Salvador (1986)
Salvador is written and directed by Oliver Stone. It will be evident from the movie that this is the work of the same screenplay writer who gave us Midnight Express (1978), Scarface (1983) and later improvised his direction by winning Academy Award, thrice. Salvador looks more of an attempt of a screenplay writer into mainstream cinema. Yes, there is some commercial overtone in it such as the love interest of the character Richard Boyle and Maria. But then I think that is what Oliver Stone learned when his directorial venture failed with The Hand (1981). It took him five years and some strong screenplays such as that of Scarface to develop Salvador. And there after, it seems he has not looked back. Not for at least 10 years or so.
The good thing about refined screen writers is that they they can develop the characters on screen, the way they want and it reached to the viewers in the same fashion. Richard Boyle is marvelously played by James Woods who wants to enter into controversial arenas, always hoping to hit big. He is an escapist or perhaps a loser too, who has been going lucky around all these years. But there comes a time when he realizes that whether pushing it too far or not, he is going to do what he is supposed to do. That transition in the character of Richard Boyle is shown swift and eventful.
Photography for Journalism is one of the means in this project of Oliver Stone to show a controversial matter happened most recently during the making of the movie. It takes much of the nerves to pick a country such as El Salvador to portray some reality for the viewers. And I think Salvador paved the way for Platoon (1986) which earned Oliver Stone an Academy Award. Two movies in the same year with the shades of war and battles, that is tough I must say. Still, the best thing about Oliver Stone is that essence of naturalism in his work. You see Salvador and you feel you are there, in that small country in Central America. The sets, the people, the language everything is very real. And same is felt in Platoon, perhaps more refined.
Salvador is perhaps an artistic way of delivering a documentary in a commercial style, for the beginners. It gets more elaborate in Platoon.
My rating: 6.95/10
The good thing about refined screen writers is that they they can develop the characters on screen, the way they want and it reached to the viewers in the same fashion. Richard Boyle is marvelously played by James Woods who wants to enter into controversial arenas, always hoping to hit big. He is an escapist or perhaps a loser too, who has been going lucky around all these years. But there comes a time when he realizes that whether pushing it too far or not, he is going to do what he is supposed to do. That transition in the character of Richard Boyle is shown swift and eventful.
Photography for Journalism is one of the means in this project of Oliver Stone to show a controversial matter happened most recently during the making of the movie. It takes much of the nerves to pick a country such as El Salvador to portray some reality for the viewers. And I think Salvador paved the way for Platoon (1986) which earned Oliver Stone an Academy Award. Two movies in the same year with the shades of war and battles, that is tough I must say. Still, the best thing about Oliver Stone is that essence of naturalism in his work. You see Salvador and you feel you are there, in that small country in Central America. The sets, the people, the language everything is very real. And same is felt in Platoon, perhaps more refined.
Salvador is perhaps an artistic way of delivering a documentary in a commercial style, for the beginners. It gets more elaborate in Platoon.
My rating: 6.95/10
Labels: Elpidia Carrillo, James Belushi, James Woods, Oliver Stone, Salvador
posted by Chandra Jayant at 7:42 AM
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