(Manufacturer # MHV62122851BR )
PlotThe second of three films by co-writer/director Oliver Stone to explore the effects of the Vietnam War (Platoon and Heaven and Earth are the others), Born On The Fourth Of July tells the true story of Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise), a patriotic, All-American small town athlete who shocks his family by enlisting with the Marines to fight in the Vietnam War. Once he is overseas, however, Kovic's gung-ho enthusiasm turns to horror and confusion when he accidentally kills one of his own men in a firefight. His downfall is furthered by a bullet wound that leaves him paralyzed from the chest down. He returns home, spends an appalling, nightmarish stint in a veterans' hospital, and follows an increasingly disillusioned and fragmented path that ultimately leaves him drunk and dissolute in Mexico. However, Kovic somehow turns himself around and pulls his life together, becoming an outspoken anti-war activist in the process. The film is long but emotionally powerful; many consider it Stone's best work and Cruise's best performance. Both were nominated for Oscars, as was the film itself, but only Stone, who co-wrote the film with Kovic from the latter's book, won for Best Director. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi Movie TypeMovie Level ThemesStarting Over, Home From the War, Fighting the System, Social Injustice, Living With Disability Movie Level TonesCathartic, Compassionate, Harsh, Angry, Confrontational, Earnest, Grim DVD Features - From the NBC News Archives - Backstory: Born on the Fourth of July
- Feature Commentary with Director Oliver Stone
- 100 Years of Universal: Academy Award Winners
- 100 Years of Universal: The '80s
Awards- 1989--Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, David Brenner-Winner
- 1989--Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Gregory H. Watkins-Nominee
- 1989--Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Ron Kovic-Nominee
- 1989--Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Tod A. Maitland-Nominee
- 1989--Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Tom Cruise-Nominee
AMG Rating
|
