Soon after the end of the Vietnam War, Stone ran around to raise funds to film "Field Platoon". Too many studios refused to invest on the grounds of "too cruel" or "too depressing." A few years later, although the film was filmed under the funding of the British Hemdali Productions, Hollywood still did not take it seriously, and even the Orion company that released it was not sure of its sales: it was too much like a one. A documentary, and none of the big stars participated in the show. At the beginning, "Field Platoon" was only shown in 6 theaters. Unexpectedly, the film caused a strong response after its premiere. The audience was discussing it, and the introductions of various newspapers could be called a series of articles. One and a half months later, the number of theaters increased to 600, and the venues were full, and the box office revenue reached 100 million US dollars in three months. Neither the production company nor the director himself expected to obtain such benefits and repercussions. Stone has worked hard for several years in exchange for a sentence: "Field Platoon" is by far the best Vietnam War film.
Perspective and theme
"Field Platoon" is about a naive recruit who is organized into an infantry unit. In the process of carrying out tasks with other fighters, he quickly understands a cruel reality: the only reason for fighting is actually Find ways to make yourself alive. The film was created based on Oliver Stone's own personal experience, without any preaching, nor resorting to popular movie special effects, but to make the film a true representation of the wartime scenes. The film unfolds the story in the first person, and a lot of film language is handed over to the screen: when the helicopter landed, the airflow blew away the plastic sheet on the ground, revealing the body of the American soldier lying below; the bomb fell from the sky, and the person who was talking and laughing was suddenly lost I took an arm, and my smile was still condensed on my face... The creepy sense of reality made this film. Many viewers, especially veterans who participated in the Vietnam War, believe that the film truly reflects the actual situation of the Vietnam War.
The film does not focus on exaggerating the destructiveness of war like "Apocalypse Now", nor does it focus on portraying superhuman heroes like "First Blood", but has a strong sense of reflection. War makes people lose their minds. The most terrifying thing is not the killing between Americans and Vietnamese, but the cannibalism between comrades-in-arms. Regarding the Vietnam War, the film's conclusion is that the Americans defeated themselves, or that the contradictions of American culture itself led to the defeat of this war.
In 2006, the Cannes Film Festival revisited "Field Platoon", and Stone couldn't help feeling full of emotions: Although the Iraq War is still going on, this film that has won 4 Oscars including the Best Picture Award and the Director Award has nevertheless It has been forgotten by many people. In an interview with the Associated Press, Stone said: "This is really ashamed, because you make these films, you want people to be more fully aware of what war is. This film did this, at the time. The whole world was shocked. This film changed the careers of those of us. However, 20 years later, to be precise, only 10 years, 15 years later, people’s views on war began to change. Forgetting the disasters of the war, they looked at the problem from a militarist standpoint...until the outbreak of the Iraq War." The
actor and
star Charlie Sheen made a blockbuster with "Field Platoon", but unfortunately the star luck was not good, and soon he was suspected of becoming famous. Gossip about prostitution, and then insulated from good characters in Hollywood, can only make comedy films such as "Fighting the Condor" and "Invincible Bigger", although the hits are confined to the comedy route. It was only in recent years that he was once again recognized by the mainstream with the TV series "Politicians".
The other star of the film, William Dafoe, has almost never been a first-line star, but he is called the "man with a thousand faces". The films he has participated in include "Born on July 4th", "The Last Temptation of Christ", "Wandering Night", "My Heart is Wild", "Proof of the Body", "The English Patient", "Life and Death 2 "Etc., is known as "the actor who is expected to play the most unexpected role". Perhaps it is precisely because he is always hovering between the mainstream and the margin that he has performed so many roles with very different personalities.
"Vietnam War Trilogy"
"Field Platoon" is the first and most successful of Oliver Stone's "Vietnam War Trilogy". The other two are "Born on July 4th" and "Heaven and Earth". In 1989, Stone became the best director of the Oscar for the second time with "Born on July 4th", and starred Tom Cruise for the best actor Oscar nomination, although he lost to "My Left Foot" in the end. Daniel Day Lewis, but made Cruise successfully get rid of the butter niche vase status. In 1992, "Heaven and Earth" was scored by Kitaro, and the music of the film is very good.
In order to truly reproduce the scenes during the Vietnam War, Oliver Stone's requirements for the actors were simply harsh, allowing them to live in the Philippine jungle for two weeks of strict military camp life. A veteran took them to dig trenches, climb the cliffs with ropes, sleep in a bunker that can only accommodate two people, and change posts every two hours at night... After personal experience, the performance of the actors is very lively and the audience There is also an immersive feeling. You can almost feel the unbearable sultry, muddy, mosquitoes, rats, and poisonous snakes in the jungles of Southeast Asia, and experience the fear of soldiers and the hysteria of war.
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