Oliver Stone: filmography and best films of the director

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

American film director, producer and screenwriter Oliver Stone (full name Oliver William Stone) was born in New York on September 15, 1946. Stone's father was an Orthodox Jew and therefore adhered to the Jewish religion. Mother was a Catholic with French roots. As a compromise, the parents began to raise their son in the spirit of evangelism. It must be assumed that their efforts were in vain, since Oliver, while not at all against Christianity, currently adheres to the religion of Buddhism.

Vietnam

Oliver Stone received his primary education in college, then entered Yale University, but he couldn’t finish his studies, a year later the restless student left for South Vietnam and began teaching English there at the College of the Pacific. And again, a year later, Stone returned to the United States, to the state of Oregon, and then moved to Mexico. When he was drafted into the army in 1967, Oliver asked to go to Vietnam. Participated in hostilities, was wounded twice and received severalawards. Returning from the war in late 1968, Stone entered the New York University Film Department, where Martin Scorsese was the teacher at the time. Oliver Stone's graduation work was presented by him under the title "The Last Year in Vietnam".

Stone and Hitchcock

For a long time, Oliver Stone, whose filmography looked rather modest, made films of an average level, with a low budget and a weak cast. But in 1981, Oliver surprised all of America by releasing a film that could compete with the shocking thrillers of the genius Alfred Hitchcock. It was called unpretentiously - "Hand". The hero Jonathan Lansdale, who inadvertently put his hand out of the car window, was torn off by an oncoming truck. So much so that the policemen who arrived at the scene could not find the severed part of the body of the unfortunate Lansdale, although they searched every meter in the district. Thus, director Oliver Stone immediately gave a mystical direction to the plot. Jonathan was left disabled and professionally unfit as he was an illustrator. The mutilated Lansdale began to beg and wander. And then his severed hand showed up. Now she was constantly in the field of view of her master, and Jonathan could watch how the Hand began to take cruel revenge on all those people who had ever hurt or hurt the former artist.

Stone Thrillers

So, having written the script for the film "The Hand", filming it and even playing a small role in the film, director Oliver Stoneclearly outlined the future direction of his work. And the next film confirmed its reputation. It was a fantasy film "Conan the Barbarian" with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan, a Cimmerian warrior, a cruel avenger. However, Oliver Stone only wrote the script for the film, directed by John Milius and produced by Dino De Laurentiis.

After "Conan the Barbarian", another action film was shot according to Stone's script - "Scarface". Again, Oliver limited himself to writing the script, the production was directed by Brian De Palma, and Al Pacino played the main role. His character is Tony Montana, a drug dealer expelled from Cuba by Fidel Castro and settled in Miami. The Cuban quickly adapted to Florida and became a respected drug lord.

Drug trade theme

In 1985, the list of Oliver Stone's films was replenished with another film on the topic of drug trafficking. It was "Year of the Dragon" about drug dealers in New York's Chinatown. As usual, the director was not Stone, but Michael Cimino. The film was once again produced by Dino De Laurentiis. Mickey Rourke played the main role of police captain Stan White, who was called upon to end the drug trade. It became noticeable that Oliver Stone, whose filmography consisted mainly of films on the topic of drug trafficking, attaches great importance to this issue.

In 1986, "Eight Million Ways to Die" was made, the last film written by Oliver Stone in which he did not participatelike a director. All other films, from 1986's "Platoon" to today's film projects, Stone directed himself. Oliver Stone's films, as a rule, touch upon the most topical aspects of public life.

"Eight Million Ways to Die" - a picture on Stone's favorite topic as a screenwriter: drug trafficking, police, shooting, alcoholism, prostitution and the redistribution of spheres of influence. Sometimes something like love between the main characters. However, judging by the actual box office performance, moviegoers love the subject matter. The film starred Jeff Bridges and was directed by Hal Ashby.

Vietnam Trilogy

In the same 1986, Oliver Stone directed the first film of his trilogy about the Vietnam War. The picture is called "Platoon" and tells about ordinary soldiers trying to somehow get the "yellow-faced", escaping like lizards. The events take place on the border with Cambodia, the platoon is conditionally divided into two groups, one under the command of Sergeant Bob Barnes, an experienced brutal warrior, the other under the command of Sergeant Elias Grodin. The protagonist of the film is Private Chris Taylor, in the image of which Stone tried to portray himself.

The second film in the Vietnam War series, "Born on the Fourth of July", was filmed in 1989. Oliver Stone wrote the script and directed. A film about a simple American guy, Ron Kovic, who was offered to go to Vietnam and defend the interests of his country there. No doubt about the correctness of the militarythere were no representatives, and Ron went to his destination. Doubts began to appear later, when the soldier saw how civilians were being killed during the cleansing of villages, what unspeakable horror was all around. When Ron Kovic, wounded, got to the hospital, he was amazed at the indifference of doctors and staff, dirty medical instruments and complete desolation.

The last film of the Vietnamese trilogy, "Heaven and Earth", describes the tragic fate of a thirty-year-old woman who happened to feel fear of death, and torture by cruel executioners, and humiliation. All these trials fell to her lot in her native country, torn by war. Le Lee Haislip, that's the name of the woman, married American Sergeant Steve Butler and went with him to America. But Butler is haunted by the severity of what he experienced in Vietnam, the Vietnam War Syndrome. In the end, Steve Butler breaks down under the strain and commits suicide.

Shots in Dallas

Between the second and third film of the Vietnamese trilogy, Stone filmed "John F. Kennedy. Shots in Dallas". Thus, a political detective story based on real events got into the list of Oliver Stone's films. The picture was released in 1991. In the center of the plot is an independent investigation by prosecutor Jim Garrison, which refutes the official version put forward by the Warren Commission on the fact of the assassination of the president. The involvement of Lee Harvey Oswald is called into question by the prosecutor. According to the director himself, special services and large corporations were interested in Kennedy's death.industrial corporations. Oliver Stone, whose filmography consisted mainly of films about the drug trade and the Vietnam War, and then replenished with a political detective, hopes to continue working in this direction.

Failure

Oliver Stone's directorial career has had only one failure, but it was a huge financial disaster that occurred in 2004 with the release of the historical film about Alexander the Great called "Alexander" on the big screen. Oliver Stone wrote the script for the film, became its director, and also produced it. The film's budget was unprecedentedly high, it amounted to $150 million. The main roles were played by Hollywood stars of the first magnitude: Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie. And the box office grossed just $34 million.

Private life

Oliver Stone's personal life is three marriages and three children.

The director's first wife, Naiva Sarkis, is a bright representative of the fair sex of Lebanese origin. Oliver met her at a reception at one of the public organizations at the UN. Naiva worked as a curator for a charitable foundation in the Eastern Region. They married in 1971 and lived together for six years. Their married life was overshadowed by only one circumstance: the young wife could not have children. Divorce followed in 1977.

Oliver's second wife, actress Elizabeth Stone, gave birth to her husband's two sons: Sean Christopher in 1984 and Michael Jack in 1991. The eldest son Sean starred in his father's films in episodicchildren's roles. Oliver and Elizabeth Stone lived together for 12 years and divorced in 1993.

The director's third wife was a Korean Sun-Jung Jung, with whom Oliver has been living for 18 years and feels quite a happy person. The couple have a daughter, Tara, who turns 17 this year.

Awards

Oliver Stone's awards are the best reflection of the director's creative heritage, and also testify to his significant potential.

Stone won his first Oscar for Best Screenplay in 1978. According to the script, the film "Midnight Express" directed by director Alan Parker was shot. The phrase "midnight express" in prison slang means escape. It was the escape of William Hayes, imprisoned for 30 years for drugs, that formed the basis of the film.

The director won two other Oscars for Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July (both from the Vietnam trilogy).

In addition to awards of the highest value, Stone has also received other prizes such as the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1987 and the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1994.