How is Captain Kurtz presented ?
Cinematography: mainly use of close ups, usually a still camera since he barely moves from his position (often sitting), when reading poetry it’s a long shot and he’s in the centre of it, some shots show half his face (could link to how he’s got these various sides to him).
Screenplay: often improvised lines by Marlon Brando, quite calm and paced in his tonality (shows how some view him as ‘Godly’, such as his followers and highlights his level of power and how far into insanity he has gone into), speaks T. S Eliot’s poem ‘The Hollow Men’ which shows the current attitudes of the American men and especially Kurtz.
Lighting - mostly cast in shadow, spends monologue completely in shadow with the light from behind a sheet casting a shine on the back of his head, very ominous feel, makes him seem holy, he’s set away from it yet close, also foreshadowment for death. (Also with Willard kneeling down in front of the light yet looking away)
Sound - when speaking his monologue, the background is completely silent which creates a calming aura and contrasts to the current situation.
Contrast to the statues of the gods - Kurtz has his own temple (?) that the native people see him as a God. They’ve made him have a similarity to the statues of the gods which stand outside his temple.
Throughout the film, Kurtz is only reflected through audio recordings and letters read by Willard. This creates an exaggerated tension towards Kurtz for the audience, for we never fully understand his character until we visually see him. The audios and letters are only small parts, it's like the audience is shown to share Willard's knowledge and being able to relate to him.
When Willard enters Kurtz's domain, it's created to be ominous. The native Vietnamese people block the entrance in theirs boats, silently parting like a gate. This shows the loyalty (or maybe fear) the people feel towards Kurtz, it's ominous - as if Kurtz is seen as a God. The set design heavily links to Kurtz's characterisation, especially the religious totems which are used as a motif for memories linking to that place. It shows the fading mental stability of Kurtz - how he’s becoming further away from who he used to be to who he is now.
The first moments when see Kurtz, he’s completely in shadow to the right of Willard, who’s knelt on the floor. Willard is placed in front of the main light source in the room, shining through a sheet which is hung from the ceiling. This, therefore, means that the light in the room is dimmed, and since Kurtz is not directly in front, when he makes small movements some of the dimmed orange light shines on parts of his faces. This adds onto all the previous mysteriousness that Coppola has used to show Kurtz though.
Throughout the film, Kurtz is only reflected through audio recordings and letters read by Willard. This creates an exaggerated tension towards Kurtz for the audience, for we never fully understand his character until we visually see him. The audios and letters are only small parts, it's like the audience is shown to share Willard's knowledge and being able to relate to him.
When Willard enters Kurtz's domain, it's created to be ominous. The native Vietnamese people block the entrance in theirs boats, silently parting like a gate. This shows the loyalty (or maybe fear) the people feel towards Kurtz, it's ominous - as if Kurtz is seen as a God. The set design heavily links to Kurtz's characterisation, especially the religious totems which are used as a motif for memories linking to that place. It shows the fading mental stability of Kurtz - how he’s becoming further away from who he used to be to who he is now.
The first moments when see Kurtz, he’s completely in shadow to the right of Willard, who’s knelt on the floor. Willard is placed in front of the main light source in the room, shining through a sheet which is hung from the ceiling. This, therefore, means that the light in the room is dimmed, and since Kurtz is not directly in front, when he makes small movements some of the dimmed orange light shines on parts of his faces. This adds onto all the previous mysteriousness that Coppola has used to show Kurtz though.
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