| Born on the Fourth of July | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Oliver Stone |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Robert Richardson |
| Edited by | |
| Music by | John Williams |
Production company | Ixtlan Productions[1] |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 145 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $17.8 million[1] |
| Box office | $162 million[3] |
Born on the Fourth of July is a 1989 Americanbiographicalanti-wardrama film that is based on the1976 autobiography ofRon Kovic. Directed byOliver Stone, and written by Stone and Kovic, it starsTom Cruise,Kyra Sedgwick,Raymond J. Barry,Jerry Levine,Frank Whaley, andWillem Dafoe. The film depicts the life of Kovic (Cruise) over a 20-year period, detailing his childhood, his military service and paralysis during theVietnam War, and his transition to anti-war activism. It is the second installment in Stone's trilogy of films about the Vietnam War, followingPlatoon (1986) and precedingHeaven & Earth (1993).
ProducerMartin Bregman acquired the film rights to the book in 1976 and hired Stone, also aVietnam veteran, to co-write the screenplay with Kovic, who would be played byAl Pacino. When Stoneoptioned the book in 1978, the film adaptation became mired indevelopment hell after Pacino and Bregman left, which resulted in him and Kovic putting the film on hold. After the success ofPlatoon, the project was revived atUniversal Pictures, with Stone attached to direct. Shot on locations in thePhilippines,Texas andInglewood, California, principal photography took place from October to December 1988, lasting 65 days of filming. The film went over its initial $14 million production budget and ended up costing $17.8 million after reshoots.
Upon release,Born on the Fourth of July was praised by critics for its story, Cruise's performance and Stone's direction. The film was successful at the box office as it grossed over $162 million worldwide, becoming thetenth highest-grossing film of 1989. At the62nd Academy Awards, it received eight nominations, includingBest Picture andBest Actor for Cruise, his first nomination, and the film won forBest Director, Stone's second in that category, andBest Film Editing. The film also won fourGolden Globe Awards forBest Motion Picture – Drama,Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama,Best Director andBest Screenplay.
In 1956Massapequa, New York, 10-year-oldRon Kovic is playing with his friends in a forest. On his Fourth of July birthday, he attends anIndependence Day parade with his family and best friend Donna. In 1961, PresidentJohn F. Kennedy's televisedinaugural address inspires a teenage Kovic to join theUnited States Marine Corps. After attending an impassioned lecture by two Marine recruiters visiting his high school, he enlists. His decision receives support from his mother, but upsets his father, a World War II veteran who lost many of his friends to the war. Kovic goes to his prom, dances with Donna and kisses her before leaving forrecruit training.
In October 1967, Kovic is now a Marine sergeant on areconnaissance mission in Vietnam, during his secondtour of duty. He and his unit kill a number of Vietnamese villagers after mistaking them for enemy combatants. After encountering enemy fire, they flee the village and abandon its sole survivor, a crying baby. During the retreat, Kovic accidentally kills Wilson, a young private in his platoon. He reports the action to his superior, who ignores the claim and advises him not to say anything else. In January 1968, Kovic is critically wounded during a firefight, but is rescued by a fellow Marine.Paralyzed from the mid-chest down, he spends several months in recovery at theBronx Veterans Hospital in New York. Conditions in the underfunded and understaffed hospital are poor; the doctors, nurses and orderlies ignore patients, abuse drugs, and operate using old equipment. Against his doctors' requests, Kovic desperately tries to walk again with the use ofbraces andcrutches, only to fall and break his leg, nearly requiring its amputation.
In 1969, Kovic, now permanently using a wheelchair, returns home and turns to alcohol to cope with his growing depression and disillusionment. During an Independence Day parade, he is asked to give a speech, but is unable to finish after he hears a crying baby in the crowd, triggeringa flashback to Vietnam. Kovic visits Donna inSyracuse, New York, where the two reminisce. While attending a vigil for the victims of theKent State shootings, they are separated when Donna and other protestors are arrested by police.
In Massapequa, a drunken Kovic has a heated argument with his mother, and his father decides to send him to Villa Dulce, a Mexican haven for woundedVietnam veterans. He has his firstsexual encounter with a prostitute but is heartbroken when he sees her with another customer. Kovic befriends Charlie, another paraplegic, and the two decide to travel to another village after getting kicked out of a bar. After annoying their taxicab driver, they are stranded on the side of the road, and an argument turns into a fight. They are picked up by a passing motorist who takes them back to Villa Dulce.
Kovic travels to Venus, Georgia, where he visits Wilson's grave. He then meets the fallen Marine's family to confess his guilt in their loved one's death. Wilson's widow answers that she can't forgive him, and that any kind of forgiveness would be between him andGod.
In 1972, Kovic joins the organizationVietnam Veterans Against the War, and travels to theRepublican National Convention in Miami, Florida. AsRichard Nixon is giving an acceptance speech for his presidential nomination, Kovic expresses to a news reporter his hatred for the war and the government for abandoning the American people. His comments enrage Nixon's supporters, and his interview is cut short when police attempt to remove and arrest him and other protestors. Kovic and the veterans manage to break free from the officers, regroup, and charge the hall again, though not successfully. The movie ends in 1976, with Kovic an invited speaker at theDemocratic National Convention in New York City, following the publication of hisautobiography.
In addition, decorated Marine and Vietnam War veteranDale Dye appears as an infantry colonel, Oliver Stone appears as a TV reporter, the real Ron Kovic appears as a veteran in a wheelchair in the opening sequence,Chicago Seven anti-war protesterAbbie Hoffman appears as astudent strike organizer at Syracuse University, and singerEdie Brickell appears as a folksinger in Syracuse. Hoffman died before the film was released, with an "In Memoriam" in his honor shown in the closing credits.
Al Pacino expressed interest in portraying Ron Kovic after watching theVietnam veteran's televised appearance at the1976 Democratic National Convention and reading his autobiography. He also turned down starring roles in the Vietnam War-themed filmsComing Home (1978) andApocalypse Now (1979), the former for which Kovic would act as a consultant.[4] Kovic met with Pacino in New York, where they discussedadapting the book to film.[4] In September 1976, Pacino's manager, producerMartin Bregman, contacted Kovic's agent and entered into negotiations for thefilm rights. The following October, Bregman'sproduction company Artists Entertainment Complex acquired the rights for $150,000.[4] Filming was scheduled to begin in June 1977[4] withParamount Pictures acting as distributor,[1] but the project fell apart. Bregman and Pacino were unhappy with the script,[4] and Paramount dropped the film.[1]
In 1977, Bregman hiredOliver Stone, also a Vietnam veteran, to help write the screenplay.[4][5] At the time, Stone had been developingPlatoon (1986), and an unproduced sequel script titledSecond Life, that was inspired by his own life after the war.[6] He and Kovic bonded over their experiences during the war, and they began work on a new script in 1978 after Stoneoptioned the book.[1] Stone also discussed the adaptation withWilliam Friedkin, who turned down an opportunity to direct in favor ofThe Brink's Job (1978).[5] After Bregman secured financing from German investors,[5] the film briefly continued development atUnited Artists[1] before moving toOrion Pictures.[5]Daniel Petrie was hired to direct, but several weeks before rehearsals, the investors withdrew from funding the film.[5][7] After the project moved toUniversal Pictures, Bregman and Pacino left the film.[7] Bregman deemed the project impossible, and felt it would be overshadowed by the success ofComing Home.[1] Stone and Kovic grew frustrated with the troubled pre-production and dropped the project, though Stone expressed his hope to return and make the film at a later time.[8] Stone promised Kovic that if his career took off, he would return to Kovic to revive the project.[9] Kovic stated that after the release ofPlatoon, Stone called Kovic and told him he was ready to return working on the film.[9]
In April 1987,John Daly, chairman andCEO of the English-basedHemdale Film Corporation, announced that it was producing the film, which would act as a sequel toPlatoon.[10] The studio entered into negotiations to finance the film in May 1988 with a $20 millionbudget, but it later withdrew from funding the film.[1][11] Stone was announced as director in June 1988, and his Ixtlan Productions banner was enlisted as a production company.[11][12]Tom Pollock, president of Universal Pictures, read the script as Stone was developingWall Street (1987), and the studio allocated a $14 million budget on the condition that a major star appears in the lead role.[8] Stone and Kovic then revised the script, adding the latter's appearance at the 1976 Democratic National Convention.[13]
Sean Penn,Charlie Sheen andNicolas Cage were among those considered by Stone to portray Kovic.[14] In 1987, Stone's agentPaula Wagner had shownPlatoon toTom Cruise, after he had expressed interest in working with Stone.[13] Cruise met with Stone to discuss the role in January 1988.[8] The studio was concerned over the prospects of Cruise appearing as a dramatic film lead.[15][16] Stone, in particular, had dismissed his previous filmTop Gun (1986) as a "fascist movie",[16] but expressed that he was drawn to Cruise's "Golden Boy" image. "I saw this kid who has everything," he stated. "And I wondered what would happen if tragedy strikes, if fortune denies him ... I thought it was an interesting proposition: What would happen to Tom Cruise if something goes wrong?"[8] Kovic was also wary of Cruise's casting, but relented when the actor visited him at his home inMassapequa, New York.[8]
Cruise spent one year preparing for the role.[17] He visited several veterans' hospitals, read various books on the Vietnam War and practiced riding in a wheelchair.[18] At one point during pre-production, Stone suggested that Cruise be injected with a chemical drug that would render him paralyzed for two days; Stone believed that the drug would help him realistically portray the difficulties of being a paraplegic. The insurance company responsible for the film vetoed the idea, believing that the drug would cause permanent incapacitation.[19] Kovic visited the production daily and would often participate in rehearsals with Cruise.[1] Kovic also appears in the film as aWorld War II veteran at an Independence Day parade who flinches in response to exploding firecrackers, a reflex that Cruise's character develops later in the film.[20] On July 3, 1989, following the end of reshoots, Kovic gave Cruise hisBronze Star Medal as a birthday present and in praise of his commitment to the role.[21][22]
Casting directors Risa Bramon Garcia and Billy Hopkins sought more than 200 actors for various speaking roles. They auditioned 2,000 child actors in Massapequa and hired 8,000 extras for scenes shot inDallas, Texas.[23] For the Fourth of July parade sequences, student protests and presidential conventions, the production employed nearly 12,000 people from the National Paralysis Foundation,Campfire Girls andAmerican Legion to appear as extras.[1] The film reunited Stone with several past collaborators who make brief appearances in the film.Tom Berenger, who worked with Stone onPlatoon, plays Gunnery Sergeant Hayes, aMarine recruiter.[24]Michael Wincott, who had a supporting role inTalk Radio (1988), plays a wounded veteran in Mexico.John C. McGinley, in his fourth collaboration with Stone, plays an official at the 1976 Democratic Convention.[25] Mark Moses, who appeared inPlatoon as Lieutenant Wolfe, plays an overwhelmed doctor at the VA hospital in the Bronx. Stone himself appears as a skeptical news reporter.[26]
To prepare the actors portraying Marines, military advisorDale Dye organized one-week training missions, one in the United States, and the other in thePhilippines where the battle sequences were to be filmed.[1][27][26]Abbie Hoffman, aYippie activist, acted as a consultant who educated the cast about thepeace movement. He also makes an appearance as a protestor in Syracuse, New York.[28] The film is dedicated to Hoffman, who died on April 12, 1989.[1]
Principal photography was scheduled to begin in September 1988, but did not commence until mid-October of that year.[1] Studio executive Pollock planned an initial budget of $14 million, but the film wentover budget.[1][14][29] The high production costs prompted Stone and Cruise to waive their salaries and instead receive a percentage of thebox office gross.[1][15][29] The final production cost of the film was $17.8 million.[1][14][29] The film wascinematographerRobert Richardson's fifth collaboration with Stone, and their first to be shot in theanamorphic format.[12] Richardson shot the film usingPanavision cameras and lenses,[30][31] and primarily used35 mm film stocks;16 mm andSuper 16 mm stocks were also used to film the scene of Kovic demonstrating at the1972 Republican National Convention, blended witharchive footage of the actual event.[32]
Filming began inDallas, Texas,[19] for scenes set in the United States. TheElmwood neighborhood ofOak Cliff doubled for Massapequa. The Kimball High School band and staff appeared in the parade scenes and the dramatic prom scene featuring Sedgwick and Cruise.[1][33] TheDallas Convention Center was used to re-create the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami, Florida. The filmmakers also shot scenes at theParkland Memorial Hospital, which stood in for theBronx Veterans Hospital inNew York.[1] They also filmed onsoundstages at Las Colinas Studios inIrving, Texas.[31] The Philippines stood in for scenes set inVietnam andMexico.[1] Stone originally wanted to shoot on location in Vietnam but was unable to do so, due tounresolved conflicts between that country and the United States.[34] Principal photographywrapped in December 1988, after 65 days of filming.[14][18][19]
After viewing arough cut of the film, Universal demanded that the ending, which depicted Kovic's appearance at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, be reshot. The original scene was shot in Dallas, with 600 extras, but the studio was dissatisfied with the filmed footage, and requested that Stone make it "bigger and better".[1][35] The scene was reshot in July 1989 atThe Forum arena inInglewood, California.[1] Filming lasted one day, with 6,000 extras.[35] The reshoot ended up costing $500,000.[1][14][29]
| Born on the Fourth of July (Motion Picture Soundtrack Album) | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album | |
| Released | December 19, 1989 |
| Length | 56:45 |
| Label | |
| Producer | John Williams |
Thescore was produced, composed and conducted byJohn Williams, who agreed to work on the film after viewing a rough cut version.[36] Recording sessions took place at20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles, California.[37] Timothy Morrison, a member of theBoston Pops Orchestra, acted as a trumpeter.[36] Williams stated, "I knew immediately I would want astring orchestra to sing in opposition to all the realism on the screen, and then the idea came to have a solo trumpet – not a military trumpet, but an American trumpet, to recall the happy youth of [Kovic]."[36] The motion picture soundtrack album was released on December 19, 1989, byMCA Records. In addition to Williams's score, it features eight songs that appear in the film.[1][38]AllMusic's Tavia Hobbart wrote that the score "literally haunts you as you watch the movie. It's just as effective here."[37] Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times stated, "Mr. Williams's themes are melodically strong enough so that one could imagine them being developed into a full-blown symphonic poem."[39]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" | Bob Dylan | Edie Brickell & New Bohemians | 4:58 |
| 2. | "Born on the Bayou" | John Fogerty | The Broken Homes | 4:54 |
| 3. | "Brown Eyed Girl" | Van Morrison | Van Morrison | 3:07 |
| 4. | "American Pie" | Don McLean | Don McLean | 8:32 |
| 5. | "My Girl" | Smokey Robinson,Ronald White | The Temptations | 2:43 |
| 6. | "Soldier Boy" | Luther Dixon,Florence Greenberg | The Shirelles | 2:39 |
| 7. | "Venus" | Ed Marshall | Frankie Avalon | 2:21 |
| 8. | "Moon River" | Henry Mancini,Johnny Mercer | Henry Mancini | 2:41 |
| 9. | "Prologue" | John Williams | John Williams | 1:22 |
| 10. | "The Early Days, Massapequa, 1957" | John Williams | John Williams | 4:57 |
| 11. | "The Shooting of Wilson" | John Williams | John Williams | 5:07 |
| 12. | "Cua Viet River, Vietnam, 1968" | John Williams | John Williams | 5:02 |
| 13. | "Homecoming" | John Williams | John Williams | 2:38 |
| 14. | "Born on the Fourth of July" | John Williams | John Williams | 5:44 |
Universal gave the film aplatform release which involved showing it in select cities before expanding distribution in the following weeks. To qualify the film for awards consideration,[40] the studio issued alimited theatrical run in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Toronto on December 20, 1989.[1] The film was released across North America on January 5, 1990,[3] playing at 1,310 theaters,[41][42] and expanding to 1,434 theaters by its eleventh week.[41][43] A heavily edited version of the film was scheduled for broadcast onCBS in early 1991, but was shelved by the network's executives due to the impendingPersian Gulf War. The film had its network premiere on January 21, 1992.[1][44]
The film was released onVHS on August 9, 1990,[45] andDVD on October 31, 2000.[46] On January 16, 2001, it was again released on DVD as a part of the "Oliver Stone Collection", a box set of films directed by Stone.[47] Special features include anaudio commentary by Stone, production notes, and cast and crew profiles.[48] A Special Edition DVD was released on October 5, 2010, containing the film, the commentary by Stone, as well as archive news footage fromNBC News.[49] The film was released onHD DVD on June 12, 2007,[50] and onBlu-ray on July 3, 2012. The Blu-ray presents the film in1080phigh definition, and contains all the additional materials found on the Special Edition DVD.[51] A 4K UHD Blu-ray was released on November 12, 2024, featuring a new restoration from the original camera negative as well as new special features.[52]
The film grossed $172,021 on its first week of limited release, an average of $34,404 per theatre. More theatres were added on the following weekend, and it grossed a further $61,529 in its second weekend, with an overall gross of $937,946.[41] On its third weekend, the film enteredwide release, grossing $11,023,650 and securing the number one position at the North Americanbox office.[41][42] The film fell 27.2% the following week, grossing an additional $8,028,075 while remaining first in the top-ten rankings.[41][53] On its fifth weekend, it earned an additional $6,228,360 for an overall gross of $32,607,294.[54]
The film grossed $4,640,940 in its sixth weekend, dropping to second place behindDriving Miss Daisy.[41][55] The following weekend, it moved to third place, earning an additional $4,012,085.[41][56] On its eighth weekend, it had dropped to fourth place and earned $3,004,400.[41][57] It stayed in fifth place for the next three weekends, and by March 4, 1990, the film had an overall gross of $59,673,354.[41][43]
The film grossed $70,001,698 in North America[3] ($151,650,800 when adjusted for inflation),[58] and $91 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $162,001,698.[3] In the United States and Canada, it was the seventeenth highest-grossing film of 1989.[59] Worldwide, it was thetenth highest-grossing film of 1989,[60] as well as Universal's second highest-grossing film released that year, behindBack to the Future Part II.[61]
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Based on 56 reviews,Born on the Fourth of July holds a score of 84% onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7.50/10. The website's consensus reads, "Led by an unforgettable performance from Tom Cruise,Born on the Fourth of July finds director Oliver Stone tackling thought-provoking subject matter with ambitious élan."[62]Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[63] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[64]
David Denby ofNew York magazine stated that the film was "a relentless but often powerful and heartbreaking piece of work, dominated by Tom Cruise's impassioned performance."[65]Richard Corliss ofTime,Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times,Gene Siskel of theChicago Tribune andPeter Travers ofRolling Stone also commended Cruise's performance.[21][66][67][68]Vincent Canby ofThe New York Times said the film was "the most ambitious nondocumentary film yet made about the entire Vietnam experience."[69]Janet Maslin, also writing forThe New York Times, praised Stone's direction, writing that he "reaches out instantly to his audience's gut-level emotions and sustains a walloping impact for two and a half hours."[70] Internet reviewerJames Berardinelli felt that the film's greatest accomplishment was "its contrasting of the glorious illusion of war as seen from thousands of miles away to the barbarity of it up-close."[71]
The Washington Post published two negative reviews;Hal Hinson called the film "alienating",[72] whileDesson Howe was critical of Cruise's "whiny" performance.[73]Sheila Benson of theLos Angeles Times felt that the actor's portrayal of Kovic was lacking in character development.[74]Jonathan Rosenbaum derided the storytelling for "brimming with false uplift",[75] andOwen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weekly called the film "2 1/2 hours of self-righteousness masquerading as art."[76]Pauline Kael ofThe New Yorker wrote, "It's almost inconceivable that Ron Kovic was as innocent as the movie and the 1976 autobiography on which it's based make him out to be ... Kovic's book is simple and explicit; he states his case in plain, angry words. Stone's movie yells at you for two hours and twenty-five minutes."[77]
The film also received criticism for its dramatization of actual events, prompted by Kovic's declared decision to run forCongress as a Democratic opponent to Californian RepublicanRobert Dornan in the38th congressional district. As a result,Born on the Fourth of July became Stone's first film to be publicly attacked in the media.[78] Dornan criticized the film for portraying Kovic as "[being] in a panic and mistakenly shooting his corporal to death in Vietnam, visiting prostitutes, abusing drugs and alcohol and cruelly insulting his parents". Kovic dismissed his comments as being part of a "hatred campaign",[79] and ultimately did not run for election.[78]
In a newspaper column, formerWhite House Communications DirectorPat Buchanan criticized the adaptation for deviating from the book, and concluded by calling Stone a "propagandist".[1][80] RepublicanState SenatorNancy Larraine Hoffmann, who took part inSyracuse University's 1970 peaceful protest of theCambodian Campaign, was critical of the film's depiction of Syracuse police as "faceless people brutalizing peaceful protesters".[81] Following the film's wide release in January 1990, Stone wrote a letter apologizing to the city of Syracuse and its police officials.[82]
The film received various awards and nominations, with particular recognition for the screenplay, Cruise's performance, Stone's direction and the score by John Williams. TheNational Board of Review named it one of the "Top 10 Films of 1989", ranking it at number one.[83] The film received fiveGolden Globe Award nominations[84] and won four forBest Motion Picture – Drama,Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama,Best Director andBest Screenplay, while Williams was nominated forBest Original Score.[85]
In February 1990, the film competed for theGolden Bear at the40th Berlin International Film Festival, but lost to the American filmMusic Box (1990) and Czech filmLarks on a String (1969).[86] That same month, the film garnered eightAcademy Awards nominations, includingBest Picture andBest Actor; its closest rival wasDriving Miss Daisy, which received nine nominations.[87] At the62nd Oscars, Stone won a secondAcademy Award for Best Director;[88] he had previously won the award forPlatoon.[89] The film also won theAcademy Award for Best Film Editing, beating outDriving Miss Daisy,The Bear,Glory andThe Fabulous Baker Boys in that category.[88] At the44th British Academy Film Awards in 1991, the film received two nominations forBest Actor in a Leading Role andBest Adapted Screenplay, but did not win in either category.[90]
The February 2020 issue ofNew York Magazine listsBorn on the Fourth of July as among "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars".[91]
On May 10, 2021, Cruise returned all three of his Golden Globe awards to theHollywood Foreign Press Association due to controversy in its lack of diversity among its membership, including his Best Actor award for this film.[92]
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