Analysis of The Opening Scene of "Apocalypse Now"

The powerful opening scene of the film Apocalypse Now is a masterpiece of symbolism. Symbolism is used as the main film strategy in Francis Ford Coppola's film about the Vietnam War. The opening scene is a symbol for the whole war itself. It starts out with a still camera shot of a beautiful jungle, from Vietnam, symbolizing the way Vietnam was before U.S. troops entered the country. Then an Apache helicopter flew past, kicking up dust, disturbing the perfect jungle scene. That symbolizes the first advisers we sent to Vietnam and the splitting of the country, the brewing of trouble that we created. The dust floats in the air for awhile, then a second helicopter flies past, followed by an air strike, completely obliterating the lush jungle scape. This symbolizes the Americans engaging in open war with the North Vietnamese. The jungle, which symbolizes the country, was completely destroyed by the attack, and the country left burning.
This strategy is very effective, both on the surface level, and as the viewer delves deeper. For the symbols used also symbolize the U.S. troops, and the impact the war had on them. This is very effective because it sets the scene for the rest of the film. The main character appears upside-down, which symbolizes the way he feels about the war. He is laying in bed, surrounded by alcohol, tobacco and a gun. Symbols each on their own.
The symbols used in the opening scene of the film are very effective as a strategy for setting the scene of the Vietnam War. They come across as very powerful, seemingly normal war events, but represent a greater tragedy.