NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Born on the Fourth of July (film)

Born on the Fourth of July is a 1989 a film adaptation of the autobiographical novel of the same name by Ron Kovic. Oliver Stone co-wrote the screenplay with Ron Kovic, and produced and directed the film. Oliver Stone wanted to film it in Vietnam, but due to the fact that relations were not normalized with Vietnam, it was filmed in the Philippines. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946), known simply as Oliver Stone, is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director and screenwriter. ... William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946), known simply as Oliver Stone, is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director and screenwriter. ... Ron Kovic, (left) with Brian Willson at a Veterans for Peace conference. ... William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946), known simply as Oliver Stone, is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director and screenwriter. ... Tom Cruise (born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962) is an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe Award-winning American actor and film producer. ... Kyra Sedgwick (born August 19, 1965) is an Emmy nominated American actress. ... Raymond J. Barry (b. ... Jerry Levine (born March 12, 1957 in New Brunswick, New Jersey) is an American actor and director, best known for his role as Rupert Styles Stilinski in Teen Wolf. ... Frank Michael Anthony Whaley (born July 20, 1961) is an American film and television actor known as much for his roles in independent films as his boyish looks and general demeanor, pushing 50 though he is. ... William Dafoe, Jr. ... John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is an American composer and conductor. ... Joe Hutshing is an American film editor who grew up in San Diego, California and is most well known for working multiple times with film director, Oliver Stone and well as with film director Cameron Crowe (who is also from San Diego, California). ... David Brenner (editor) is an American film editor most well known (along with fellow film editors Joe Hutshing, Pietro Scalia and Julie Monroe) for having been one of director Oliver Stones hot shot group of up-and-coming film editors. ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... // Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia for $20 million. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... Born on the Fourth of July (ISBN 1888451785) is the best selling autobiography of Ron Kovic, a paralyzed Vietnam War veteran who became an anti-war activist. ... Ron Kovic, (left) with Brian Willson at a Veterans for Peace conference. ... William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946), known simply as Oliver Stone, is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director and screenwriter. ... William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946), known simply as Oliver Stone, is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director and screenwriter. ...

Plot synopsis

The film opens when Ron Kovic is a young boy living in Massapequa, Long Island. He grows up in a patriotic and Catholic household, instilling within him a strong sense of pride in the U.S. and his religion. As a high school teenager he wrestles for his high school and is an exceptional student. When a Marine recruiting sergeant visits his school and gives Ron and his fellow Seniors an impassioned lecture about the Corps, Ron decides to enlist. He misses his own prom, mainly because he's unable to ask his love interest, Donna. He confronts her at the dance, kisses her, then says goodbye. The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ... The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ...

The film then moves to Kovic's second tour in Vietnam. On patrol, his unit massacres a village of Vietnamese citizens, believing they are hiding rifles for the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). During the retreat, Kovic becomes disoriented and confused and accidentally shoots one of the new arrivals to his platoon, a younger private named Wilson. Overwhelmed by guilt, he appeals to his executive officer (XO) who tells him to forget the incident. The meeting has an negative effect on Ron who is crushed at being brushed off by his XO. In the military, a tour of duty is a period of time spent at sea or assigned to service in a foreign country. ... knulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din mammaknulla din...

The platoon goes out on another hazardous patrol. During a firefight Kovic is critically wounded and trapped in a field for what seems like several hours. Paralyzed from the mid-chest down because of some foolhardy actions on his part, he spends several months recovering at the Bronx Veterans Administration hospital. The living conditions in the hospital are horrific; rats crawl freely on the floors, the staff is generally apathetic to their patients' needs, doctors visit infrequently, drug use is rampant and equipment is too old to be useful. He desperately tries to walk again with the use of crutches and braces despite warnings from his doctors. He suffers a bad fall that causes a compound fracture of his thighbone. The injury nearly robs him of his leg and he fights with the doctors who want to amputate. Paralysis is the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups. ... The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of United States. ... The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for administering programs of veterans benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors. ... This is an article about wild rats; for pet rats, see Fancy rat Species 50 species; see text *Several subfamilies of Muroids include animals called rats. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Bone healing. ...

Ron returns home, permanently in a wheelchair, with his leg intact. At home he begins to alienate his family and friends, complaining about students staging anti-war rallies across the country and burning the American flag. Though he tries to maintain his dignity as a Marine, Ron gradually begins to become disillusioned, feeling that his government has betrayed him and his fellow Vietnam Veterans. Flag desecration is a blanket term applied to various ways of intentionally defacing or dishonoring a flag, most often a national flag (though other flags are defaced as well). ... The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ...

In Ron's absence his younger brother, Tommy, has already become staunchly anti-war, leading to a rift between them and Ron's parents seem unable to deal with Ron's new attitude as a paralyzed veteran. Ron's problems are as much psychological as physical and he quickly becomes alcoholic and belligerent. During a parade on July 4, he shows signs of post-traumatic stress when firecrackers explode (sounding like gunfire) and when a baby in the crowd starts crying (which reminds him of the massacre of the Vietnamese village). He reunites with a high-school friend, Timmy, also a wounded veteran, and the two spend Ron's birthday sharing war stories. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a term for certain severe psychological consequences of exposure to, or confrontation with, stressful events that the person experiences as highly traumatic. ...

Ron visits Donna at her college in Syracuse. The two reminisce and she asks him to attend a vigil for the Kent State shootings. Ron doesn't; his chair prevents him from getting very far on campus because of curbs and stairways. Nickname: The Salt City Location of Syracuse within the state of New York Coordinates: City Government - Mayor Matthew Driscoll Area - City 66. ... John Filos Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of Mary Ann Vecchio, a fourteen-year-old runaway and Vietnam War protester, screaming with anguish and kneeling over the dead body of Jeffrey Miller, shot through the mouth by an unknown Ohio National Guardsman. ...

Ron's disillusionment grows severe enough that he has an intense fight with his mother after returning home drunk one night. Ron travels to a small town in Mexico ("The Village of the Sun") that seems to be a haven for paralyzed Vietnam veterans. He has his first sexual experience with a prostitute he believes he's in love with. Ron wants to ask her to marry him but he sees her with another customer and decides against it. Hooking up with another wheelchair-bound veteran, Charlie, who is furious over a prostitute laughing at his lack of sexual function due to his severe wounding in Vietnam, the two travel to what they believe will be a friendlier village. They're kicked out of their taxi for annoying the driver and are stranded on the side of the road. They quarrel and fight, knocking each other out of their wheelchairs. They're picked up by a man with a truck and eventually driven back to the "Village of the Sun". Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. ...

On his way back to Long Island, Ron makes a side trek to Georgia to visit the parents and family of Private Wilson, the marine he killed during his tour. He tells them the real story about how their son died and confesses his guilt to them. Despite Wilson's widow stating that she can't forgive Ron for killing her husband, the confession seems to lift a heavy weight from Ron's conscience.

He joins Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) and travels to the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami. He and his compatriots force their way into the convention hall during Richard Nixon's acceptance speech and cause a commotion that makes it onto the national news. Ron himself tells a reporter about his negative experiences in Vietnam and the VA hospital conditions. His interview is cut short when guards eject him and his fellow vets from the hall and attempt to turn them over to the police. They manage to break free from the police, regroup, and charge the hall again, though not so successfully this time. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 567 pixelsFull resolution (970 Ã— 687 pixel, file size: 615 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)screenshot source:www. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 567 pixelsFull resolution (970 Ã— 687 pixel, file size: 615 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)screenshot source:www. ... Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) is a tax-exempt Non-profit organization and corporation, originally created to oppose the Vietnam War. ... The 1972 Republican National Convention was held August 21â€“23, 1972 in Miami Beach, Florida. ... This article is about the city in Florida. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 â€“ April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ...

The film ends with Kovic speaking at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, shortly after the publication of his autobiography. The 1976 Democratic National Convention in New York City nominated Jimmy Carter of Georgia for President and Walter F. Mondale of Minnesota for Vice President. ...

Cast

Tom Cruise (born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962) is an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe Award-winning American actor and film producer. ... Kyra Sedgwick (born August 19, 1965) is an Emmy nominated American actress. ... Raymond J. Barry (b. ... William Dafoe, Jr. ... Frank Michael Anthony Whaley (born July 20, 1961) is an American film and television actor known as much for his roles in independent films as his boyish looks and general demeanor, pushing 50 though he is. ... Holly Marie Combs (born December 3, 1973 in San Diego, California, USA) is an American actress who has worked in movies and television series. ...

Themes

The most prominent theme of the film centers on the physical and mental anguish Kovic suffers. He is robbed of his ability to walk, a particularly vicious wound since he was an athlete in high school. He is also unable to have "normal sex" due to his paralysis, and can never have children.

The mental stress that Ron experiences, specifically post-traumatic stress disorder, are common to nearly all Vietnam veterans.^{[dubious — see talk page]} Along with his guilt over shooting his fellow Marine, he must also come to terms with combat situations that required him to kill not only North Vietnamese soldiers but also innocent civilians. As we see during the July 4 birthday celebration the town veterans association holds for him, he can't shake the reminders of combat, like the crying infant or fireworks that sound like gunfire or hand grenades. It also shows the pain he endures from the American government for not listening to the veterans about the conditions in the hospitals. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a term for certain severe psychological consequences of exposure to, or confrontation with, stressful events that the person experiences as highly traumatic. ...

Awards and Nominations

The Academy Award for Directing is an accolade given to the person that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences feels was best director of the past year. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Director Guild of America building on Sunset Boulevard. ... Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture has been awarded annually since 1944 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. ... The Chicago Film Critics Association is an American film critic association. ... The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture - Drama was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. ... Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama has been awarded annually since 1944 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. ... Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) is a collecting society that protects composers intellectual property in the communications business, especially radio. ... Founded in 1953, Motion Picture Sound Editors (M.P.S.E.) is an honorary society of motion picture sound editors. ... The Political Film Society is a nonprofit corporation that exists to recognize Hollywood films ability to raise awareness in political matters in the world. ... // The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards, awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which are voted on by others within the industry. ... The Academy Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given to actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role has been presented to its winners since 1952 and actors of all nationalities are eligible to receive the award. ... BAFTA Award The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organisation that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... Founded in Los Angeles, California in 1982, the Casting Society of America (CSA) is a professional society of about 350 casting directors for film, television, and theatre in Australia, Canada, England, Italy, and the United States. ... The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded each year to a cinematographer for his work in one particular motion picture. ... The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) is not a labor union or guild, but rather an educational, cultural and professional organization. ... Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing itself. ... As defined by Rule Sixteen of the Academy Awards Rules, the Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. ... The Academy Award for Sound Mixing is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most aesthetic sound mixing or recording, and is generally awarded to the production sound mixers and re-recording mixers of the winning film. ... The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. ... Annual awards given out by the Writers Guild of America for outstanding achievements in film, TV, or radio writing. ... The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the collective bargaining representative, or labor union, for writers in the motion picture and television industries in the United States. ...

External links

v • d • e

Films directed by Oliver Stone

Feature films: Seizure (1974) • The Hand (1981) • Salvador (1986) • Platoon (1986) • Wall Street (1987) • Talk Radio • Born on the Fourth of July (1989) • The Doors • JFK (1991) • Heaven & Earth (1993) • Natural Born Killers (1994) • Nixon (1995) • U Turn (1997) • Any Given Sunday (1999) • Alexander (2004) • World Trade Center (2006) Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Rain Man is a 1988 film which tells the story of a selfish yuppie who discovers that his father has left all of his estate to the autistic brother he never knew he had. ... Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama has been awarded annually since 1944 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. ... Dances with Wolves is a 1990 epic film which tells the story of a United States cavalry officer from the Civil War who travels into the Dakota Territory, near a Sioux tribe. ... William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946), known simply as Oliver Stone, is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director and screenwriter. ... Seizure (1974) is perhaps best known as the directorial debut of Oliver Stone, who also co-wrote the screenplay. ... The Hand is a 1981 horror film written and directed by Oliver Stone, based on the novel The Lizards Tail by Marc Brandell. ... Salvador is a 1986 film which tells the story of an American journalist in El Salvador covering the story of the assassination of Archbishop Ã“scar Romero. ... Platoon is an Academy Award winning 1986 Vietnam War film written and directed by Oliver Stone and starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and John C. McGinley. ... Wall Street is an American film released in 1987. ... Talk Radio is a 1988 film, starring Eric Bogosian as a controversial shock jock It is directed by Oliver Stone, and is based on the real life murder of radio host Alan Berg by Neo-Nazis[1], and the book about those events, Talked to Death: The Life and Murder... The Doors is a 1991 film about Jim Morrison and The Doors. ... JFK is an American film directed by Oliver Stone, first released on December 20, 1991. ... Heaven & Earth is a 1993 film directed by Oliver Stone and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Haing S. Ngor and Hiep Thi Le. ... For the song, see Natural Born Killaz. ... Nixon is an Oliver Stone film that tells the story of the political and personal life of former President Richard Nixon. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with U Turn. ... Any Given Sunday is a 1999 film directed by Oliver Stone starring Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, James Woods, LL Cool J, Matthew Modine, John C. McGinley, Charlton Heston, Ann-Margret, Lauren Holly, Bill Bellamy, Lela Rochon, Aaron Eckhart, Elizabeth Berkley and Marty Wright. ... Alexander is a 2004 epic motion picture film, based on the life of Alexander the Great. ... World Trade Center (also spelled as World Trade Centre) is a 2006 dramatic film based on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers of New York City, released by Paramount Pictures on August 9. ...

Documentaries: Persona Non Grata (TV) • Comandante (2003) • Looking for Fidel (2004) Look up Persona non grata in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Comandante is a political documentary film by American director Oliver Stone. ... Looking for Fidel is an Oliver Stone movie. ...

Contents

Cast

Themes

Awards and Nominations

External links