Montagu James says you must watch Apocalypse Now

Francis Ford Coppola‘s Apocalypse Now (1979) uses Richard Wagner‘s “Ride of the Valkyries” to terrifying effect, depicting the brutality and horror of impersonal aerial warfare in the Vietnam War.

The sonic power of the music blasting from helicopters’ speakers during an attack on a village does not glorify the warfare, but rather Wagner’s music is a deliberate reminder of its destructive potential. Combined with dizzying cinematography with the swarm of helicopters, the scene is a multi-sensory depiction of dread.

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