Oliver Stone as Cinematic Historian (Part II)

Toplin !Special Editor's Introduction: Oliver Stone as Cinematic Historian (Part II) Robert Brent Toplin University of North Carolina - Wilmington Oliver Stone as Cinematic Historian (Part II) No Hollywood filmmaker is as closely associated with historical films as Oliver Stone. Indeed, no other modernday director has produced as many films that deal with the past. Stone attacked American foreign policy in Latin America through Salvador, gave us a troubling glimpse of the American combat soldier's experience in Vietnam in Platoon , delivered a memorable indictment of greed in the Eighties through Wall Street, questioned the nation's gungho attitude toward war in Born on the Fourth ofJuly, presented a disturbing picture of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll in the Sixties in The Doors, raised troubling questions about the Kennedy assassination in JFK, probed the complex motivations of a president's scandalous behavior in Nixon, and aroused our thinking about criminal violence and the media's excessive attention to it in Natural Born Killers. Stone is different from Hollywood's filmmakers in a number of ways. His movies are often controversial. They deliver pointed messages that are highly critical of conditions in American society. Most Hollywood filmmakers avoid "message" movies; Stone specializes in them. Hollywood directors typically stay away from "political" films (such stories supposedly die at the box office). Stone's films often incorporate political themes. Filmmakers usually present stories with happy endings. Stone's movies frequently leave us unsettled and uncomfortable. Other directors work with the cinema primarily to win critical acclaim and to make money; Oliver Stone likes to make a dollar and achieve respect, too, but he also takes strong personal interest in his stories. Many movie directors come to their projects after selection by a team of producers; Stone frequently creates his own movie projects from scratch, and he writes the scripts as well. Most directors stay behind the camera (audiences do not know them as personalities). Oliver Stone, in contrast, is an international figure. His face is as recognizable as that of the stars who appear in his films. There is another interesting way to consider Oliver Stone's distinctiveness. No other filmmaker in modern-day Hollywood has made such a strong impact on our society. Stone's movies do not just entertain. Often they excite heated debates and engage journalists and politicians in lively exchanges. JFKprovoked numerous discussions about the Kennedy assassination in the newspapers and on television , and it sparked so much public demand for information about the President's death that Congress legislated the release ofhundreds ofpages of formerly confidential documents . The appearance of Natural Born Killers excited public arguments about the entertainment media's impact on criminal violence and led to a suit against the film supported by novelistJohn Grisham, who believed Natural Born Killers inspired a spree of criminal violence that led to real-life murders . Sometimes Stone's movies have created icons, presenting symbolic scenes that have served as convenient points of reference for discussions about the recent past. Wall Street, for example, gave us a memorable speech by avaricious Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas), who coldly summarized his philosophy ofbusiness and life: "Greed is good ... Greed is right ... Greed works." When CNN recently broadcast a report that summarized the spirit of recent decades, it used Gekko's comment as the single representative image for the 1980s. Platoon, too, gave us lasting symbols. It has become our quintessential movie on the American experience in Vietnam, and television reporters often refer to its images when talking about that history. In view ofStone's importance in discussions of Hollywood 's treatment ofhistory, Film & History continues its special focus on his productions. This, the second issue in the series, features Jack E. Davis's study of Born on the Fourth of July, Dale Graden and James W. Martin's examination ofSaIvador , David T. Courtwright's analysis of Natural Born Killers, and Barbara L. Tischler's commentary on The Doors. Robert Brent Toplin, Senior Associate Editor toplinrb@UNCWIL.EDU 4 I Film & History ...