In today's issue
Let the truth be told
Talking to Oliver Stone means watching a man who believes in what he does, and realising at the same time the great variety of his films and their stories.
- Mohammed Rouda
- Published: 23:35 May 3, 2009
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- Oliver Stone Filmography: World Trade Center (2006), Alexander (2004), Any Given Sunday (1999), U Turn (1997), Nixon (1995), Natural Born Killers (1994), Heaven & Earth (1993), JFK (1991), The Doors (1991), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Talk Radio (1988), Wall Street (1987), Platoon (1986), Salvador (1986).
Talking to Oliver Stone means watching a man who believes in what he does, and realising at the same time the great variety of his films and their stories.
Stone is eclectic. His works range from biographies, such as Born on the Fourth of July and The Roads, to conspiracy theories in JFK and Nixon, and from previously untouched subjects as in U Turn and Natural Born Killers to war films such as Salvador and Platoon. The space here is too small to list his documentaries and other films.
He is busier than he seems, especially these days when he has as many admirers as critics. The reason behind this is his film, World Trade Center, which is being shown at DIFF to celebrate this filmmaker who has seen it all.
World Trade Center is the latest film from Stone, who started his movie career as a writer, then entered the war in Vietnam and returned as a director.
Prior to making World Trade Center, Stone suffered a critical mauling with his movie Alexander, which at $160 million (Dh587 million), was not just costly, it put Stone through confrontations with critics, who said that film was way below expectations.
Mohammed Rouda: What does World Trade Center mean to you?
Oliver Stone: This film means a lot to me. For me, as viewers can see, there are many human stories worth telling. The film is about a few of them. It is about two men, under the unexpected wreck, their families, and how they acted towards this life crisis.
There are many other stories, but these two were ready to be the base of a film. What I had to do was to find actors who could embody this special situation in the characters' lives, which did not need any intervention to make them cinematic.
Mohammed Rouda: You once said “Do not let facts stand in the way of the truth''. What did you mean by that?
Oliver Stone: I don't know (laughs). Seriously, what I wanted to say is that the problem facing moviemakers is how to present fact-based films without harming the truth.
I believe that we all can compose the facts we want or translate them into a situation we're comfortable with or to our opinion. But truth is still the base.
I'd like to say that part of this concept applies to the way critics have been dealing with me. Everyone relies on my movies, let's say they're the realities, to reach the truth they want, but by doing that, they overlook the truth itself.
Mohammed Rouda: Meaning?
Meaning I'm not one artist in all cases. It is said that Oliver Stone is a director of conspiracy movies. Critics see my movies such as Born on the Fourth of July, JFK and Nixon and think that I'm a political director.
Oliver Stone: They start measuring my other works according to this standard, and find that they either fit in with their perspective, which makes them Oliver Stone films, or they don't, which means they are different and do not belong.
Mohammed Rouda: This happened with World Trade Center. Everyone expected a political movie.
Oliver Stone: Yes, which is not necessary. Basically, each film has its own perspective. Perhaps another director would have discussed the reasons behind the destruction of the two towers, or the political conflict that caused the tragedy.
Another director might have made it a very emotional movie, but mine is different, and it is still my film.
The preconception that Oliver Stone is a one-colour director is wrong.
Mohammed Rouda: Do you tell the truth in World Trade Center?
Oliver Stone: I say that the facts are true. Perhaps there are thousands of other facts, but grasping them all is impossible. What I say here is that the film gives a comprehensive view, which must include as many facts as possible.
When you make a movie, you listen to everything, then select the view you want to present, and include as many facts as possible. It is very dangerous to be stunned by all the facts, and if you do, you miss the truth.
Mohammed Rouda: You want people to view this film as a humanitarian, not political, work. Can you tell them apart?
Oliver Stone: This is a good question, as the event has turned into a heated political debate between many sides and parties, and caused the whole world to enter a new stage. The USA is telling its allies that you're either with us or against us. It is a cowboy point of view (laughing).
The film avoids all these issues, and adds a refreshing touch when it introduces viewers to human issues that politicians have overlooked.
Mohammed Rouda: But in your film, there's this man who vows revenge.
Oliver Stone: Yes, but he's real, and he's just a small part of the epic.
Mohammed Rouda: Is it true that this person is you?
Oliver Stone: No. I don't believe in this method. The issue is, we must build an understanding world, which is not possible through wars or terror.
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