"APOCALYPSE NOW" (1979)

Written by

John Milius & Francis Ford Coppola

FADE IN:

Coconut trees being VIEWED through the veil of time or a dream. Occasionally colored smoke wafts through the FRAME, yellow and then violet. MUSIC begins quietly, suggestive of 1968-69. Perhaps "The End" by the Doors.

Now MOVING through the FRAME are skids of helicopters, not that we could make them out as that though; rather, hard shapes that glide by at random. Then a phantom helicopter in FULL VIEW floats by the trees-suddenly without warning, the jungle BURSTS into a bright red-orange glob of napalm flame.

The VIEW MOVES ACROSS the burning trees as the smoke ghostly helicopters come and go.

A CLOSE SHOT, upside down of the stubble-covered face of a young man. His EYES OPEN...this is B.L. WILLARD. Intense and dissipated. The CAMERA MOVES around to a side view as he continues to look up at a ROTATING FAN on the ceiling.

They continue to fly slowly, peacefully across the burning jungle. The colored smoke comes and goes. Morrison continues with "The End".

The CAMERA MOVES slowly across the room...and we SEE WILLARD, a young army captain. He looks out the window to the busy Saigon street.

WILLARD (V.O.)

Saigon...shit. I'm only in Saigon. Every time, I think I'm gonna wake up back in the jungle.

He moves back to the bed, lies down. He's unshaven, exhausted, probably drunk. We SEE alcohol bottles, photos, documents scattered on the table.

He's up now, naked, going into a frenzy, drinking, doing some sort of martial arts, eventually collapsing onto the floor.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

Two extremely sharp army men walk up the stairs to Willard's room, a SERGEANT and a PRIVATE.

They knock on the door. A second knock.

The army men wait for him.

Willard unlocks the door and opens it. The men react to his condition.

Willard turns back into the room, sits on the bed. The Sergeant follows him.

Willard looks over at the Private by the door.

The private enters the room, closing the door behind him.

The sergeant opens the letter he has been holding.

He holds up the letter in front of Willard's face so he can see it. We see the word 'RESTRICTED' across the top.

The sergeant folds the letter back and puts it back in the envelope. Willard doesn't move.

He lays his head on the pillow and closes his eyes.

The two of them move over to Willard and pick him up.

They drag him into the shower, and turn on the cold water.

Willard shudders and yells as they begin to clean him up.

A darkly painted Huey lands in a guarded military compound somewhere in Nah Trang. The two enlisted men jump out of the helicopter, leading Willard, who seems in much better shape. As he gets out he sees a platoon of new men drilling in the hot hazy sun. They are clean and pale.

He follows the escort across the fields as the platoon drills.

They approach a civilian-type luxury trailer. It is surrounded by concertina wire, and its windows have grenade protection, but it still seems out of place in this austere military base.

CLOSER ON WILLARD

He stands before the door for a moment, as the M.P.s guarding the trailer check his papers.

Cool and comfortable, furnished like home. Pictures on the walls, certificates, photos of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon and other mementos decorating the room.

A small table is covered with linen and place settings for three.

Willard enters. He salutes, and the COLONEL salutes him back.

Willard notices somebody O.S. and reacts.

The General crosses over to a cabinet and picks up a pack of cigarettes, as the CAMERA REVEALS a CIVILIAN; probably with the Department of Defense, sitting at the bar, and a GENERAL sitting on a sofa.

The colonel turns and offers Willard a cigarette from the pack.

There is a pause as the colonel lights his cigarette, then moves to the sofa. He bends down and picks up a dossier, looks at it.

Willard doesn't answer.

A pause. Willard is tired and confused and hung over, but he is handling himself well. The general rises.

Willard gets up and moves towards the dining table with the general and the civilian. They sit down.

The food is being passed around.

The colonel, who is not eating with them, walks to the table, holding a small photo.

He shows the photo to Willard.

INSERT THE PHOTO

It's an eight-by-ten black-and-white portrait of an army officer wearing a beret.

The Colonel accidentally drops the dossier. Papers, photos, etc., scatter all over the floor. He stoops down to pick them up.

The Colonel moves to a tape recorder and turns it on.

All the men, including Willard, listen in wonder.

The TAPE is TURNED OFF.

Willard looks from the colonel to the general to the civilian. They are intensely interested in his response, which they want to be "yes."

The three men pull back, satisfied.

The civilian hands Willard a cigarette, and lights it for him.

CLOSE ON WILLARD

Smoking the cigarette, thinking about the mission.

A HUEY helicopter flying over the mountains moves over rice paddies, the Mekong River, MOVING CLOSER until we view a dock area.

We SEE a small patrol boat. It moves away from the dock, out into the delta.

We are CLOSE ON THE BOAT, the PBR. Willard is lying on the deck, his eyes closed.

Willard awakens to see a young black crewman squatting in front of him, brushing his teeth.

VIEW ON CHEF, lanky, with a mustache.

VIEW ON LANCE, blonde, handsome, laid-back surfer type. He is sunning himself with a reflector.

VIEW ON CLEAN, the young black man brushing his teeth.

VIEW ON THE CHIEF, an older black man. He is at the helm, studying a map of the delta.

He takes out a pack of cigarettes and offers one to the Chief.

Willard lights his cigarette as the boat continues to move out into the ocean.

Willard is sitting, smoking a cigarette, and looking down at a large pouch. He opens the flap and WE SEE there are several dossiers inside. He opens one, thumbing through the material. WE SEE the personal letters, photographs, reports, files-the entire case history of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz.

Suddenly we HEAR a sound, a distant EXPLOSION. The crew all stop whatever they are doing, look out beyond the shore and the green jungled hills. There is a distant ROLLING NOISE, like interrupted thunder. The buffeting and noise continue.

He points up to the sky.

Way up-past any clouds and barely discernible we SEE the black silhouettes of four B-52 bombers, their vapor trails streaming white against the dark blue sky.

The Chief hands Willard the field glasses. He looks through them out at the burning coastline.

All the crew move to battle positions, get their flak jackets, helmets, etc.

The PBR moves to the beach through a chaos of other boats, low-flying helicopters, and soldiers rushing by onshore.

A vast field of devastation, smashed and burning huts, shattered sampans and bodies washing around in the surf. Willard jumps off the boat, Clean and Lance fall in behind him, they head ashore.

They make their way across the beach, weapons in hand. Explosions go off around them; there is smoke everywhere. Suddenly they are stopped by a VOICE.

VOICE (O.S.) Go on, keep going. It's for television. Don't look at the camera.

Willard and the two who are following stop incredulously, their M16s still in hand.

VOICE (O.S.) (CONT’D) Go on, go on, keep going. Don't look at the camera.

REVERSE ANGLE OF WHAT THEY SEE

A NEWS TEAM, dressed in fatigues and combat dress. A director, cameraman, and soundman; the director keeps waving them by.

Willard, Lance, and Clean run by, staring into the camera the entire time.

They make their way toward the village under siege. Willard stops to talk with a SERGEANT, as a medevac helicopter takes off in the background. The Hueys and Loches in the sky drown out most of their conversation.

CLOSE ON WILLARD

Looking up as the Hueys sweep in low.

He points to a particular Huey in the sky, and moves to a clear spot by a large bomb crater. He takes out a smoke bomb and pulls the pin and lays it down in the clearing, as it spews out orange smoke.

Willard moves back to Lance and Clean, they all kneel, trying to avoid the propeller wash, as they look up.

A tall, strong-looking man jumps out of the helicopter. This is COLONEL WILLIAM KILGORE. He puts on his Air-Cav hat, then stands to his full immense height and with his hands on his hips, surveys the field of battle.

Kilgore starts walking, then turns and shouts to the

LIEUTENANT.

The Lieutenant moves back to the helicopter and Kilgore continues forward toward a besieged village. A CAPTAIN from tank division comes running down the street, stops in front of Kilgore.

The captain turns and exits, as the sergeant walks up leading Willard, Lance, and Clean.

They exchange salutes. Willard takes out a set of orders and hands them to him.

Kilgore hands the orders to the major, who has joined him. He looks at them and shakes his head "no."

The major hands the orders back to Willard. By this time the lieutenant has run back in from the helicopter with the deck of playing cards. He hands them to Kilgore.

Kilgore cracks the plastic wrapping sharply, takes the deck of new cards and fans them.

Then he strides past willard and his two young crewmen with no further acknowledgement-the others follow.

He moves through the shell-pocked field of devastation, soldiers gathering around him. As he comes to each V.C. corpse, he drops a card on it, carefully picking out which card he uses.

He crosses on down the street, distributing his cards on top of the dead V.C. corpses.

Willard, Lance, and Clean have been following Kilgore. Willard bends down and picks up one of the cards from a dead V.C.

MOVING SHOT OF KILGORE

As he moves through the corpses, selecting a card and flipping it on a body, or putting it behind an ear.

As they pass by a well, two G.I.s jump out of it.

G.I.

Fire in the hole!

They all hit the deck, as a tremendous explosion comes out of the well.

Kilgore, his lieutenant, and major stop in back of a large gathering of villagers. They are standing around a G.I. and ARVN Interpreter, listening to them.

A line of villagers are throwing all their belongs on top of a large APC parked by the road, and filing into the carrier. Kilgore stops and watches the G.I.s help them, then he moves over and looks at the inside, where the villagers are crowded together, waiting and scared.

Kilgore turns and continues down the burning street with his group. He comes upon a wounded V.C., groaning. The man has tied a wash bowl over his belly-and is groaning for water . Kilgore turns to a soldier.

He pushes the ARVN soldier away, turns, and then gets a canteen full of water from the lieutenant.

He stoops down-starts to quench the prisoner's thirst from his canteen. A soldier rushes up to him.

The solder points at Lance.

Kilgore rises, hands the canteen back, and moves over to Willard and his crew. Looks at Lance.

Kilgore smiles, sticks out his hand.

Kilgore leads Lance off to meet some other soldiers. Willard's entire top-priority mission has been out in the background.

Lance shakes their hands. Kilgore moves on, the group follow him.

They stop to see Catholic Mass going on in the middle of a graveyard. Many helicopters continue to hover overhead. Willard looks around him, looks at the Mass being held, as the Priest continues his alter on a gravestone in the midst of the bombing and evacuations.

The area is illuminated by large cans filled with sand and jet fuel, bonfires, and the burning village in the background. There are maybe fifteen to twenty helicopters secured against the wind, in orderly patterns. Men are grouped around the fires, eating steaks, hot dogs, hamburgers, drinking beer. It has the bizarre resemblance of some sort of barbarian beach party.

Kilgore is seated at the fire with some of his men, strumming a guitar and singing.

Kilgore looks at Willard, who more or less sits by himself.

He laughs. Willard gets up, carrying the map he's patiently been holding. He lays it down in front of Kilgore; squats and points.

The Chief comes over, leans in to take a look at the map.

Kilgore considers this.

Willard sees his chance, jumps in.

The colonel rises, looks at Willard.

Mike reacts, doubtful.

Kilgore looks at him, exasperated.

It is the next morning. The helicopters, pilots, and men are ready for battle. The helicopters slowly start up, as the soldiers scurry to their various positions.

We FOLLOW Kilgore and his group, including Willard, the Chief, Clean, Lance, etc., as they walk across the field. They all get into a helicopter, except Kilgore. He takes off his hat, reaches in, and pulls out his helmet, puts it on.

ANGLE ON OUR CREW

Seated in their helicopter, looking out.

WHAT THEY SEE:

The PBR being airlifted up by the helicopter.

Kilgore picks up some gloves and starts to put them on as he crosses to the gunner by the helicopter.

The bugler begins to play as Kilgore climbs into the helicopter.

EXTREME FULL SHOT

THE HELICOPTER takes off, rotors spinning, gas turbines belching fire from their jet pipes, sand and dust as twenty helicopters RISE.

NOISE ROAR OVER CAMERA. The helicopters deploy into a formation.

NEW VIEWS - HELICOPTERS

They move THROUGH THE FAME, almost a dance of dragonflies.

DAY Willard looks ahead, Kilgore sits near the door. Below, they see the jungle whisk by and are suddenly over the ocean, low and fast.

MONTAGE - CLOSE SHOTS OF ROCKET PODS WITH MINI-GUNS

In their bizarre-looking mounts as well as the men-young, anticipating, holding their rifles, looking down.

CLOSE ON WILLARD - HIS POV

Looking out from the side door. The various troop ships moving by. The men waiting, sitting on the floor, sitting on their helmets, looking back at him.

FULL VIEW OF THE HELICOPTERS

They are magnificent in the sky as they split into two columns.

The pilot alerts the colonel.

As they near the destination, several of the soldiers take off their helmets and sit on them. The PBR crew reacts with surprise.

Chef laughs, looks around. Then he takes off his own helmet and sits on it.

VIEW ON KILGORE

A HAND switches on the tape deck. MUSIC COMES UP, Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyrie", blaring through the external speakers of the choppers, as they make their decent into enemy territory.

With enormous twelve-driver loudspeakers BLASTING out the music.

Out crew is silent, nervous.

We SEE the bombs and surfboard attached to the bottom of the helicopters.

Typical quiet Vietnamese coastal village, rather large, built along the beach and trees with rice paddies behind. Sampans are pulled into a cove where the are being unloaded. We SEE different aspects of the life of the village, the people working there.

MEDIUM SHOT - SCHOOLYARD

A teacher and little girl come out into the courtyard, quickly followed by other students pouring from the schoolhouse in the background. A North Vietnamese soldier runs in to the teacher, who then turns back to the children. The soldier waves to the children to get out of the area.

CLOSER ON THE TEACHER

gathering children together. Peasants run through as the teacher starts the children running out. One small boy remains, an older girl runs back to get him and run after the others .

Soon the village is buzzing with activity. Trenches are used to pass weapons and ammunitions, young V.C. - both men and women. N.V.A. regulars rush along the trenches to take their positions.

NEW VIEW - N.V.A. AND V.C.

rushing along the trenches and taking the camouflage covering off a large automatic antiaircraft weapon.

Moving behind an assault column of helicopters.

Kilgore monitoring the transmission.

CLOSE VIEW ON WILLARD

watching the spectacle.

CLOSE VIEW ON KILGORE

calm and very effective. Seems almost like an astronaut. Willard looks down at this incredible battle.

WILLARD'S POV - AERIAL VIEW - THE VILLAGE

The village under attack. The invincible cavalry charges in, hurling all its fearful weaponry, blasting out the Wagner.

The helicopter shakes as we SEE the smoke of the rocket shoot ahead of us.

MEDIUM CLOSE UP - GUN SHIP

sweeping down, its mini-guns FIRING. V.C. scatter.

COPTER'S POV ON SQUARE - HIGH ANGLE