“Dennis Hopper Plays With An American flag”

“Apocalypse Now” Pagsanjan, Philippines (1976)

Mary Ellen Mark’s photography on film sets is, for any cinema lover, a priceless look at life behind the camera. In 1976 she was on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam epic “Apocalypse Now.” A film that has become infamous as a modern masterpiece and a horrifying example of what can go wrong on set.

Her collection of photographs titled, “Seen Behind The Scene” was published in 2008. It features 264 pages of photography on film sets from “Tootsie” to “One flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.” Mark chose 11 photographs from “Apocalypse Now” to include. Two photos feature her on the set.

The most important photograph from this film shows a young Dennis Hopper looking through a tattered American Flag. He is dressed in character, clutching the frayed end of a perfect metaphor about the war in Vietnam and “Apocalypse Now.” The worn flag represents the feelings of Americans after the war. It represents loss and absence. Hoppers character is a representation of the veterans that could no longer cope with reality. He is looking through America. Through the holes that were the social problems facing the returning veterans. “Apocalypse Now” is a journey through the men, specially the men on the boat, each going through a mental separation from reality. This photograph captures this metaphor hauntingly; Hopper is the embodiment of them, holding the spirit of the war in his hand.

Mark usually only works in black and white photography. This is very effective when you’re trying to show heightened emotion. She framed it in a fashion that instantly locks your eyes with Hoppers. A dark blemish in the left corner of the picture adds to the imperfections of the flag, Hopper and the creation of the film.

Mary Ellen Mark’s photograph is significant in several ways; it represents an unforgettable event in American history. It ties together both the film itself and the metaphors within it. The difficulties of making “Apocalypse Now” can be seen in the tears and holes of the damaged flag. This photo is a representation of war and the war of creating art.