Bitch We Got Problem – Marlon Brando/Kurtz

The trajectory Marlon Brando’s life took could well reflect the passage of the Vietnam War and Colonel Kurtz’s war career. A conflict that spans over three decades will bring inevitable cultural and political change, as well as having a profound effect on people’s minds, and such a complex war left many veterans questioning its purpose, committing horrors they could never have imagined perpetrating and descending into madness. Though we only see what has become of Kurtz, his fictional background suggests a character evolution that mirrors such casualties of war.

Apocalypse Now is known for being an epic film about an epic war with an epic production. It is a spectacle of extreme action in the portrayal of war, whilst remaining heavily character focused. The key mission within the film’s plot is to track down and apprehend the notorious rogue soldier turned compound leader Colonel Kurtz, a larger than life, almost mythical figure who lives deep within the Cambodian jungle, hidden from view until the final third of the film. His reveal build up is all the more enhanced by the fact that he is played by Brando, an actor who started out in the classic Hollywood era, gaining prominence in the 1950s with good looks and being considered as one of the earliest onscreen heartthrobs. Eventually his despondence with the film industry began to take its toll privately and publicly, causing him a reputation for being difficult and cursed as box office poison. The complexities of his personal life and politics plagued his career throughout the 60s, until a resurgence in the 70s solidified him as one of the best actors of his generation. Yet by this time he had transformed from expressive heartthrob to something darker and troubled.

Colourful, but controversial might accurately describe Marlon Brando on and off screen. His time and experience as a creative in the earlier years of film may have brought on conflict between the requirements of studio contracts and a restrictive production code, and his artistic and egotistic desires. When a more liberal period of cinema could be reached he may have felt more at home, but by this time his personal troubles had accelerated.

Much like Colonel Kurtz, he entered into something with a deep respect and talent for, but became ravaged over time by his environment. War created a monster and, perhaps, so too did the film industry.