Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

born on the fourth of july

Born on the Fourth of July is an American motion picture, directed by Oliver Stone and released in 1989. It is based on the autobiography of Ron Kovic (1946- ), a United States Marine Corps sergeant who was shot and paralysed during the Vietnam War. The film stars Tom Cruise as Kovic, Kyra Sedgwick as Donna and Raymond J. Barry as Eli.

The movie traces Kovic’s life – from his childhood in Long Island to his enlistment in the Marines, his two tours of duty in Vietnam, his life-changing injury, his struggle to readjust to civilian life and his growing involvement in the anti-war movement. Kovic himself worked as a consultant on the film and also had a small cameo role, playing an unsympathetic World War II veteran.

The director of Born on the Fourth of July, Oliver Stone, drew heavily on his own experiences in Vietnam. Stone enlisted for the US Army in 1967 and served more than a year in Vietnam, twice being wounded in combat.

Born on the Fourth of July transcends the story of Ron Kovic to show how the Vietnam War changed the lives of individuals and affected American society. Kovic’s experiences are the centrepiece. At the beginning of the war, the boyish Kovic is fiercely patriotic and determined to serve his country and, if necessary, to die for it. Once in Vietnam, he experiences the horrors of combat and is involved in a ‘friendly fire’ incident that kills another American soldier.

Returning home wounded and paralysed, Kovic is enraged by anti-war protestors who mock him during a Fourth of July parade. He takes refuge in drugs, alcohol and prostitutes – but can only find connection with his fellow Vietnam veterans. In the end, Kovic comes to consider the war in Vietnam as an abomination, joining the anti-war movement and demanding that his government take responsibility.

Born on the Fourth of July received positive reviews from film critics and Vietnam veterans alike. It won Academy Awards for direction and film editing and was also nominated for best picture, best screenplay, best cinematography and best actor. Tom Cruise was praised for his portrayal of Kovic’s transition from an idealistic and patriotic teenager, to embittered invalid, to anti-war campaigner.

For the most part, Born on the Fourth of July presents a negative account of American involvement in Vietnam, a perspective it shares with Stone’s other war films (Platoon and Heaven & Earth). Much like Kovic’s book, Born on the Fourth of July contains direct and implied criticisms of American political aims and military tactics, as well as the country’s treatment of its wounded and returned veterans.


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