The most critical and important aspect of Apocalypses Now is the significance of reality and illusion, and the ability a Vietnam soldier has to decipher these two meanings in life.
As the opening sequence of Apocalypses Now begins, within the very first few moments a mixed sound of a distant helicopter panning from left to right is the only thing heard or seen. This sound fades completely in and out and slowly The Doors song "The End" gracefully begins. The song continues to play and the same helicopter panning fades in and out of the song while the intro to the film continues to open. Amongst the slow pan shot of burning jungles and helicopters flying back and forth across the frame, images of a disturbed Martin Sheen appear into the mix. Throughout this combination of close ups of the main characters face his living corridor is also slowly exposed, revealing the not so healthy condition he appears to be in a bit more. As the music continues and Jim Morrison's lyrics and volume intensifies so does various shots of the spinning ceiling fan in Willard's room. The sounds of the helicopters spinning blades dissolve into Captain Willard's illusion that his ceiling fan is in fact a helicopter from his visions and recent memories of the Vietnam war. The sounds and the illusion intensify and The Doors soundtrack gradually fades out, the sound of the helicopter becomes the only sounds heard. This is when Willard begins to grasp the reality that there really are no helicopters, and he is actually home in America, no where near the terrors of Saigon. This pounding mix of sounds creates such a powerful feeling that it hits the viewer with a wave of energy that pours out of Captain Willard's cold, dark, and blank eyes, all before they are even introduced to him, or even heard him speak. The incredible and abstract approach that sound designer Walter Murch and music engineer Richard Beggs took hit viewers in the 80's with a combination of music and noise that they've never experienced.