Continuing our Oliver Stone series, we turn to Platoon (1986), the film that established Stone as a superstar director and inaugurated the most celebrated phase of his career, revolving around the ghosts of the 1960s. Brett discusses the reception of Platoon in terms of the cultural politics of New Hollywood and of the Reagan era, and he considers the real reasons for the emergence of the Vietnam film at this time. He also takes a closer look at Hemdale, the sus production company behind this and Stone’s previous effort, and he offers some personal reflections on the film’s legacy. Thomas discusses the neo-shamanic, countercultural spirituality invested in the Willem Dafoe character and offers an analysis of the “two fathers” theme that would come to define Stone’s work.
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