Vietnam and its influence on the career of famous director Oliver Stone

As the man behind two works set in the Vietnam War, Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July , which were hugely successful, few people know that to reach the pinnacle of Hollywood, filmmaker Oliver Stone had to go through many ups and downs, but from there, he gained strength and determination.

Early life ups and downs

All of the above will be recreated in the memoir Chasing the Light (published by Phuong Nam Books and The Gioi Publishing House, translated by Dang Nguyen Giang) which, since its release, has created a big buzz in both the publishing and film industries.

The author begins the book from his magical childhood when his parents - teenagers after the Great War - had the chance to meet and had a beautiful marriage. Everything seemed perfect, but the lightning struck quickly with divorce because of their very different personalities.

Chasing the Light is an incredibly moving memoir about the life of a great filmmaker.

Embracing the trauma from that pain, Oliver Stone chose to come to Vietnam for the first time, volunteering to teach English to natives right in Cho Lon (now Ho Chi Minh City). After finishing a year of working here, he went to Mexico to write a memoir about the first 20 years of his life, dreaming of becoming a great writer.

However, due to the immaturity and lack of “aura” of the main character, his work was not published and was shelved. Realizing this, as well as no longer having the motivation to move forward, Stone once again returned to Vietnam but as an infantry soldier participating in the war.

It was on this fierce battlefield that he experienced close combat, sometimes standing on the front line, sometimes being wounded and almost losing his life... but still did not want to return home too soon because there was nothing waiting for him there. It can be said that this special and memorable period later helped him create the most realistic and vivid films about war, brutality and greed for power.

Returning to America, without a purpose in life, he soon fell into drug addiction, culminating in his arrest and having to ask his father to take him out of prison. From then on, he lived aimlessly but gradually nurtured the idea of ​​writing a movie script. Although it was difficult from the beginning, with great interest, he worked and wrote at the same time.

First successes

His first break came in Midnight Express , a film about a drug dealer trying to escape Turkey. Perhaps with his own experiences, Oliver Stone brought it to life. And for that reason, he was honored at the Golden Globes as well as the Oscars with the win for Best Screenplay.

Oliver Stone wins Oscar for Midnight Express screenplay

However, happiness was short-lived, and successive works such as The Hand, Conan the Barbarian, Scarface, Year of a Dragon … were unsuccessful, causing him to fall into depression and face difficulties once again. In his late 30s, with almost continuous failures, and having a family to support, Oliver Stone made the biggest decisions of his life.

When Hollywood refused to produce a film about a country like Salvador, Stone used everything he had to invest in a low-budget, independent film of the same name. Perhaps because of his unique vision and uncompromising storytelling, just a year later, the film became a phenomenon, bringing his name to the top of glory once again.

Continuing his success, Platoon and soon after, Born on the Fourth of July , about the Vietnam War, were also put into production. From a previously shelved script, combined with the growing trend of this film genre, Stone continued to reap success, making him once again honored at the Oscars in the category of Best Director, and an extremely brilliant milestone in both the life and career of the filmmaker.

With the ups and downs that took place throughout his life, Chasing the Light is not only a memoir recording Oliver Stone's life, but also a story about realizing dreams at all costs when having faith, despite many difficulties and failures. For Stone, the hardships of youth, although full of difficulties, were also wonderful and very worthwhile.

“No matter how fulfilling the later stages of my life are, I don’t think I’ll ever feel as much excitement and thrill as I did when I had no money,” he confided. “There are moments that are trivial, but there are also moments of brilliance that you cherish forever. It’s indelible, whether they’re good or terrible…”

Director Oliver Stone (far right) on the set of his latest film about Edward Snowden

With a sincere, simple writing style, without embellishment or drama, Chasing the Light is an extremely touching memoir about the life of a great filmmaker, from childhood to adulthood, from arrogance to failure, from falling into addiction to becoming a great director in the film industry...

In addition, the book also talks about the hidden corners, interesting behind-the-scenes when making films and other collisions in the film industry. It can be said that this is an extremely unique memoir and is worth reading for those who have a strong passion for cinema, those who have and are wishing to become talented directors and screenwriters.

About this work, Anthony Hopkins - the veteran actor who made a splash in The Silence of the Lambs - said: "The memoir reveals Stone's compelling inner life and the powerful, yet voracious, genius energy that has made him one of the world's greatest filmmakers. He stirs up outrage. He stirs controversy. He doesn't stay in his comfort zone. Oliver Stone is unique. Chasing the Light says it all."

William Oliver Stone, born in 1946, is a famous American director and screenwriter. He fought in Vietnam from April 1967 to November 1968. He won two Oscars for Best Director ( Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July ) and one Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay ( Midnight Express ). In Wall Street (1987), he also helped Michael Douglas win the Oscar for Best Actor.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/viet-nam-va-nhung-anh-huong-den-su-nghiep-cua-dao-dien-lung-danh-oliver-stone-185240626094033703.htm