Marlon Brando was an iconic American actor known for his incredible talent and mesmerizing performances. One of his most memorable roles was as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in the epic war film “Apocalypse Now.” Brando’s portrayal of the complex and enigmatic character earned him critical acclaim and solidified his status as a legendary actor.
“Apocalypse Now” is a thought-provoking film that explores the effects of the Vietnam War on the human psyche. Marlon Brando’s character, Colonel Kurtz, delivers several powerful and memorable quotes throughout the movie. These quotes provide insight into the darkness and moral ambiguity of war, making them both haunting and profound.
In this article, we have compiled a list of some of the most impactful Marlon Brando Apocalypse Now quotes. These quotes serve as a reminder of the film’s brilliance and the exceptional talent of Marlon Brando. Read on to delve into the depths of Colonel Kurtz’s mind and gain a deeper understanding of the film’s themes.
Read these Marlon Brando Apocalypse Now quotes:
“The horror… the horror.”
“I’ve seen horrors… horrors that you’ve seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that… but you have no right to judge me.”
“We train young men to drop fire on people, but their commanders won’t allow them to write ‘fuck’ on their airplanes because it’s obscene!”
“We must kill them. We must incinerate them. Pig after pig… cow after cow… village after village… army after army…”
“I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That’s my dream. That’s my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight razor… and surviving.”
“I worry that my son might not understand what I’ve tried to be. And if I were to be killed, Willard, I would want someone to go to my home and tell my son everything. Everything I did, everything you saw, because there’s nothing that I detest more than the stench of lies. And if you understand me, Willard, you will do this for me.”
“We train young men to drop fire on people, but their commanders won’t allow them to write ‘fuck’ on their airplanes because it’s obscene!”
“You have to have men who are moral… and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling… without passion… without judgment… without judgment! Because it’s judgment that defeats us.”
“Because there’s a conflict in every human heart between the rational and the irrational, between good and evil. And good does not always triumph. Sometimes, the dark side overcomes what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature.”
“We went into a camp to inoculate some children. We left the camp after we had inoculated the children for Polio and this old man came running after us and he was crying. He couldn’t see. We went back there and they had come and hacked off every inoculated arm. There they were in a pile. A pile of little arms. And I remember… I… I… I cried. I wept like some grandmother. I wanted to tear my teeth out. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. And I want to remember it. I never want to forget it. I never want to forget. And then I realized… like I was shot… like I was shot with a diamond… a diamond bullet right through my forehead. And I thought, my God… the genius of that. The genius. The will to do that. Perfect, genuine, complete, crystalline, pure. And then I realized they were stronger than we. Because they could stand that these were not monsters. These were men… trained cadres. These men who fought with their hearts, who had families, who had children, who were filled with love… but they had the strength… the strength… to do that. If I had ten divisions of those men, then our troubles here would be over very quickly. You have to have men who are moral… and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling… without passion… without judgment… without judgment! Because it’s judgment that defeats us.”
“If that’s how Kilgore fought the war, I began to wonder what they really had against Kurtz. It wasn’t just insanity and murder; there was enough of that to go around for everyone.”
“I’ve seen horrors… horrors that you’ve seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that… but you have no right to judge me.”
These Marlon Brando Apocalypse Now quotes offer a glimpse into the profound and disturbing nature of the film. They highlight the moral complexities and the psychological toll that war takes on individuals. Marlon Brando’s mesmerizing performance as Colonel Kurtz will forever be remembered as one of the greatest in cinematic history.
So, take a moment to reflect on these quotes and let them resonate with you. They serve as a reminder of the human capacity for both good and evil, and the devastating consequences of war. Through the words of Marlon Brando, we gain a deeper understanding of the dark realities that lurk within us all.
