Round of 64 (Tier 1): Apocalypse Now vs. Eyes Wide Shut

Round one is here. 61 years of film with 3 convenient ties. What film will come out on top?

For this round, we start with:

APOCALYPSE NOW, Francis Ford Coppola's descent into the Hell of war. It is the rare film that is so iconic that its references and impact transcend those that have even actually seen the film. It was so brutal that it may have been what permanently changed Coppola, but it is a major anti-war film.

Against...

EYES WIDE SHUT, Kubrick's erotic thriller that challenges us to think about our own desires to step into a darker world and the potential implications of those decisions. Kubrick has often suggested darkness and an underworld, and many a character have fallen into it, but what happens when a fundamentally "good" person starts to skate against those types of surroundings?

The winner will move on to the next round. The full bracket is attached below.

 

Damn this one's close for me. Have to go with Eyes Wide Shut though.

 

These are close but Kubrick can't get away with pretending that the location even remotely resembled New York.

 

Apocalypse for sure

 

Apocalypse Now and it’s dozens of different cuts 100%

 

I haven't seen the newest cut, but the original is a better first-time experience than the Redux for those who haven't seen it ever.

 

it’s a dream!

 

eyes wide shut is my favorite kubrick film whereas apocalypse now is nowhere near my favorite coppola film (dracula or one from the heart or rumble fish thanks)

 

This was a hard choice

 

I can't believe how lopsided this was.

 

how long are these staying up before the next round? still three days?

 

4 days per cluster. It will take 32 days to finish round one.

 

I haven't seen Eyes Wide Shut yet. Was planning on doing it around Christmas this year.

 

You've only seen 5 real movies.

 

it's close enough.

 

Eyes Wide Shut, like so many Kubrick films, was underappreciated upon release, but because it is the only one that came out in my lifetime it is the only one I was able to watch the shift for. By the time we get to the next generation of critics it will probably reliably compete with his best works as far as acclaim.

I had to go with the mob and Apocalypse Now, though. I can't help but put the big Vietnam films together, and while Full Metal Jacket might have the most memorable lines and opening, and Platoon has the most emotional pull, Apocalypse Now is the scariest one, and at no point does war become an escapist fantasy with good guys battling bad guys. It is a shame that Coppola never really recovered artistically from making this film, because if his output in the 70's, maybe the best for a director ever, could have continued we would all be richer for it.

 

But theyre good ones!

 

the conversation: also way better than apocalypse now

 

I have no idea which to pick. Both are near the top of my all-time list.

 

They're both on my top 100 list and there's only 7 films between them. Super close.

 

this is fucked but eyes wide shut is just otherworldly so I'll vote with my conviction knowing its a lost cause.

can't even be slightly upset about it losing here though

 

I went Apocalypse Now. Very few war films grapple with how monstrous the effects are with that much depth

 

With 78 percent of the vote, Apocalypse Now will face Paris, Texas in the Round of 32.