After
finally watching
Apocalypse Now, I've finally taken into consideration Coppola's
technique. While I've only seen two of his films (or four, if you include an entire franchise), Coppola creates a solid plot
involving an A-to-B main character. However, the real treat to his films is the immense attention to
detail throughout the atmosphere, spanning almost 3 hours in film.
In The Godfather, it's about Michael Corleone, innocent turned crooked, but it's also about the detailed analysis on
crime families in '40s New York, and the humanity in a aging legend named Vito Corleone.
Here, it's a grizzled narrator, manic
turned beast, in a horrifying and confusing Vietnam War, where anything is possible with anyone.
Coppola has this stern obsession with giving authenticity and justice to an atmosphere he wants us to be immersed in. The Godfather turned heads with this, as did Apocalypse, and became not only grand contributions to cinema, but an unbreakable standard that filmmakers can only attempt to achieve. There are no flashes or luls in his movies, only honesty and drama.
I think that's why I relate to his work so much.
- Ant
