Image: Zoetrope Studios, American Broadcasting Company
Where do the events in "Apocalypse Now" begin?
Thailand
Indonesia
Vietnam
The movie starts in Vietnam, around 1968. It's no surprise that the mood of the entire movie is something along the lines of "War is Hell," given the history that played out as America lost the Vietnam War.
Malaysia
When we first meet Captain Benjamin Willard, what's happening to him?
he looks like he's going crazy
It's obvious from the voice over and his actions, that Willard is showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. However, he is apparently waiting for a new mission, and he feels that the more he does nothing, the more he is getting off his edge.
he's enjoying himself
he is nervously waiting for a mission
he is just sleeping
If you're wondering who's portraying Willard, you may know him better as Uncle Ben Parker, or as an American president on TV. Who is he?
Robert Duvall
Michael Ironside
Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen wasn't the original actor for Willard, as that honor goes to Harvey Keitel. After some time, Keitel exited from the role, and since Sheen was a favorite for the role aside from Keitel, he eventually became the Willard we all know.
Robert Redford
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What was Willard's new top-secret mission?
to assess if Col. Kurtz was crazy
to join up with Col. Kurtz for a mission
to kill a certain Col. Kurtz
From how Willard is described in his dossier, he is a special agent. And his new mission is to kill a certain Col. Kurtz.
to rescue Col. Kurtz
Why was Kurtz the target of a "cleanup?”
he has gone native
he has been acting beyond his mission
Kurtz, a decorated and brilliant military man, has, as the intel officers say, reached his breaking point. He's been killing people without approval from his commanders, and is now seen as a god of sorts by the locals.
he is a traitor
he has become a mercenary
He was the Godfather. "In Apocalypse Now," he's the crazy Col. Kurtz. Who is this actor?
Harvey Keitel
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando played the "villain" of the movie, Col. Kurtz. His keen acting and line delivery made him a near-perfect choice for this film. On the other hand, his off-screen shenanigans while shooting "Apocalypse Now" were legendary.
Al Pacino
Robert de Niro
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What does General Corman say is the reason for Kurtz going crazy?
paranoia
mental breakdown due to seeing war atrocities
good and evil aren't so clear in war
General Corman spells it out in extremely simple terms. Kurtz, for him, has reached the point where he has a hard time distinguishing good from evil.
anger at being thrown into a complicated war
What makes the top-secret operation even more cloudy?
it only has a limited budget
it's off the books
Willard is told that he has the full permission to kill Kurtz in any way possible. Also, the mission, while it has been assigned, will never be in any official report. This is probably due to Kurtz having once been a decorated soldier.
it requires only a small team
it has a tight deadline
Blink and you'll miss it: Which "Star Wars" space smuggler played an intelligence officer in "Apocalypse Now?"
Peter Fonda
Mark Hamill
Dennis Hopper
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford played an intelligence officer in "Apocalypse Now." Though he actually took on the role before coming in as Han Solo in Star Wars, the editing and postproduction for the movie took so long that it was released after 'Star Wars."
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What made this kill mission different from the others, for Willard?
he was killing an American military officer
Willard, in his mind, admits to the audience that he's killed others before. However, this time, it will be an American, and a military officer. He finds it darkly funny that Kurtz is wanted for murder in a war zone.
he wasn't sure if he still had it in him to kill
he was concerned that his mission might be rigged to fail
he was concerned that the charges against Kurtz might be false
How was Willard going to get to his target?
he had to find his contacts in the city first
he had to go up the Nung River
Willard was given Kurtz's general location, but getting there would require going through active war zones. And that's not even counting Kurtz's own loyal forces.
he wasn't sure how, that was part of the job
he was chopper-dropping into the jungle
When start their mission, they meet Col. Kilgore, one of the most memorable characters in the movie. What makes him such a standout?
he likes saying all the one-liners
he has the classic cigar
he looks and acts old-school
Col. Kilgore is an old-school, tough-as-nails soldier. He doesn't even duck when artillery fire lands nearby. On the other hand, he has this thing about surfing.
he has no fear of death
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What was a sly reference to military propaganda in the film, as Willard and his team were arriving at the starting point of their mission?
reporters were trying to interview them
officers were telling them to smile for the cameras
there was a camera crew shooting war footage
A camera crew was on hand when Willard and his team joined up with the Ninth Air Cavalry. Apparently, they were filming mock war footage for the evening news in America.
they were told to look neat, there may be cameras about
Robert ___ is the Hollywood actor who portrayed the wacky Lt. Kilgore.
Redford
DeNiro
Duvall
Robert Duvall played the crazy Lt. Kilgore. He's made a name for himself in Hollywood for playing offbeat roles, starting with Boo Radley in the classic, "To Kill A Mockingbird."
Oppenheimer
Where is Col. Kurtz's base located?
Laos
Thailand
Cambodia
Col. Kurtz's operations and his base were located in Cambodia. In the movie, he is described as killing intelligence operatives, some of whom were not proven to be working for the other side. Cambodia is currently known for its ancient city of Angkor Wat, tourism, and the local food scene.
Burma
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With what is Kilgore strangely obsessed, even in a war zone?
lifting weights
sunbathing
surfing
Kilgore had a strange obsession with surfing. He even ordered some men to try out the surf as the military forces landed by chopper. Wacky!
singing
Kilgore utters this now-classic line from the film: "I love the smell of napalm in the ___."
night
morning
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning," Lt. Kilgore says.
afternoon
all day
Why does Kilgore love the smell of napalm in the morning?
it smells like barbecue back home
it smells like gasoline
it smells of... victory
This is just one more example of who war changes people forever.
it means the girls love it, too
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Why was Kilgore talking to Lance, one of Willard's team, about surfing?
it was random
he was a champion surfer back home
Lance is an example of the many kinds of soldiers in the Vietnam War. He was a bona fide surfing champ, prior to being drafted.
Lance looked like a smart guy
Lance used to be under Kilgore
The night before Willard's team was to set out, what other weird thing did Kilgore do?
he had a beach party
Willard had reservations about the beach party, complete with beer and T-bone steaks, on the simple reason that it wouldn't make the soldiers feel at home -- it would make them miss it more.
he had a religious service
he kept everybody in readiness
he introduced Willard's team to the whole military operation
Willard was assigned a few men to his team. One of them is a 17-year-old African-American teen from the Bronx. The actor who played the part grew up to be one of Hollywood's formidable actors. Who is he?
Arsenio Hall
Laurence Fishburne
A lanky Laurence Fishburne, credited as Larry Fishburne, portrayed Mr. Clean. He grew up to be a star on TV's "CSI," as well as Morpheus in "The Matrix" films.
Forrest Whitaker
Eddie Murphy
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Boys will be boys: Someone noticed a group of soldiers sitting on their helmets as they flew in a helicopter. What was their reason for doing that?
to be more comfy for the ride
so their "family jewels" won't get blown off
A hitchhiking soldier asked the team inside a helicopter the reason why they sat on their helmets. It's apparently to protect their private parts in case something blows up around them.
for a better bowel movement
because their captain said so
Vietnam soldiers often refer to "Charlie." Who is Charlie?
Chaplin, their idol
the Viet Cong
The code for the enemy Viet Cong during the Vietnam War was "Victor Charlie" for its initials, V.C. Soldiers shortened it to just "Charlie."
Brown, their fave comics
no one, it's just made up
Why is Kilgore not too worried about the enemy protecting the area he wanted to take over?
he knew he had superior firepower
“Charlie don't surf!"
It may be Kilgore's way of dealing with the horrors of war. When asked why he wasn't worried about enemy resistance at the beach, he simply says "Charlie don't surf!"
he had air cover
he scouted all their artillery positions
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What does Willard do for Lance, the surfer champ, as a prank?
he steals a case of beer
he steals a surfboard from Kilgore
Willard decides to steal a surfboard for Lance. It leads to a lighthearted scene in the movie, where Kilgore is using a chopper and its loudspeakers to kindly ask Willard, Lance and the rest of the team to bring back his board.
he steals some rations
he steals ammo and supplies
During their up-river trip pitstop, what attacks Willard and his team member, Chef, while they were looking for fruit away from the boat?
a tiger
Willard and Chef were attacked by a tiger. They got back to the boat safely, but Chef was unhinged by the situation.
a crocodile
a wild boar
a large snake
While on the way to his mission, as Willard keeps on reading about Kurtz, what becomes clear?
Kurtz was a great guy, but something went wrong
As Willard kept reading Kurtz's files, he began to see that he was a dedicated and skilled soldier. Perhaps his only weakness was taking too much initiative. Something obviously broke him.
Kurtz had always been crazy
Kurtz seemed to be following someone else's orders
Kurtz may have just made a mistake
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When the boat team stopped at the supply depot, to what was Willard's team treated?
stash of marijuana
a USO entertainment "concert"
The boys were treated to a USO program that was being set up in the depot when they arrived. The United Service Organization, or USO, has been setting up entertainment shows for American soldiers since the world wars.
a lot of beer
good food
What kind of specialized adult entertainment was set up by the USO at the supply depot?
a live sex orgy
Playboy Bunnies' appearance
Willard's team was treated to a show with three Playboy Playmates who were sent over to entertain the troops. The show spins out of control as the men all try to get their hands on the girls, asking them to sign their centerfolds.
cage dancers
a striptease show
One of the soldiers is nicknamed Chef, for his culinary skills. What was Chef's gastronomic specialty?
pastry chef
saucier
Chef was a saucier before being drafted into the army. He had hoped to find mangoes to turn into special sauce, before he and Willard encountered the tiger in the jungle.
sous-chef
chef de partie
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Who was the welcoming party in Kurtz's base camp?
a sergeant
a photographer
A photographer greeted Willard and the remaining team once they reached Kurtz's camp. He was played by a young Dennis Hopper.
a medicine man
a Cambodian translator
What finally proves to Willard that Kurtz has gone over the line?
all the weapons he has in his camp
all the bodies and body parts
Willard sees piles of dead people all over the place. This convinces Chef — and probably Willard — that Kurtz really does deserve to die.
all the natives living with him
all the drugs in the camp
If it seemed like he had failed his mission, what were Willard’s orders to his team?
he ordered Chef to escape using the boat, so they could send another one
he ordered Chef to radio in an aerial bombing
Willard apparently had a failsafe option, just in case his skills at assassination would fail. He had bombing coordinates, and all it would take would be to radio them in.
he ordered Chef to back him up with explosives
he ordered Chef to surrender if the mission failed
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What is Willard's final assessment of Kurtz?
he's a broken man, not evil
Willard figures out that Kurtz is probably an extremely stressed out and traumatized soldier, much more than he himself is. Kurtz might not be totally evil, just totally broken.
he's evil, through and through
he's a good man stuck in a bad situation
he's still following orders
What do Kurtz's last words, "the horror, the horror," mean?
it was about how humans are helpless
it was about how war was terrible
it was about the darkness in humanity
As Kurtz talked to Willard, it is actually the movie speaking to the audience, about how humanity has a dark side that will always be there. In this case, the audience is presented with Kurtz, as an example.
it was about how people like him shouldn't be
You Got:
/35
Zoetrope Studios, American Broadcasting Company