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Oscar Vault Monday – Apocalypse Now, 1979 (dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
While nothing can replace The Thin Red Line as my all-time favorite war film, I think this movie would be a close second, even if I did just see it for the first time on Saturday (I know, I know). I’d like to point out first off that I watched the Redux version and not the theatrical version, so this post will be based on that version of the film. I’m also not going to talk a lot about some of the behind the scenes stories (there are a lot) and probably won’t cover all the themes in the film because I feel like the only way to do everything about this film justice would be to write 100 pages. I will, however, talk about the main performances and a couple of scenes that I really loved. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning two: Best Sound (won), Best Cinematography (won), Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor Robert Duvall, Best Director and Best Picture. The other films nominated for Best Picture that year were All That Jazz, Breaking Away, Norma Rae and winner Kramer Vs. Kramer. Side note: I really love Kramer Vs. Kramer, so this is not a “this film is better than the winner” post; it’s more like a “this film is equally as awesome” post.
Movie Quote of the Day – Apocalypse Now, 1979 (dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
Kilgore: Smell that? You smell that?
Lance: What?
Kilgore: Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that.
[kneels]
Kilgore: I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn’t find one of ’em, not one stinkin’ dink body. [beat] The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like. . .victory. [beat] Someday this war’s gonna end.
Francis Ford Coppola, Jean-Luc Godard and Eli Wallach to receive Honorary Oscars
The Envelope reports that:
The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Wednesday that it would present “The Godfather” director-producer Francis Ford Coppola with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award and give honorary Oscars to British film historian and preservationist Kevin Brownlow, French “New Wave” director Jean-Luc Godard, who made his feature directorial debut 50 years ago with the seminal “Breathless,” and veteran actor Eli Wallach, who has appeared in such films as “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
I really love this selection. I love all three of these artists and I look forward to their montages, etc. at the ceremony next year!






















