Born on the Fourth of July [HD DVD]
by Oliver Stone
![Born on the Fourth of July [HD DVD]](/images/Born-on-the-Fourth-of-July-HD-DVD-B000OHZL26-L.jpg)
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DVD details
Actor: Frank Whaley, Jerry Levine, Kyra Sedgwick, Raymond J. Barry, Tom CruiseDirector: Oliver Stone
Brand: Universal
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Original Language); French (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 145 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-06-12
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of Born on the Fourth of July [HD DVD]
DVD Review: "Arms and the Man I Sing...." - Virgil (70-19 BCE)
Summary: 5 Stars
Ron Kovic is a genuine hero. Born literally on the 4th of July in 1946, he served two tours as a Marine in Vietnam, suffered wounds that resulted in total paralysis of his lower body, returned to America horribly traumatized and disillusioned, became a prominent anti-war demonstrator and put his heroism to the test by confronting his own community, a hostile nation, tactical police squads, jail, the goons surrounding Richard Nixon, and his own debilities and despair. His autobiography is the basis of this 1989 film directed by Oliver Stone. Kovic and Stone collaborated on the screenplay. It seems that only two interpolations were demanded by Stone, for 'artistic' reasons: the childhood sweetheart Donna played by Kyra Sedgwick is imagined, and the confessional meeting by Kovic with the parents of the fellow marine he killed in friendly fire never happened.
Otherwise, Stone's film is an extremely accurate depiction of the anti-Vietnam protests of the late 1960s and early 1970s. I know. I was there. I never met Kovic, but I knew people who knew him. I was in the throngs at some of the same demonstrations. I can't testify to the accuracy of the war scenes in Vietnam. I wasn't there. I followed my own conscience and confronted other demons. The only 'objection' I would make to Stone's portrayal of the anti-Vietnam protests is that there is a disproportion in the images of the protestors. The forefront protestors in Stone's film are nearly all "hippies" -- counterculture youth, bearded, beaded, brazen -- while in reality every demonstration I saw (after 1964 or so) had large numbers of quite ordinary "straight" citizens, middle class, middle-aged, etc. Stone portrays the "other side" -- the war hawks, the Miami Convention delegates who chanted "Four! More! Years" to celebrate the renomination of Nixon, for instance -- harshly but with precise realism. This is eventually a film about fanaticism, about the inevitable conflict between ideology and basic humanity. It was bound to be controversial when it was made, bound to be hated by the 'Love It or Leave it" super-patriots. I'm sure it would still be hated by the extremists of the Tea Party. It IS an indictment of America's stupidity and misconduct in Vietnam. It IS an indictment of the shameful mistreatment that the returning Vietnam Vets have suffered in a country that glorifies their "service" but despises their personhood. It IS a denunciation of all wars. War is not "diplomacy by other means" as the German historian called it; war is the failure of civilization.
Oliver Stone has made twenty (20!) films, many of them box-office successes. Would you believe that I've never seen any of them first-run? I spent most of the late '70s, '80s and '90s outside the USA. The very first Stone film I've ever seen -- on DVD quite recently -- was "Wall Street," brought to my attention by an amazoo cagemate. I was hugely impressed, not only by the content but also by the art of direction and cinematography. "Wall Street" is extremely well made as a film. Michael Douglas, in the role of Gordon Gekko, is an emotional powerhouse. Camera work, editing, musical support -- all brilliant! Naturally, being the extravagant dude I am, I immediately purchased a whole retrospective box of 14 discs of Stone's works. "Born on the Fourth" is the first one I've watched from that collection, and it's close enough to being a masterpiece of cinema that I consider my money well spent. Oliver Stone appears to be a volatile personality. He's made statements that I've found profoundly confused and even offensive. But the two films of his I've seen so far have exhibited masterful control of the medium and clear focus of the message.
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Description of Born on the Fourth of July [HD DVD]
Universal Born On The Fourth Of July (HD-DVD)Tom Cruise delivers a riveting and unforgettable portrayal ofVietnam veteran Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone's Academy Award-winning masterpiece. Based on a true story, the acclaimed film follows the young Kovic froma zealous teen who eagerly volunteers for the Vietnam War, to an embittered veteran paralyzed from the mid-chest down. Deeply in love with his country, Kovic returned to an environment vastly different from the one he left, and struggled before emerging as a brave new voice for the disenchanted.
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