Original artwork, not a still
I love the smell of napalm in the morning.
— Apocalypse Now · 1979
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Kilgore's love of napalm is the film's black joke about war: he talks about a smell the way someone else would talk about fresh coffee. The calm, genial delivery is the horror, which is why viewers remember him as the most frightening officer in the film. The line is quoted by people who miss the satire and parodied by everyone who gets it.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Apocalypse NowShow the scene
In Apocalypse Now (1979), Captain Willard's patrol boat meets Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore's air cavalry unit, which agrees to escort them past the Viet Cong at the mouth of the Nung River. Kilgore, a keen surfer, leads a helicopter assault on a coastal village while 'Ride of the Valkyries' blares from loudspeakers. Afterwards, on the beach, he muses about how a hill once bombed for twelve hours smelled the morning after, and declares his love for napalm. He ends by saying it smelled like victory.
Sources (2)
- Apocalypse Now, WikipediaPlotReference checked
- Apocalypse Now, WikiquoteLt. Col. William 'Bill' KilgoreReference checked
Context reviewed
