Always a space where mystery and death abound is the tropical jungle in the psychology of the West. This seminar will look at three films, Full Metal Jacket (1987), Platoon (1986) and Apocalypse Now (1979) and their logistics of representation. Importing tropical palms to the banks of the Thames river, rushing in film crews to pristine jungles in Thailand, or getting military clearance to bomb jungles in the Philippines, such strategies go beyond the mere logic of representation but attests rather acutely to Hollywood’s method of creating and destroying the other. Day two of the seminar will focus more on Apocalypse Now and its production in the Philippines, where film director Francis Ford Coppola had to borrow military equipment from President Ferdinand Marcos who in turn eventually took back the props to use in the fight against communist insurgents in Southeast Asia. Saigon-based artist and filmmaker Tuan Andrew Nguyen will explore the complex and fascinating relationships between geography, history, and media.
Recommended viewing:
- Platoon (1986)
- Full Metal Jacket (1987)
- Apocalypse Now (1979)
