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'Apocalypse Now' opened in August, 1979. I was working in NYC. A friend at work was a Vietnam vet. We both wanted to see the film as soon as it opened. In NYC, it opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre. At the time, the Ziegfeld had the best sound system of any movie theatre in the city. I mean really good. How good? During scenes in the film where helicopters flew over head, we ducked because you swore you heard 'copters behind you then over you. To see that film in a theatre with an incredible sound system was quite an experience. My friend brought 3 of his friends with us. They were vets too. Afterwards, we went to a bar. His friends were quiet for awhile. I was blown away and I'm sure talking too much. Then one of his friends said, real quietly, 'It was worse.' I spent the rest of the night listening. Turns out my friend and his buddies were all LRRPs in Vietnam. Man, some s**t went down when you were a LRRP. I'll never forget that night or those guys. Respect.
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