Apocalypse Now

Key Battles of American History

History

4.7 • 861 Ratings

🗓️ 23 August 2025

⏱️ 95 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode Sean and James review the classic 1979 film Apocalypse Now, a surreal and haunting war film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, inspired by Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness. Set during the Vietnam War, the story follows U.S. Army Captain Benjamin Willard, who is sent on a secret mission to travel up the Nung River into Cambodia and assassinate Colonel Walter Kurtz, a once-respected officer who has gone rogue and is now leading a cult-like group of followers deep in the jungle. As Willard journeys deeper into the heart of the war—and human darkness—he encounters chaos, madness, and moral decay. Apocalypse Now explores the psychological toll of war and the thin line between civilization and savagery.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi everyone. Super Bowl champ Vernon Davis here from Legal Health Center. If you've been injured in an accident and thank you deserve conversation, listen up because we have legal professionals standing by right now to answer your questions for free. You can find out if you have a case and how much is potentially worth. Thanks, Vernon. You heard it, folks. If you've been injured, call and find out how much you
0:21.4	qualify for. Call 800-497-44-10. Advertisement sponsored by Legal Help Center may not be available in all states.
0:36.5	War has played a key role in the history of the United States, from the nation's founding
0:40.8	right down to the present. War made the U.S. independent, kept it together, increased its
0:46.4	size, and established it as a global superpower. Understanding America's wars is essential
0:51.8	for understanding American history.
0:59.0	Welcome to Key Battles of American History, a podcast in which we discuss American history through the lens of the most important battles of America's wars.
1:02.9	Here is your host, James Early.
1:19.6	Hello, everyone. Before we get started with today's episode, I wanted to share a major personal update with you.
1:30.4	I have just retired from my day job, where I worked for the past 24 years. I did this in part so that I can devote more time to the podcast. As you can imagine, my retirement has caused my income to be reduced significantly, and I'm going to
1:36.3	possibly have to get another job to make up the difference, at least until my youngest daughter is out of
1:41.3	college. I would like to not do that. I would like to go full-time with the podcast so that I can keep providing you with the same high-quality content to which you've grown accustomed.
1:51.7	But in order to do so, I will need your help.
1:54.8	If you enjoy this podcast, then let me ask you the same question that the great Dan Carlin asks his listeners. Is it worth the cost of a cup of coffee to you?
2:04.9	Would you please consider supporting me on Patreon? You can do so for as little as $2 per month.
2:11.2	For more information, go to patreon.com, search for key battles of American history and click C membership options. There you can choose
2:20.3	the level of support you want. When you support me on Patreon, you get ad-free episodes and you get them one week earlier.
2:27.7	Then the regular ones. And you also get additional benefits depending on your level of support.
2:33.1	So once again, please seriously consider going to patreon.com and search for
2:38.1	Key Battles of American History for more information about how you can help.
2:42.4	If you would like to support me but you don't want to make a long-term commitment,
2:46.3	I understand it's not a problem.
	...

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