What does the French Plantation Scene mean in Apocalypse Now?
From what I understand from the movie, Captain Willard's journey up the Nung River to the heart of darkness is a metaphor for a human's descent into madness and loss of morality and the 3 stops (Kilgore, Playmates and The Bridge) in Willard's journey represent various stages of the dying humanity (embracing violence and losing remorse, losing innocence and empathy, losing purpose) with the final destination being the literal Heart of Darkness. How does the French Rubber Plantation scene fit in all of these?
Best Answer
I have only seen the Redux version once, but what I recall is that the plantation segment might be seen as purgatorial. There is a burial, the French seem stuck in time, and the scene with the widow ends with her behind a shroud as a ghost.
On top of that, I have seen references (e.g. Ebert review) asserting that Coppola described the French as ghosts. Cannot find a direct quote though.
The widow repeatedly tells Willard that he is both an animal and a god. Not sure how to frame that into the context you have provided.
Pictures about "What does the French Plantation Scene mean in Apocalypse Now?"
What is the French plantation scene about in Apocalypse Now?
This scene is trying to explain the stupidity if this war and how the Americans somehow got themselves involved in supporting colonialism instead of independence. The French Indochina war was protested against as well and was similar in many ways to the US Vietnam war.What is the French scene in Apocalypse Now?
This sentiment is reflected later in the French plantation scene when Madam Sarrault whispers in Captain Willard's ears about his two selves: \u201cone that kills and one that loves.\u201d Apocalypse Now views Vietnam as a mythical land full of unknowable, exotic forces, implying that not just the war but the country itself ...Why was the plantation scene cut from Apocalypse Now?
It was decided early on that the editing of the film would be like editing a new film altogether. One such example was the new French plantation sequence. The scenes were greatly edited to fit into the movie originally, only to be cut out in the end.Is the French plantation scene in Apocalypse Now Final Cut?
The "French Plantation" scene in the final cut of Apocalypse Now derailed the film and prevented it from being a perfect movie.APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX film analysis | The importance of the French plantation scene
More answers regarding what does the French Plantation Scene mean in Apocalypse Now?
Answer 2
Since the theme of Apocalypse Now (as in Conrad's Heart of Darkness) is corruption as a process, that process being primarily that of colonialism, with the of course originally Victorian preoccupation being the corrupting effect upon the colonizer - the setting of a plantation - a place for managing and living on the expropriation, slavery, misery, ecological and economic debasement - is certainly apropos. On the way to chaos, but still (at one time) in good brutal working order.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Maria Orlova, Maria Orlova, Maria Orlova, Olga Lioncat