Casablanca Apocalypse Now Essay - 13/12/19

Historically, the time in which a film underwent production tends to have a heavy influence on its elements and message. The era that the film was shot in naturally reflects the full production phase, whether it was the film’s image, sound or narrative. Casablanca is a strong example of a classical Hollywood production shaped by the year it was produced in. Published in 1942, Michael Curtiz’s masterpiece (as acknowledged by a range of critics) featured film protagonist Rick featured the redemption of Rick – performed by Humphrey Bogart – and his journey from emotionless barman to fulfilled rebel. A contrasting example can (but is not limited to) be Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, a gem within the New Hollywood Genre; this is another solid portrayal of how the time in which production takes place is reflected in the film.

In the 1940s, the film industry was making its first steps towards the controlled monopoly it finds itself in today. This was due to the rise and evolution of studio systems. These were merely mall conglomerates at the time, but studios like Warner Bros developed original techniques that were utilised as the basis of certain production aspects for years to come (and sometimes even today). Amongst their huge list of films sits Casablanca, a pioneer in classical Hollywood. In this production Curtiz introduced and sharpened many techniques; one of these techniques involved mise en scene and cinematography primarily. As the spectator approaches the conclusion of the film, it’s presented with a scene that utilised costume design to feed the spectator suggestive imagery (due to the indicted Hays Code)– Ilsa and Rick’s affair. The scene shows Ilsa arriving at the romantically lit apartment, which is one of the only scenes in the film abstaining from using flat, fluorescent lighting, as it uses segregated lighting to emit lines of light and shadows on the actors. During these years, Studio productions were restricted from displaying sexual or even sometimes suggestive imagery. However, Curtiz felt it would be wrong not to include the romantic set as an element. Before fading to black, Rick and Ilsa find themselves very close to one another, and after the fade, both character’s costumes were looser, with Rick casually smoking a cigarette to connote his relaxation from his and Ilsa’s recent experience. Although this was a small clue compare to the contemporary romance in the film, at the time this was a prominent example of studios mutating and changing their chemistry alongside the progressive society, in order to adapt to social changes occurring during the middle of the 20^th century.

                                              

The conception of Apocalypse Now is widely considered to be among the most notoriously ambitious and problematic productions in cinematic history. When evaluating it from a practical perspective, Francis Ford Coppola’s leadership and desires should have driven the film into flames; that being said, Coppola did nearly fail miserably in forming his vision in multiple ways. This came as a direct result of the evolving practices of filmmaking. The ability to capture studio induced by a plethora of mobile equipment, and small, compact and easily transportable cameras hugely contributed to this. One scene, which propels this argument, is the Napalm scene: the epic scale of the production, shot on location in the Philippines jungle, and Coppola’s orchestral direction amassed spectacular cinematography, a hypnotic soundtrack and brooding performances, planting Apocalypse Now as a major cinematic landmark. John Millius, credited as co-writer of the film, was responsible for creating some of its most iconic moments, including the helicopter attack sequence. He also wrote some of the film’s most memorable lines, including “I love the smell of napalm” and “Charlie don’t surf”, and even the title itself. Although most contemporary film viewers have forgotten him, in the early 1970s Milius was a centric image of the fresh "New Hollywood" movement, a moment in American cinema history characterized by an anti-establishment, innovative approach to filmmaking. The scene displays the power of the American military, employing huge sets to fully capture the smite of the nation. Helicopters, vehicles and troops can all be seen perusing the action in the foreground and in the background in this colossal battle scene. All these performances were prominent features of the New Hollywood movement, as it could have only been achieved by the accomplishments of high budgets and durable facilities – it’s not surprising the shoot of the film comprised of over 200 hours and 237 days on set. Further relationship into New Hollywood could only be explained Coppola’s theory, in which he hesitates to call the film “anti-war”.  Contrastingly he stated the film wasn’t about Vietnam, it was Vietnam: This movie, then,  was created by a bunch of young explorers of the genre, wading into their own hearts of darkness. Coppola included: “It is certainly not about Vietnam. I'm not even sure it's a Vietnam war movie.”

Coppola's innovation of production can be found embedded within another scene of the film. The scene in which Kurtz lectures Willard, near the end of the movie. This is a good example of how the New Hollywood directors capitalized on technological advancements, as during these times, lighting equipment became more portable. This led to Coppola being able to configure lighting equipment, producing darkened images - Coppola and Storaro (the cinematographer) reduced light, contrasting to Curtiz's exposed lighting scheme. Using god rays of light eliminates Kurtz's transparency to the spectator forces the watcher to question his unknown agenda, and is crucial to the progressive explanation behind his spiritual agenda. An additional attribute Hollywood directors utilised were huge studio budgets, which evolved in-studio cinema since the classical Hollywood era. Whilst Casablanca raised a budget of $ 1 million, Apocalypse nows budget completely overshadows this, with a budget of $ 30 million. This allowed Coppola to invest in the film production taking place on location, rather than within a studio (which was the industry in classical Hollywood), This proved helpful to Coppola, as he strongly immerses the viewer in the Asian environment, embedding the narrative inside the Philipines jungles.