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Born on the Fourth of JulyRating:
Release Date: 28 April, 1998 Retail Price: $26.98 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: Complete Cast (7 total) |
Born on the Fourth of July Reviews
I couldn't watch this movie until now-16 years later!
When this movie was released in 1989, I had been married for the second time for one year. I was involved in marriage, family, career and had left the 60s behind for awhile. I had the privilege of doing that; Ron Kovic could not. Reading the reviews at that time, I knew this movie would be too intense for me, and a few years later, when my husband would suffer a major stroke and become partially paralyzed himself, causing both of us to endure years of rehabilitation, I deliberately avoided the movie whenever it aired on TV. What I had glimpsed was too raw and authentic--I had enough of that in my own life.
But I watched it tonight on AMC and marvelled at the film--Stone's brilliant directing, Kovic's terrible honesty about his journey, Cruise's willingness to "go there." This is perhaps Stone's greatest movie, thoughtful to the tiniest artistic detail; director is too shallow a title for his achievement with this film. Kovic--it is his story that inspires me to write this review. Three years after my husband died--he lived nearly 10 years with his disability--I understood all too well Kovic's path. The fact that he kept going, that he didn't give up even when life was dark, painful, and utterly bizarre is simply amazing. Having to face "aloneness" and "dependence" and life without "equipment" is the most terrifying experience one can deal with. My husband had me. He knew he was loved everyday. Ron had none of that, but, thank God, he found a community and a mission--one that he sought and created. What kind of strength is that? It comes only when you face that awful test in life that none of us wants, that we'll do anything to avoid. Those who have encountered it are either dead by choice or alive and transformed. Kovic went through it, came out the other end, and I'm in awe.
Welcome antidote
'Born On The 4th Of July' was originally supposed to have been made in the 1970's with Al Pacino playing Ron Kovic. However, after major financial backers pulled out of the project the film collapsed, but Stone made a solemn promise to his fellow Vietnam veteran that when he became more successful, he would try a 2nd shot at it.
We see the innocence of early 60's America in Cruise's eyes as well as a heavy dose of Polish Catholic guilt. 'Born On The Fourth Of July' acts as a useful antidote to hero worship. Cruise's performance is powerful and unrelenting and Stone manages to pull off something poigniant in his writing, (personal relationship dialogue has never been his strong point).
Although many seem to disparage the film on historical grounds, both Kovic and Stone are veterans of Vietnam, which in my mind lends the film a tinge of authenticity. Stone has chosen to be a popular film maker and popular film is always more emotional than intellectual. He has used Kovic's experience as a symbol of the U.S. experience of Vietnam in general. Stone himself has even admitted that there were inaccuracies in the film and that he has used 'generic' historical moments. But the fact that there were protests against the Vietnam war cannot be denied.
As a popular film-maker Stone knows that the majority of his audience do not read history books. If film can make history come alive more than books can and help drive the discussion about the war among a mainstream audience, then Stone has done his job.
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