Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut

This 1979 adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness by Francis Ford Coppola is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. The director famously described, "This isn't a film about Vietnam. This film is Vietnam."

At the height of the Vietnam War, U.S. Army Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate – and eliminate – a mysterious, A.W.O.L. Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory. Along with a four-person Navy crew that is unaware of his classified mission, Willard travels deep into the Cambodian jungle and encounters strange sights and people on their surreal journey into the heart of darkness.

Apocalypse Now is notable for the ways it showcases new, lighter-weight, fast-drying, cotton poplin military fatigues that were designed to help soldiers better navigate the tropical climate of Southeast Asia. Throughout the film, the slow unraveling of each soldier's uniform also helps to map their descent into madness.

The film was digitally remastered in 2019 for its 40th Anniversary from the original camera negative. Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut features a soundtrack enhanced with Dolby Atmos and Meyer Sound's Sensual Sound for optimal audio and picture quality, allowing audiences to experience Coppola's cinematic masterpiece as it was intended.

The screening is cosponsored by the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection (CF+TC) and presented in conjunction with "Fit for Duty: Form and Function in Military Dress," a multi-site exhibition catalyzed by the CF+TC, on view Rachel Hope Doran '19 and Terrace Level Vitrines at the Human Ecology Building and Wortham Museum at Barton Hall through March 2026.

Part of our "Fit for Duty" film series. Courtesy of Rialto Pictures.