Apocalypse Now: Kilgore and Helicopter attack scene

 

Apocalypse Now. Kilgore and Helicopter attack scene

Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore is not your typical hero. What he says and does contradicts with the morals of a normal sane person and he doesn’t doubt for a moment that what he is doing is wrong. Everyone follows him because he is a leader and doesn’t hesitate to act, but even though he fits the Colonel role perfectly that doesn't mean that he is any kind of hero compared to what America would believe.

The scene of the helicopters attacking the village, also known as “The ride of the Valkyries”, starts with the cavalry formation of the helicopters with the music composition by Richard Wagner. The scene itself is so powerful and the music just takes it to another level. Even this early through the movie Kilgore already shows that he is powerful with his relaxed posture and body language, which at the same time demonstrates that he is confident he will win the war.
After showing the helicopter formation and the soldiers preparing to attack, there is a big cut that is well recognised because of the huge contrast it shows. It goes from an image of war and chaos to a regular school where everything seems to be smooth. When the school is shown, the natural and diegetic sound of dogs barking and kids playing is what catches the audience's attention the most, but it only lasts a few seconds before the sound of helicopters increases as they get closer. This cut definitely represents the calm before the storm as the dramatic contrast drifts to chaos and destruction.
Before the helicopters start hitting the village, everyone tries to escape and the diegetic sound of shouting and running gets mixed with the background music. A moment later chaos arrives: the village is destroyed, there is smoke and fire everywhere and many people are injured or dead.
The straight forward action scene leaves the audience wondering who is attacking who; who is the bad guy and who should they morally stand for. This scene usually makes people ask themselves if Kilgore is a hypocrite for believing he is saving a village by destroying their homes and killing the villagers.


When Kilgore and the other soldiers arrive at the beach everything is chaos. Bombs, shooting, helicopters and explosions. He stands out for showing this confidence, power and leadership through body language and actions, but he also stands out for the iconic hat that symbolises the American army. He is the only one wearing a distinctive piece of clothing and this one specifically has a meaning of heroism and patriarchy that represents perfectly the way America saw themselves: invulnerable and undefeated. Kilgores’ priorities are mixed and some would consider him a psychopath for not paying attention to the war in front of him and thinking about surfing instead. He is so confident about winning the war that he believes he can be allowed to relax.
As Kilgore moves freely and relaxed, the camera follows his serene figure. He has no reaction to the bombs falling around him and it seems that his attention is still on the ocean even though his life could be in danger. Amusingly, while the other soldiers are protecting and hiding in the trench he does not flinch when a bomb explodes near him, unlike the soldiers around him that try to get cover. This moment shows, once again, his power and leadership by framing him from a low angle that makes him seem bigger, stronger and powerful.
This specific scene presents Kilgore’s character as a psychopath as he looks like he enjoys war and is not giving it the importance that it needs. But it also makes the audience wonder if this type of behaviour is what it is needed to live through a war.


Lastly, “The smell of Napalm in the morning” scene, where the audience ends up believing without a doubt that Kilgore is not mentally stable. At this point, the audience knows that Kilgore is a psychopath as he enjoys wars and doesn’t look like he has sympathy.
His body language doesn’t change from the other scenes and he still shows the authority that he is known for. He is in the centre of the frame as he speaks with the other soldiers. His posture adapts a figure as if he was telling a story while the soldiers are trying to save themselves. Kilgore takes advantage of this moment to express the sadness that the war ending brings him. He is talking about his feelings while they are being attacked, everything around them is exploding and people are getting injured. Behind Kilgore’s character, people are running, trying to get to a safer place, while others are lying on the ground, injured or dead.


Through these scenes the idea of heroism is questioned. Kilgore definitely does not act as your typical hero and it is not clear who is attacking who in this war. Is Kilgore trying to save the people by destroying their homes and killing their families? There is no doubt that Kilgore dominates and leads the narrative without doubting through it, but he is still a hypocrite for believing that he is saving these people by destroying their lands. It is difficult to become a hero in a war that did not involve your country in the first place, but Kilgore does not seem to care about being one.
His character stands out for the confidence and power that he emits through his body language, in fact, his personality may be the one needed to win a war (a strong character that does not break down at the sight of war) but the fact that he is a good leader doesn’t mean that he is a hero.