Stereotypes In Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now

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Is there just one American stereotype? People from the United States may think of ourselves positively, giving attributes such as free, motivated, and hardworking to the idea behind Americans. This is probably just nationalism, as other countries disagree. A person from another country would categorize us as completely different. Common perceptions and stereotypes are that citizens of the United States are dangerous, arrogant hypocrites. When it comes to this arrogant ideal, most people just do not seem to care why other countries see them in this way. What is an actual, stereotypical American? We can explore this through cinema, a very powerful source in our time. In moves, we can explore and cast a light on a perspective of Americans that is more unknown and foreign to us. A film that does just this is Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. The first trait seen in this film is dangerousness. In fact, the…show more content…
He is shown to act like a rough rider, always wearing his cowboy hat. However, he is California crazed, representing the “Beach Boys” type of man and the “surfer dude” from the 1960s/1970s. Kurtz is known to have been a perfect soldier. He was the best and brightest of the American military, but is now the main villain. So the pinnacle of our country’s military is actually the biggest evil. Lance is an actual “surfer dude” from California. He is shown as a stoner, smoking weed and tripping on acid. At the same time, he keeps a puppy. By the end, he is the last one standing of the boat crew. Chef is the saucier from New Orleans, who is also a pothead. Clean, from Brooklyn, is a “mama’s boy”, brought down while listening to a recording from his mother. Chief, the boat driver, was killed by a spear after the whole movie shows all kinds of modern technology. The caveman weapon killed him. He seemingly represents the United States as a whole. Strong and advanced, but susceptible to harm from things you would not
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