Friday, October 26, 2018

Comparison of Apocalypse Now & Casablanca

In this essay I will be comparing the similarities and differences between the  films; Apocalypse Now (1979) and Casablanca (1943).

Apocalypse Now (1979),  was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who also was the director of the Godfather Trilogy. The film was based around  Joseph Conrad's book "The Heart Of Darkness" which follows the story of a solider who is set a assination mission for a colonel that has gone mad and is following his own rules.

Similarly in Casablanca (1943),  directed by Michael Curtiz was based around a play called "Everybody Comes to Rick's". Warner Brothers received the play 2 days after Pearl Harbour had taken place.

Although the narratives of films contrast completely , both films are considered to be classics in film making as it set the pathway for the ideology of the auteur and highly collaborative films.

As an audience, we first see the contrast between the films from the opening scene.


From the outset of Apocalypse Now, the audience already grasps the sense of uncertainty that the film carries through out. The juxtaposition of the two shot fading in and out of each other, convey not only the films sense of uncertainty but also the protagonists state of mind. This is reinforced by the synthised , non-diegetic sound of helicopters  

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