Author: Charles-Farmer

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Night of the Living Horror Performance

The Night Of The Living Dead is a suspenseful movie, including multiple major segments. The first most important segment would be “They’re Coming to get you”. As Barbra and her Brother Johnny are at a graveyard, Johnny begins to joke around ” They’re Coming to get you” he says multiple times.  As Barbra tells johnny to knock off the obnoxious jokes, she runs into an actual zombie. She then screams for johnny’s’ assistance. As he attempts to rescue his sister, he is ultimately knocked unconscious  and Barbra is left to defend for herself.  Another important segment is when everyone is stationed at the safe house, As Harry, Tom, Ben, and Barbra. They all are informed on the situation and have a better understanding. Two attempt to flee in a vehicle but die, due to engine flames. Everyone are ultimately bit and turned into zombies. These segments are situated  this way to create the most suspense as possible , keeping the viewer waiting for scenes to come.

This Film can be seen as Horror. This is evident as the characters are being attacked by zombies creating an intense feeling of fear and shock , expression(s) shown throughout the entire entourage. The Story has a specific plot, as the base characters get a inital glimpse of the upcoming issue.  The characters then come together, attempting to rid of the issue. Finally the issue gets a hold of the characters, ultimately making the characters zombies. Its told this way and not in another way, because this plot creates the most suspense, making the viewer thirsty for what comes next. It supports the horror genre as fear is displayed throughout the entire plot.

All performances are suited to give the viewer a horror or fear type feeling. The performers act on different roles as Barbra is seen as the initial main, then Ben takes immediate command of almost every decision, displaying how the story creates an emergence of any character to take leadership regardless of fear, to take down the antagonist(s) (Zombies).

The most important character is Ben, an unknown actor. Barbra was also apart of her first major film. I feel as if they chose these characters due to them being new in the movie scenery. Creating the basis and start of something special to come.

Each actor matched their role; Ben being the leader and the rest being back seat drivers, ultimately assisting the leader to the destruction of the enemy. The plot can be deemed as unrealistic due to the viewer never being exposed to real torture or gore or death (camera doesn’t catch actual moment of impact). This isn’t a bad thing because at the time of production of this film, this was acceptable and doesn’t take away from the overall plot: Zombies ( Horror) .

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5G. Film Analysis #2 – Publish your two-topic essay to the blog by WED 8/14 (2 hrs)

The scenes of this movie are very important and play an important  role in the overall plot of the story. Each individual segment displays suspense and makes the viewer anticipate the upcoming scenes to come. The overall plot is described thoroughly throughout the movie and without close attention the movie may seem confusing. When the mirror is re-discovered can be seen as the most important scene in the film. Everything following this scene will later lead to the climax and falling action(s) of the evil mirror. This selection of work would be easy for me describe,  due to the movie being very interesting and action packed. Each segment is suspenseful and truly fun to watch.

Special effects are also evident in this film. This film revolves around the illusion of something being there but it actually isn’t. The characters of this story has flashbacks during encounters of the mirror. Special effects are used to show the flashback while the character just stares in the mirror. The film is exposed multiple times, allowing these flashbacks to just appear and disappear with a close of the camera lenses. The mirror then posses their mother without the crowd actually seeing it. One scene shes normal than with the flip of a switch darkness comes, then she re appears as a demon, displaying obvious special effects .

A way to analyze the segments of this film, you’d have to break the film into smaller more explainable chunks. The movie can be looked as broken  into 3 chunks. Life prior, during, and after the encounter of this evil mirror. Some chunks are spoken in past tense but during present time, something similar to a flashback. These chunks are unified by action due to the mirror and all characters being present in each segment. Some segments are in fact out of order. During some scenes the producer would have the character experience a in dept flash back, allowing the viewer to build a logical bridge between the two actions. The producer also kept the actual meaning of the mirror away from the viewers to create a more dramatical suspense feeling. If the meaning was revealed earlier than the movie wouldnt be as interesting. The mirror can be seen as metaphoric towards the genre of horror. Whenever the mirror is seen, it can be labeled as a symbol of horror. As in film, the only actual scary parts described , only occur when the mirror is present in the film. This metaphoric comparison ultimately prepares crowd for a jump when this mirror is visible .

 

In my opinion this film wouldn’t be considered a great film due to it not having a signifigant impact on the overall genre of horror. The cinematography of this film is elite and usage of each individual segment plays a role in the huge success this movie had. Oculus is a tightly enacted chamber drama that just happens to include supernatural phenomena. By analyzing films critically, it allows viewers to get a better and well rounded understanding of the film prior to watching it. This way of analyzing films also allows the viewer to grasp a more enhanced ,thought out ,analytical conclusion.

Once my ideas where posted , I was told to not see the movie as  horror but to us the mirror as a metaphor for horror. The movie doesn’t start off scary, and in fact doesn’t get horror like until the mirror is re discovered . My classmate is maybe stressing that only when the mirror is apparent, there is horror evident. With this in consideration I was able to revise and add more needed information to validate the point my classmate made. My comments also showed the benefits of using the method of chopping segments. I was able to give one of my classmates an example of using this method. It was easier to do this,  becasuse it allows you to chunk up inforamtion and give it all at once, without confusing the viewer. This method better shaped my essay and hopefully our group essay!

sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oculus_(film)

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/oculus-2014

Oculus (2013) : Movie Plot Ending Explained

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Definitions – Week 4B: Finalize & Publish Definitions HEADS (2-3 hours)

Cutaway  shot

– interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else.

-Unspoken words- Cutaways are used here to emphasize the true stakes of tightness in individual scenes. Once this is identified the the crowd will be able to conclude and see the true meaning of the film

-Time control- Cutaways are us to show true detail of the scene while cutting away from the actual time spent on that particular scene.

-“guide the audience from subject to subject, and on occasion, to place the audience in the position of the actors” (Gessner 89).

-Fast way of showing outside information to the crowd whilst shortening distractions to the overall shooting of the film

visual examples

Cutaway Shot (Links to an external site.)Cutaway Shot

Cut-in and Cutaway Shot Definition and Example – Videography Course in Singapore (Links to an external site.)Cut-in and Cutaway Shot Definition and Example - Videography Course in Singapore

-If this way of shooting didnt exist many famous films wouldn’t exist, due to the relevance of cutting in almost every film.  Many movies use this method but dont truly emphasize it, the destruction of this method would be detrimental to all films

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi0gbjNhevjAhWFMXwKHRreCNYQFjALegQIBhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.videomaker.com%2Farticle%2F13850-the-art-of-the-cutaway&usg=AOvVaw0mqygxU_AlRtDuZwRDt0AS

https://www.videomaker.com/article/13850-the-art-of-the-cutaway

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Film Analysis #1 – Week 4C: Editing and Sound

Night of The Living Dead displays a couple editing strategies. These edits are used utilized to emphasize the visual aspect aspect for the audience. Match on action happen during this when a character would sees a zombie and then procedes to run in the opposite way with a disgusted scared terrified face. Continuity editing is used in majority scenes of the film. There are also some other edited scenes throughout the film as well. This is shown multiple times throughout the film, described as when characters are schemed on by the ghouls. The reasoning for this type of editing is to create as many questionable and anticipated scenes or suspenseful scenes. Once the actual terror I visbale to the views by the look on the characters face leads the audience to wonder whats going to happen next. With the assumption of the ghouls attacking the protagonists. Sparse analytical editing was also visible when the ghouls attacked. Cameras would zoom up close of the character being mauled to bring more dramatics to the scenes. The film director chose these editing methods while shooting this film to complete the suspenseful feeling of the film. The scenery of a farm plays an important role because it emphasizes just how close the enemy may be to actual life at that time.

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Film Analysis #1 – Week 4A&B: RESEARCH & DISCUSS. (2-3 hours)

     Night of The Living Dead displays a couple editing strategies. These edits are used utilized to emphasize the visual aspect aspect for the audience. Match on action happen during this when a character would sees a zombie and then procedes to run in the opposite way with a disgusted scared terrified face. Continuity editing is used in majority scenes of the film. There are also some other edited scenes throughout the film as well. This is shown multiple times throughout the film, described as when characters are schemed on by the ghouls. The reasoning for this type of editing is to create as many questionable and anticipated scenes or suspenseful scenes. Once the actual terror I visbale to the views by the look on the characters face leads the audience to wonder whats going to happen next. With the assumption of the ghouls attacking the protagonists. Sparse analytical editing was also visible when the ghouls attacked. Cameras would zoom up close of the character being mauled to bring more dramatics to the scenes. The film director chose these editing methods while shooting this film to complete the suspenseful feeling of the film. The scenery of a farm plays an important role because it emphasizes just how close the enemy may be to actual life at that time.

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Film analysis #1- Week 2b; Genre, drama, story and performance

The Night Of The Living Dead is a suspenseful movie, including multiple major segments. The first most important segment would be “They’re Coming to get you”. As Barbra and her Brother Johnny are at a graveyard, Johnny begins to joke around ” They’re Coming to get you” he says multiple times.  As Barbra tells johnny to knock off the obnoxious jokes, she runs into an actual zombie. She then screams for johnny’s’ assistance. As he attempts to rescue his sister, he is ultimately knocked unconscious  and Barbra is left to defend for herself.  Another important segment is when everyone is stationed at the safe house, As Harry, Tom, Ben, and Barbra. They all are informed on the situation and have a better understanding. Two attempt to flee in a vehicle but die, due to engine flames. Everyone are ultimately bit and turned into zombies. These segments are situated  this way to create the most suspense as possible , keeping the viewer waiting for scenes to come.

This Film can be seen as Horror. This is evident as the characters are being attacked by zombies creating an intense feeling of fear and shock , expression(s) shown throughout the entire entourage. The Story has a specific plot, as the base characters get a inital glimpse of the upcoming issue.  The characters then come together, attempting to rid of the issue. Finally the issue gets a hold of the characters, ultimately making the characters zombies. Its told this way and not in another way, because this plot creates the most suspense, making the viewer thirsty for what comes next. It supports the horror genre as fear is displayed throughout the entire plot.

All performances are suited to give the viewer a horror or fear type feeling. The performers act on different roles as Barbra is seen as the initial main, then Ben takes immediate command of almost every decision, displaying how the story creates an emergence of any character to take leadership regardless of fear, to take down the antagonist(s) (Zombies).

The most important character is Ben, an unknown actor. Barbra was also apart of her first major film. I feel as if they chose these characters due to them being new in the movie scenery. Creating the basis and start of something special to come.

Each actor matched their role; Ben being the leader and the rest being back seat drivers, ultimately assisting the leader to the destruction of the enemy. The plot can be deemed as unrealistic due to the viewer never being exposed to real torture or gore or death (camera doesn’t catch actual moment of impact). This isn’t a bad thing because at the time of production of this film, this was acceptable and doesn’t take away from the overall plot: Zombies ( Horror) .

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Great film 5 Forrest gump

Forrest Gump traces the trials and successes of an unlikely proponent of the American dream and the vision of a more accepting and co-operative community. As a boy, the young Forrest, developmentally-challenged, must suffer the injustice of discrimination. He is different from his peers and thus excluded and snubbed; only Jenny offers him a seat next to her on the bus. A critical conversation spoken about the film would be the relativity between the actual film and MLK Jr. Just as all of Forrest’s achievements are not to be underestimated, so too Martin Luther King Jr in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. The subtlety of what these men achieved through their action or non-action; especially King’s genuine, if somewhat tongue-in-cheek, response to his critics and, of course, bearing in mind that Forrest Gump’s achievements are representative of potential as he is merely a fictional character; makes their success even more effective. An element that stood out with the view of the critical conversation is that  Both men are consistent and their actions are for the good of others, never themselves. Both the movie and King himself reveal how we have complicated basic elements of human decency and turned them into social and political “problems.” Forrest Gump is a seemingly unremarkable person who is able to rise above his challenges and therefore motivate and inspire others, presenting viewers with a remarkable message; he reinforces what King always said about being “patient and reasonable.” There is no pretentiousness about the film’, there is no pontificating and, even though Forrest is often in the right time at the right moment, opportunity is what it is. The film is, like King’s Letter, something to keep returning to and, from which, a person can learn some new aspect of himself every time. The irony of Forrest Gump must not be ignored as he went from being the object of scorn to someone to emulate. Just as Forrest does not allow his challenges to stop him from aspiring to something great so too King who did not allow imprisonment to stop his call for justice and the fight against “unjust” laws. People often claim that they cannot make a difference, that their contribution is so small as to render it insignificant. It is fortunate that Martin Luther King Jr did not think the same way. My rating of this film would be a 10/10. I enjoy how forest is portrayed as a social outsider, this is comparable to me due to the fact that my sociality isn’t the best. He wants the same thing we want while struggling with the same things we struggle with. By showing us his unique struggles we gain empathy for this film , the true reason on why this is a considered a great film. The simplicity of the plot, overall theme, attention to details and the good ending are all character tics of this film being great. This movie has won multiple awards, six academy awards to be exact.

Sources

https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/forrest-gamp-1994-448/reviews/

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Great film 4 The godfather

The Godfather is considered one of the greatest movies our time. It was the top grossing movie of 1972, won multiple Academy Awards and catapulted the organized crime genre into the popular culture limelight. The movie, following the story of the powerful Italian-American crime family, the Corleone’s, is a perfectly paced, character-driven drama crammed with fantastic dialogue, edge-of-your-seat scenes and an unforgettable storyline all told from the point of view of the criminals. It is a beautifully shot cinematic masterpiece featuring impeccable acting, music choices and overall look, making it truly compelling, powerful and memorable. Don Corleone is a man known for his ability to make decisions very quickly. He is a highly respected man who knows exactly what he wants and is able to execute his thoughts decisively, thus commanding respect through steadfast leadership. In his famous words, “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse,” he makes it clear that he doesn’t mess around during negotiations. An element that stood out was how he handled his business. Im not recommending that you go about threatening or killing each another to demand respect, but by knowing what you want from your business and being unwavering in your decisions, you stand a far better chance of succeeding in the cutthroat world of business. He got straight to the point during business decisions and made compelling offers that were attractive to the opposite party. Also, he worked closely with his team to ensure they were making the right choices, but at the same time choose his team wisely so that he could trust that they will make the right decisions. He wasnt hesitant; hesitation can all too easily lead to missed opportunities. Business is Business, Know your competition and remain one step ahead of the game in order to grab opportunities as they surface and beat the competition. In the words of Michael Corleone, “it’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business.” Sonny Corleone was a character known for his short temper and when he reacted impulsively and emotionally towards a photographer, this nearly killed his brother-in-law, which led to his demise. In business, there are winners and there are losers but at the end of the day, business is business and there is no point in reacting emotionally when it comes to making decisions. When people base their business decisions on emotion, mistakes happen, so eliminate emotion and ego from the equation. It shows the incidents which are wrong according to the law but as an audience we feel connected towards characters. It spell bounds the audience in a manner that everything looks right and appropriate. Nothing seems to be inappropriate which we can disapprove. A critical conversation read about the film was about the details of organised crime in the film and how much overall power the godfather had but No scene in movie shows any harm to civilians. It also does not show any women trapped into illegal and antisocial activities like prostitution. This movie does not show any wrecked life due to gambling. The movie shows mafia life from inside. There is a scene in which a person comes to Don. Don says ” Why did you go to police? You should have come to me. Your daughter is suffering on a daily basis. If you would have come to me then your enemy would have become mine, And then they would fear you”.This clearly shows the influence of Godfather. This movie would be considered a great  film because It shows the text of morality and humanity with a brushing of fear. It is a story of power with controlled manner. It a story of influence but with texture of humanity. It is a story of destruction but with clear depiction of family values. It is a masterpiece in real sense.

Sources

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/godfather-re.html?scp=9&sq=loews&st=cse (Links to an external site.)

https://www.jstor.org/stable/29775826?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3A8c7271a81cb8c077f33adbfd79609fdc&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents (Links to an external site.)

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/godfather-review-1972-original-movie-986404

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Great film 3 Wizard of Oz

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, usually known as a child’s tale, might well have been inspired by the story of William Jennings Bryan. A scholarly article by Hugh Rockoff, reviewed and cited in detail by Nobel Prize Milton Friedman, studies in details the political landscape of the period when the book was written by Frank Baum. Baum was very close to populist circles and read a lot about current political issues. So we are pretty sure that he knew in details about the Crime of 1873 and the career of William Jennings Bryan. Many similarities are difficult to overlook (I’m not exactly the kind of guy who measures pyramids to find out if they represent the moon-sun distance). I’ll give here some of the main arguments, but you’ll like to read the article itself, fully accessible to the layman even if it was published in very highbrow economic journal. Dorothy the main character around whom the story revolves is supposed to represent an individualized ideal of the American people. Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are supposed to represent the farmers who were severely suffering due to droughts and severe winters. A interesting scene or element(s) in the film is how certain characters and scenes match those of real life. The Cyclone that lifts Dorothy’s house was compared to the Populist cyclone that swept across Kansas in the early 1890s.The wicked witch of East was compared to the eastern financial-industrial interests and their gold-standard political allies. The scarecrow in the movie was used to represent the midwestern farmers, The next character Tin Man represented the nation’s workers. These were the main characters which were used to refer the Popular American movement and the people of that time. A critical conversion that people had to say about the film would be how The characters wanted democracy and a peaceful life, Relating to the populist movements that were taking place at that time. There was no unity among the east, west, south and the north regions. They were not united in their thoughts, instead was a combination of the nation’s wealthiest and the poorest. The characters were used to explain the pathetic condition of people of US. They wanted it because the populist movement wanted liberalist activities in place. They wanted the sufferings to come to an end. They wanted the political and the populist movements to reach all the people across the country. They wanted this as they wished a good future for their country. The directors of the movie wanted it to be presented in such a way that it had the greatest impact on the people of US. They further wanted to bring to light about Baum’s political background, trickster personality, and subsequent work. To sum it up The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a deliberate work which was picturized to replicate the political symbolism of US. According the library of congress the wizard of oz is the most watched film. The Greatness of this film portrays human nature, and how people are depicted as generally good. This is the reason why the greatness of this film is different from other great films.

Sources:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/24044541.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fdefault-2%252Fcontrol&refreqid=excelsior%3A317a9a633ab885ef4a41e816b469e4b0
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2009/09/dissecting-the-real-wizard-of-oz.html

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Great film 2 Apocalypse now

One of the most effective techniques used in the movie is the usage of very long dissolves. Many scenes are dissolved on each other until they become a montage of their own in one shot itself and say something completely distinct from their individual meaning. This was used in the beginning of the movie, in the middle when the journey enters the final realm and in the end again giving the seemingly untying themes a thematic unity It is the height of the war in Vietnam, and U.S. Army Captain Willard is sent by Colonel Lucas and a General to carry out a mission that, officially, ‘does not exist – nor will it ever exist’. The mission: To seek out a mysterious Green Beret Colonel, Walter Kurtz, whose army has crossed the border into Cambodia and is conducting hit-and-run missions against the Viet Cong and NVA. The army believes Kurtz has gone completely insane and Willard’s job is to eliminate him! Willard, sent up the Nung River on a U.S. Navy patrol boat, discovers that his target is one of the most decorated officers in the U.S. Army. His crew meets up with surfer-type Lt-Colonel Kilgore, head of a U.S Army helicopter cavalry group which eliminates a Viet Cong outpost to provide an entry point into the Nung River. After some hair-raising encounters, in which some of his crew are killed, Willard, Lance and Chef reach Colonel Kurtz’s outpost, beyond the Do Lung Bridge. Some elements I noticed that stood out were the lightening, color, and camera movement. Lighting is the key element in the film. Along with fogs and shadows. The general look of the film is dark and shadowy in keeping with the theme of war and the dark journey that the soldiers undertake therein. As the journey begins, the lights are still high, Willard begins his boat ride in dusk (Journey Begins) but as the journey gets deeper and deeper, the film gets darker, the shadows get pronounced and light is dimmed (Journey Deepens). The lighting of the film is highly representative of the perils of the war in the jungle as well as metaphorical journey that the soldiers undertake in the spiritual realm. The boat, aptly named “Erebus” is not lit at all, yet is the only sanctuary in the deep jungle around (Ship Of Death). The lights are garish and painful to the eyes (Hells Fire) where as the blacks are so demanding that they are equally tiresome (Journey To Hell). Some of the day light scenes are very high in contrast where the light is coming from the background and we need to squint our eyes to see the details in the foreground. It creates a realistic effect as if we are present during the scene. Colors in Apocalypse Now mirror the emotions and the journey itself. The movie begins with deeply saturated colors, putting us in a different realm of our imagination. The hues are very deep, almost reminding us that we are still on earth, still connected, and although in a war zone, we are possibly still alive as we can see these bright colors (This Is The End, Saturated Colors). As soon as we begin our journey, one of the first colors we encounter is the color of fog, it stays with us throughout the journey and by the end it is so thick that neither Willard nor we can see anything clearly any more (Multi Colored Fog, Fog And Haze). As we go further and deeper in the journey, the colors start getting muted. Some of the scenes are in sepia tone and give a representation of an altered reality (Sepia Tones And Unearthly Colors). This is the other world; the colors of this world are different. Even the fog is devoid of those rich colors that we are used to in the beginning (Fog Gets Deeper). When they finally reach Kurtz’s post, the colors are completely altered and the palette is in various shades of orange imitating the fires of hell. (Underworld Fire And Orange). The journey in the film is marked by slow camera movement. Most of the times the camera is stationed right on the boat, and we see what the soldiers, mostly Willard sees. Film has slow tracks, slow pans and generally slow movements. There is not much that is exciting about a slow journey through the jungle. An interesting tracking shot happens in the beginning of the movie when Willard gets the assignment of killing Kurtz. As the General is giving Willard his orders, camera slowly tracks over the food, and through this movement we explicitly see that no one is able to eat the food except for the man from CIA. He is not confused, nor tormented as the other men who are part of the same unclear war and are divided by the same conflicts of morality. He then utters his one and only sentence to Willard “Terminate with extreme prejudice…!” Most of the times, camera is positioned at a close up to Willard and we watch him breathing, sweating, looking at his dossier. Since camera position does not change often, we start living and breathing in the same environment as the other characters. They have no respite out of the situation they are in and we don’t either. There are few pronounced camera movements such as the one on Kilgore as he starts talking about Napalm. We always see him in full company of his soldiers but the camera marks a strong change when Kilgore starts talking about Napalm and the war, we start with seeing his whole team and the camera keeps tracking towards Kilgore, leaving out everyone else and ends on his one and only medium close up. This is pretty much how close we can get to this man (Kilgore Selection In Frame, One Close Up Kilgore). Another highly effective tracking shot is when Willard is in Kurtz compound and is hearing how divided Kurtz soul has become. Till this point, we have seen Willard on the left side of the screen in his every interaction with Kurtz (including his dossier). In this scene, we see one shot of Willard on the left, then as he contemplates his actions we see him in the center and in the next shot, as Willard makes up his mind about killing Kurtz, we see him at the right of the frame. Not only that, this is the first place when the camera tracks back and out of Willard’s close up and we see him looking at his hand preparing to kill Kurtz with his bare hand. It is a very powerful camera movement since for the first time, as Willard decides to kill without judgment a.k.a. Kurtz fashion, we are taken out from his frame of mind, from his memories, from his heart and given a chance to have a perspective of our own, apart from him. This film would be considered a great film due to its choice of cinema and storytelling. The cinematography is beautiful , and every character is given scenes where they in action. Not every great film has these characteristics , the reason why this movie is a different ‘great movie’

Sources

https://www.jstor.org/stable/20386862?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3A854c8677099f205102db00130c847d43&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents (Links to an external site.)

https://variety.com/1979/film/reviews/apocalypse-now-2-1200424565/