. Great series Tyler! Thanks for your hard work!

[@dbibbyma]

I for one, absolutely love the scene in question, and the line, terminate with extreme prejudice. Most enjoyable and very informative video about the epic movie.

[@MichaelBoltonsEntireCatalog]

This scene does a great job of illustrating military work horses wanting to get the job done and DC using ways to drag it out. "Bullshit stacked so high in Vietnam you needed to grow wings to stay above it."

[@Majoofi]

I had always wondered why I never saw Jerry Zeismer in anything else, because he was so chilling in this scene. It never occurred to me that he had a whole nother career.

[@jackleg2007]

I like the way he just studied Willard the whole time. While the military officers were put off by the mission, he was cool and collected.

[@wes11bravo]

He totally nails that role. Every aspect of it - his business casual wardrobe, his odd hairstyle, vocal inflections and expressions that are totally devoid of empathetic potential - brilliant.

[@MegaMkmiller]

''A whole nother career.'' Well, we know who graduated in the bottom half of the class now don't we? Dumbass.

[@andrewjensen6305]

miller obviously he was just using a funny phrase, no need to call names.

[@dr.2335]

@@MegaMkmiller ‘’A whole ‘nother’’ is a legitimate phrase. Google ‘nother’ and find, according to Merriam Webster, that it’s a real word dating back to the 14th century. Who’s dumb now; as well as petty and rude? Uncultured child.

[@edwardduarte7393]

I love this scene in this movie. Apocalypse is like any great work of art. When you watch as you get older you see more and more into it. Descent into madness. I used to have a group of friends in LA and we would see special screnings at the cinerama dome on Sunday evenings. We saw redux there. It was too long. I also got Conrad's book that I need to start as well. Good job.

[@SuperMrHiggins]

It's a good one

[@hegemonycricket2182]

Actually they offered Willard a cigarette at the beginning of the scene at the intelligence office, and he didn't accept it. It was only after his peculiar and dangerous mission was revealed to him that he then accepted a smoke. I always thought that was interesting. Great scene.

[@777jones]

Harrison Ford, who was basically an amateur, did very well.

[@hegemonycricket2182]

@@777jones Ford's acting in that scene is outstanding...the way he delivers the lines and the subtle facial expressions, body language, really really good stuff.

[@hegemonycricket2182]

@@777jones as you say, basically an amateur, but I think he was basically an actor savant...

[@walpolescrew]

Like giving a last cigarette to the condemned.

[@dronessential]

A movie like this will never be made again. It is absolutely singular.

[@bluegregory6239]

Too fucking right. The best film ever made.

[@Ericdz302]

One of the best movies of all time!

[@RandyThomsound]

I was one of Walter Murch’s assistants on Apocalypse, and one of my jobs was to record sound effects for the movie. The background sound in the Brando (Kurtz) tape recording is a shortwave radio fluttering that sounds coincidentally and eerily like a helicopter. Randy Thom

[@derekwischmann6123]

Great video & great detail! I love how Harrison questions Willard about his previous missions to ensure the mission stays a secret. After serving the US Army for 20 years, keeping secrets is part of the equation.

[@OldMusicFan83]

Opsec brother!

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

MAC V SOG & the Phoenix Program had many secret, covert ops 🗃.

[@dougdavenport4778]

I remember when Sheen hosted SNL. The best sketch had Sheen as a studio exec who was tasked with traveling to the Philippines to terminate a movie director who had gone off the rails

[@chaunceychappelle2173]

You left out one of the greatest actors in Hollywood ever in a pair of the best combat boots ever made- green/black jungle boots. I loved those boots when I first joined the military.

[@havedrill1]

the mission briefing was mesmerizing. The close up eye contacts, the tape recording of Curts. Some of the best work Francis Ford Coppola ever did.

[@luisvaldes1568]

I agree with you, the Lunch Mission Meeting is one of my favorite scene. First saw movie 1982 on cable. Fan ever since.

[@piercesmith1465]

You're killing it, Tyler! I'm loving this playlist.

[@danandkiko]

I've always loved this scene. There's so much going on.

[@niallmackenzie99]

Wow I always wondered why Ford would ever accept a bit part in a movie, now I know Thanks❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@stevesharief7]

MAN..this Guy Cinema Tyler is so good and so thorough with these videos..I learn so much about filmmaking and it's experience...I always look forward to his videos

[@CinemaTyler]

Thanks so much!

[@JH-lo9ut]

My god, those hand-drawn maps at about 4:45 are so pretty. The style of the handwriting is so beautiful, and that’s not even the point of it. It’s just an extra flavor to the craft.

[@wes11bravo]

This scene is the best acted in the film. "Jerry" is flawless as the creepy CIA agent, G.D. Spradlin portrays the perfect representation of a general, a character who utilizes his leadership skills in every situation, even the passing of the food during the meal. This, the scene with Roach, and the mango gathering scenes are my favorites.

[@tomb4575]

Jerry looks pan-american/euro. Always thought he was chosen as an offspring of a frenchmen and vietnamese mother and was a former member of the french ruling class. The charachter to me was the only tip to the former french rulers until the redux with the plantation scene.

[@wobblertv8083]

Love the roach scene ....."He's close ,real close " The actor whom played him died I think a year or two ago ...One of cinemas unforgettable characters,Brilliantly played .

[@bluegregory6239]

This scene and the Colonel Kilgore sequence are the best scenes in the single greatest film ever made.

[@bluegregory6239]

@@wobblertv8083 Do you know who's in command here? Yeah.

[@Jeff-fx1zy]

Mango gathering scene? I thought it was the Tiger scene. In the theater, everybody jumped about a foot out of their seats, and a couple seconds later we were all laughing with Chief Phillips.

[@magnetmountain33]

Without doubt one of the best Apocalypse now review documentaries ever film edited All those associated with this film should be proud of your work and indorse it work whole Heartedly you have done a fantastic job Oscar award winning film based documentary …….. Truly amazing stuff you deserve an award as good as the film itself

[@SIKE01]

*"terminate with extreme prejudice"* one of the greatest movie quotes

[@DavyDredd14]

It may have inspired Director Walter Hill to make : Extreme Prejudice (1987)

[@russellbarndt6579]

So cool to get to understand some of the scenes set up on what is one of my top 3 favorites movies, thank you.!

[@davidbailey6397]

“Feels bad what he does to actors?”Coppola caused Sheen to have a heart attack!!!!

[@williamfitch1408]

Now, much is said about Brando never having any notion of what was going on, but I have a memory. My mother read a news item out to me one evening, well before the film came out or was publicised, about Marlon Brando. It said he was living on an island, dressed in fatigues. He would invite people over, impound their boats and hold them captive while he rambled over short-wave radio. I remember that as a fact, but I've never heard a reference to it ever since.

[@Gordy-fj1jy]

He did own an island and had a lot of issues with it. It’s called Tetiaroa in Tahiti

[@StevenRLegge]

Thanks for including my little vid about the renaming of Kurtz, people are actually finding it and enjoying it! I think I said “lay-Lee” in mine, I don’t recall seeing the original footage where they pronounce it “Lee-Lee”. Great work as usual!

[@CinemaTyler]

Happy to help drive people to your great video! I may have messed the pronunciation (as usual). I actually originally recorded it as lay-lee and then changed it after seeing that first clip of Ford seeming to say lee-lee. I think he was just kind of mumbling because the other clips sound more like lay-lee. I only realized it as I was publishing it. So it goes, I guess. I'm planning on talking more about it in the later Kurtz episodes, so hopefully, I'll have it figured out by then!

[@peternoble3691]

It’s ok, just overdub it when you decide 😂

[@StevenRLegge]

@@peternoble3691 I think that would have been Coppola’s plan as well! 😄

[@teeguy100]

Back in the day I printed the "Apocalypse Now" movie crew "Wrap" t-shirts when I was 17 and printing tees in San Francisco. These were gifts given out to crew members when the film wrapped. This tee art is the shot of Brando as Kurtz with his C.I.A. dossier on a drab green tee. I still have it here someplace. Unfortunately I wore that tee when cleaning screens and it is badly splattered. I need to go back and see if it has the "Leighly" name tag in the photo as this is the first I have heard of that. I did also print a tee that Coppola is wearing in a photo with Sheen shown here in this video. It is the "Ant Farm - Media Burn" tee. Ant Farm was an avant-garde art collective most famous for the Cadillac Ranch in Texas and the Media Burn event at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. I think they are also somehow connected to the "Church Of Bob" and the band Negativeland. Not sure. I do have one of the Media Burn tees here that is in perfect shape. I saw that flash across the screen and fell off my chair. I'm old.

[@garygreen5670]

After mis-reading the title, I got very excited thinking you were now covering Robert Wise's The Haunting (I read 'mission' as 'mansion'). Serves me right for going off half-cocked.

[@biffmercury]

Oh, I wish Cinema Tyler would cover Robert Wise’s THE HAUNTING, one of my favorite movies.

[@seanmetro3496]

*"Terminate with extreme prejudice."* the most cold blooded line in movie history.

[@inazumaajax9939]

I was getting worried this series was over

[@CinemaTyler]

Sorry it is taking so long! The other videos have been paying the bills, so these episodes have been a little less frequent than I'd like. I have about 20-24 episodes planned for this series!

[@maddogmcgruder5435]

@@CinemaTyler wwwuuow

[@RonWylie-gk5lc]

This is the best series of behind the scenes I have ever watched and I watch a lot, thank you for all your hard work on this, I honestly believe the film is a masterpiece and so is your behind the scenes. Amazing work your passion for the subject really shows, I learned SO much

[@YearsOfLeadPoisoning]

I was watching this last week and was wondering if those head shots of Brando in the dossier were composited or taken early in production. Looking forward to the next one!

[@CinemaTyler]

Thanks! I believe at least one of them was. I have an episode planned that will talk more in-depth about the dossier.

[@pedroberoes49]

15:44 He cried when the production finished because he felt it was his first true love. We need more people like this in the arts today.

[@chrisperry7963]

Outstanding job on this, some fascinating details.

[@CinemaTyler]

Many thanks!

[@sentient02970]

Thank you. This film opener really grabbed me more than most I've seen and of all in that film these scenes stick so well.

[@martinpitt8976]

I love the briefing Scene! It is sublime! Thanks for the thoughtful vid I learned a lot

[@CinemaTyler]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kevinhealey6540]

13:05 This part where G. D. Spradin plays the general and gives that grimace to say what he thinks about Colonel Kurtz was perfect. His acting and timing were just great. I was in the army and Spradin acting of play a "no nonsense, always serious" general is right on target.

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

If I recall they say or Martin Sheen says how Col Kurtz does Airborne 🪂 jump school at 46. This is extremely rare in the US Army. The MG who ran the Army MP center & school, 1989 did it. He took Airborne as a O-6 Col. Passed & got basic jump wings.

[@jeremywalsh5666]

One of the best scenes in cinema. Period. Probably one of the top three best movies ever made. i put it up there with Citizen Kane.

[@bluegregory6239]

And 'Pulp Fiction'.

[@jleonas]

And “Who’s Harry Crumb?”

[@mdemers767]

That's not an AC unit on top of the mobile home, it's a swamp cooler. A large fan inside simply draws air through water soaked media that surrounds it on the inside, with a water pump in a reservoir at the bottom to constantly refresh the media. They're extremely effective in arid environments (up to about 95 degrees) because the water evaporates out of the humid air, resulting in a cooling effect. In a tropical environment such as Vietnam it would be useless, and would likely just make the already hot environment even more miserable because you'd be adding moisture to the already muggy air.

[@jackleg2007]

I was really waiting to see this episode.

[@rocknroll1509]

the music in the background of the scene, is perfect

[@isthatyoujaunwayne4183]

"Hey buddy you gonna shut the door?!" made me laugh so hard as a kid.

[@andrewbobro6094]

Incredible. Such a good job. Thank you so much for putting in the work!

[@davidlean1060]

I can't be the only one who laughs when Willard replies, 'what's it look like?!' after the military escorts ask him how he's doing! There's not much light relief in this movie, but that is a witty line. That dinner scene works so damn well though. We're already aware that Willard prefers being in the jungle, so the forced civility of the officers' quarters comes across as surreal. It really establishes how at odds Willard is with his commanders. It also reminds me of a line from Siegfried Sassoon, 'if I were fierce and bald and short of breath, I'd live with scarlet majors at the base'. Willard taking a smoke from the red packet of cigarettes is a nice touch too, it's a small forshadowing of the blood that will be spilled later in the movie.

[@robappleby583]

I've always been a fan David, but you know as well as I that you should never read too much into a pack of cigarettes.

[@MarcillaSmith]

Yes, sir. :: ahem :: Very *much* so, sir. *Obviously* insane.

[@thomasgodar]

The looking at the camera in that trailer scene. Totally. Knew the making of this film was nuts but loved the new info you provided. Excellent video.

[@timnor4803]

Such a powerful and under appreciated scene

[@augustgreig9420]

The entire opening is brilliant and underrated. The opening line, "Everybody gets what they want. I wanted a mission and for my sins they gave me one." is one of the greatest opening lines of all time, and in fact, one o the greatest lines, period.

[@TheJoshuamooney]

GREAT work here. One of my fave scenes in my no. 1 film. The behind-scenes details filming are worthy of their own-oh wait nevermind… If Coppola indeed filmed this scene day after sheen’s drunken-hotel scene, that’s fuckig brill. Sheen looks as realistically hungover as any actor I’ve ever scene. Finally, about Spradlin adding lines? Francis cut the right stuff first time around. Everything the General says in this scene is golden and coveys SO much in just the right tone of arrogance and certainty to describe US military’s blindness at that time. Again, your work is impressive.

[@TheJoshuamooney]

Just saw I HAVE been subscribed to you for a while but I’m scattered these days. Happy new year to you.

[@jwoolson]

@CinemaTyler Your meta-storytelling about storytelling is very very good.

[@BrendanMacWade]

My gawd, we're less than 30 minutes into Redux and this is episode 7. Is this going to be over 30 episodes? I am here for all of it. Well done!

[@ericscottstevens]

I always felt the impromptu cough by Colonel Lucas' dialogue/instructions for Willard was for a future splice point as this meeting was being secretly recorded. If the mission went bad the recording would be edited for political inquisition before the joint chiefs, CIA or even Congress. Willard probably already knows he is being recorded (or has been before in these interviews/briefings) and eventually invokes the plausible deniability lines that win over his interviewers. The look that Lieutenant General R. Corman gives Lucas is the go ahead to discuss the mission with Willard. Back to the cough it may be Harrison Ford was exhausted and really was having issues talking dealing with the humidity and climate........Either way it works.

[@rossz4898]

My favorite scene from Apocalypse Now, maybe my favorite scene period, great vid

[@WhiteBloggerBlackSpecs]

"Terminate with extreme prejudice." Sets the rest of the movie up for you

[@marcomoro9740]

Wonderful documentary about Apocalypse Now! And Vittorio Storaro is a real legend.

[@Jaguadarte__]

Oh boy I was waiting for this :-)

[@johnblunt1313]

Dude you did such a great job with these, definitely one of the great KZbin series I've found. Excited to rewatch AN and Heart of Darkness after finishing this...

[@captainalphabet]

Storaro did end up shooting DUNE - for (then) Sci-fi channel in 2000. Filmed on 35mm film, uniquely 2:1 ratio, 3-perf.

[@AbdalaBrothers]

you are by far the best youtuber that analyses films. Will be the first person I ever subscribe on Patreon. thanks for all this serioes, it[s really epic

[@erichaskell]

Not an air conditioner, its a swamp cooler which in a humid environment is useless.

[@disgruntledpedant2755]

Moves the air pretty well

[@CarloscFr]

This is one of the best series of videos I've seen. Thank very much. And thank you for talking about Storaro, I was hoping to see him in some of these videos, his cinematography work in this movie deserves one episode!!

[@johnsprinkles7369]

What pisses me off is the fact that it buffers for 20 minutes for the video but commercial stream perfectly clear

[@itsd0nk]

That’s an ISP issue that I’ve dealt with

[@brocktonma.1816]

I was in Okinawa 1982-83. TDY to Manila Philippines. The heat and humidity in that part of the world is relentless. Can’t imagine soldiers/marines on missions in Vietnam. Hell I’d imagine.

[@tiptopdadddy]

Are you planning an episode about John Milius? The movie title is a great story.

[@CinemaTyler]

Yes! I have two episodes written on the Milius and the screenplay, but I'm planning to do it after the Valkyries episode. I didn't want to start the series with seven pre-production episodes before we even get to the beginning the movie.

[@davidlean1060]

A two hander on him and Walter Murch perhaps. Those two have had a hand in so many classics from this time.

[@tiptopdadddy]

@@CinemaTyler Can’t wait!

[@kyleshiflet9952]

@Commie Gobbledygook he gave us so many good movies This,Connan The Barbarian,Red Dawn and many others

[@RolandDuke]

You must mean Walter Sobchak? Lol!

[@abaddonanon7573]

Sterraro, cried when he shot his first film. Now that's a great man to respect!