Line #38 Creator/OliverStone


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Oliver-Stone_600.jpg]]
2
3	William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer.
4
5	He is best known for his films about controversial social and political issues. After wetting his feet in Hollywood with the screenplays for ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}'' and ''Film/MidnightExpress'', Stone was finally able to direct his legendary war film ''Film/{{Platoon}}'', which drew largely on his own experiences as an infantryman in Vietnam, and earned him Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. He would follow this film with the critically acclaimed ''Film/WallStreet'', ''Film/TalkRadio'', and ''Film/BornOnTheFourthOfJuly'' (another Oscar winner for Best Director) before making headlines with his ultra-controversial (due to its liberal use of ArtisticLicense in portraying historical events) 1991 film ''Film/{{JFK}}'', which took a look at the assassination of UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy. He followed the success of ''JFK'' up with the {{Biopic}} ''Film/{{Nixon}}'', which faced equally harsh criticism (though unlike ''JFK'', it acknowledged its artistic license up front) and was a financial flop. The one-two punch of ''JFK'' and ''Film/{{Nixon}}'' has led to the depiction of Stone as a ConspiracyTheorist filmmaker.
6
7	The box office failure of ''Film/{{Nixon}}'' made it difficult for Stone to get new movies off the ground, and he briefly moved into producing, supporting the successful films ''Film/TheJoyLuckClub'', ''Film/ThePeopleVsLarryFlynt'', and ''Film/ReversalOfFortune'', among others. He did continue to direct, though, with the films ''Film/NaturalBornKillers'' and ''Film/UTurn'', neither of which were as successful businesswise as his previous films (though ''Film/NaturalBornKillers'' became a CultClassic), but he eventually had a major box office success with the football film ''Film/AnyGivenSunday'' and a few successful TV documentaries that documented his interviews with controversial figures such as UsefulNotes/FidelCastro, Hugo Chávez and the leaders of UsefulNotes/{{Pakistan}}.
8
9	In 2004, Stone was finally able to make his passion project, the historical epic ''Film/{{Alexander}}'', about the life of UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat. It ended up being a critical and commercial failure in the United States, though it made [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff tons of money overseas]] and was a success on home video. Stone was never fully satisfied with the theatrical release of the film, and released a pair of [[ReCut ReCuts]] on DVD which were considerably more well-received than the theatrical release. Following ''Alexander'', Stone made a film about 9/11 titled ''Film/WorldTradeCenter'', which surprised audiences by not being a cynical conspiracy theory film, but rather a hopeful tribute to those who worked to save the lives of the victims of the [=WTC=] attacks. Similarly, his UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush {{Biopic}} ''Film/{{W}}'', released in 2008, surprised many by being very sympathetic to the man (though it must be said many people had similar reactions to Stone's portrayal of ''Film/{{Nixon}}''). He later released a long-gestating sequel to ''Film/WallStreet'' entitled ''Film/WallStreetMoneyNeverSleeps'' which, while a financial success, had mixed reviews. In 2012, he created a documentary series for Creator/{{Showtime}}, ''The Untold History of the United States''. After completing ''Film/{{Snowden}}'' in 2016, he continued his series of controversial interviews by meeting with UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin several times, most notoriously in ''Ukraine on Fire'', in which Stone basically has the guy who invaded UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}} explain recent events in Ukraine while treating it as if it is an unbiased account.
10
11	Despite the tendencies of his films to be [[{{Anvilicious}} less than subtle]], Stone is a very talented director whose movies always have a sense of audacity and a dynamic visual style. He's also great at getting fantastic performances from his cast, even (some would argue ''especially'') when they seem to have come from QuestionableCasting. Also, as many of the subjects that his films cover are FlameBait, Stone himself is often subject to hyperbole and criticism, so be aware of this before you talk to someone about him.
12
13	You can follow him on twitter [[http://twitter.com/#!/TheOliverStone here]].
14	----
15	!!Filmography with pages on TV Tropes:
16	[[index]]
17	* ''Film/MidnightExpress'' (1978, screenwriter)
18	* ''Film/TheHand'' (1981)
19	* ''Film/{{Conan the Barbarian\|1982}}'' (1982, screenwriter)
20	* ''Film/{{Scarface\|1983}}'' (1983, screenwriter)
21	* ''Film/{{Salvador}}'' (1986)
22	* ''Film/{{Platoon}}'' (1986)
23	* ''Film/WallStreet'' (1987)
24	* ''Film/TalkRadio'' (1988)
25	* ''Literature/BornOnTheFourthOfJuly'' (1989)
26	* ''Film/{{The Doors\|1991}}'' (1991), a {{Biopic}} about Music/TheDoors
27	* ''Film/{{JFK}}'' (1991)
28	* ''Film/HeavenAndEarth'' (1993)
29	* ''Film/NaturalBornKillers'' (1994)
30	* ''Film/{{Nixon}}'' (1995)
31	* ''Film/UTurn'' (1997)
32	* ''Film/AnyGivenSunday'' (1999)
33	* ''Film/{{Alexander}}'' (2004)
34	* ''Film/WorldTradeCenter'' (2006)
35	* ''Film/{{W}}'' (2008)
36	* ''Film/WallStreetMoneyNeverSleeps'' (2010)
37	* ''Film/{{Savages}}'' (2012)
38	* ''Film/{{Snowden}}'' (2016)
39	[[/index]]
40	!! Tropes associated with his works include:
41
42	%%Please do not add any personal tropes. This page is for his works.
43
44	* {{Biopic}}: ''Salvador, Born in the 4th of July, Nixon, W., Alexander'' and ''Snowden''. Also his documentary on UsefulNotes/FidelCastro called ''Commandante''.
45	* ConspiracyTheorist: Many of his works revolve around conspiracy theories and scandals at the top levels of power with those seeking to expose them generally treated as heroic. He's also known in real life for his vocal belief in many of the theories featured in his films.
46	* FalselyAdvertisedAccuracy: This began even with his work as a screenwriter on ''Film/MidnightExpress'' (for which he expressed regret) but ballooned with ''Film/{{JFK}}'' which painted him and his films as sensationalized conspiracy theory films. One can argue that ''Alexander'' and ''W'' are far more accurate than ''JFK''.
47	* {{Recut}}: Stone is notorious for putting multiple versions of his films, with some noting he's the maverick auteur's version of Creator/GeorgeLucas. ''Alexander'' in particular has four different home video editions each longer and different than the one before.
48	* RippedFromTheHeadlines: Stone's ''Film/{{W}}'' is the first critical {{Biopic}} of a President holding-office. He also made a film about Edward Snowden.
49	* ShellShockedVeteran: His movies provided portrayals of this in ''Platoon'' and especially, ''Born on the Fourth of July''.
50	* ThematicSeries: Stone has his [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam War]] trilogy, consisting of ''Film/{{Platoon}}'', ''Literature/BornOnTheFourthOfJuly'', and ''Film/HeavenAndEarth''. They each highlight different aspects of the war, with ''Platoon'' centered on the American soldiers fighting the war, ''4th of July'' on the veterans and how they were treated at home, and ''Heaven and Earth'' from the perspective of the Vietnamese civilians.
51	* TheVietnamVet: ''Literature/BornOnTheFourthOfJuly'' and ''Film/HeavenAndEarth'' both have Vietnam veterans as their lead characters. He's also one in real life, having served in the army during the war and earned commendations such as a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
52	* WhatCouldHaveBeen: He once considered making a fourth Vietnam War film about the My Lai Massacre. Said film was canceled due to the Writers' Guild of America strike in 2007.

Context Creator / OliverStone