There is a select group of filmmakers whose influence on the film industry is so significant that they have earned the right to fail time and time again; even if Steven Spielberg makes nothing but terrible films from now on (a prospect that seems unlikely), he will still always be the man who createdJaws, Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler’s List,andSaving Private Ryan. While John Carpenter and Francis Ford Coppola haven’t made many interesting films in the last two decades, they are still responsible for so many classics that it’s impossible to deny them the right to try things out.
When looking at the filmmakers who deserve this reputation, the greatOliver Stoneseems like a natural selection. An early collaborator with Brian De Palma, Sir Alan Parker, and Martin Scorsese, Stone emerged in the 1980s to become one of the most significant storytellers of his generation. Although some of his critics may have decried his work as nothing more than elevated conspiracy theories, Stone occupies the interesting position of being both an activist and a dramatist. The strength of his recent work suggests that it’s not lack of ambition that is holding him back from making new projects, but a lack of funds. Here’s why it’s time for Oliver Stone to have a comeback.
Older Filmmakers Are Doing Passion Projects
While the notion of an older filmmaker getting the funds to create a passion project may seem far-fetched, it’s become a reality thanks to the many streaming services and studios willing to invest in legacy directors. Scorsese recently helmed such long-running projects asThe IrishmanandSilence, and he’s been granted with a significant budget to bring his much-anticipated crime epicKillers of the Flower Moonto life for both theaters and Apple TV+. Apple TV+ is also funding Ridley Scott’s new historical epicNapoleon, despite the fact that his recent medieval dramaThe Last Dueldid not perform well theatrically. Even Coppola is returning to the big screen for the first time in over a decade with his highly anticipatedscience fiction epicMegalopolis.
In an era where so many great directors are getting their passion projects made, it seems like Stone would draw in a significant audience if Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV+ was ever interested in working with him. Although there are constraints on productions due to the ongoing writers’ strike, Stone often works in nonfiction, and could find a way to fit whatever production constraints that he may be tasked with. Stone has been working in the industry for so long that it’s likely he has a great deal of passion projects that he would like to bring to the screen; Stone even brought his new documentaryJFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glassto the Cannes Film Festival in 2021 (perIndieWire).
Related:The Best Oliver Stone Films, Ranked
His Track Record Speaks for Itself
Not every director is worthy of the budgets that Scorsese and Coppola are granted with, but Stone has a track record of excellence that speaks for itself. He was among the first filmmakers to truly speak outagainst the Vietnam Warthanks to the brilliant work he did on 1986’sPlatoon. The war epic explored the brutality of the conflict and criticized the role of the American military in perpetrating violence; it was a brave film that easily could have destroyed his career, but the emotional nuance that Stone added to the characters turned it into a timeless masterpiece, and one of the greatest war films ever made. Not only didPlatoonwin the Academy Award for Best Picture, but Stone won the Best Director prize; he would go on to win the trophy again for his 1989 filmBorn on the Fourth of July, another film that criticized the role of foreign states in the Vietnam conflict.
Beyond Vietnam, Stone has examined some of the most interesting historical figures in modern American history. He is particularly fascinated in U.S. Presidents, as he’s dedicated several films to their life stories. WhileJFKis less about John F. Kennedy’s role in office and more about his assassination and the conspiracies that surrounded it, the film nonetheless adds a great deal of historical insight. Surprisingly, his filmsNixonandW.are much more sympathetic to Presidents Richard Nixon and George W. Bush, respectively, than one may expect from such a notoriously liberal filmmaker; Stone was willing to criticize the decisions made by their administrations, but still attempted to deconstruct their psychology on a human level.
Related:Oliver Stone and Vladimir Putin’s Unlikely Friendship, and the Controversy Behind It
Beyond politics, Stone has also shown an interest in figures that dominated pop culture and media.The Doorsis one of the greatest musician biopics of all-time, and allowed Val Kilmer to give the performance of his career as Jim Morrison; Stone also created one of the best modern media satires of all-time when he created the 1994 masterpieceNatural Born Killersalongside a young Quentin Tarantino. Films likeWall Streetdon’t just show Stone’s brilliance as a political critic, but his excellence as a dramatic storyteller.
His Insights Are Needed
Stone’s resurgence is much needed at this time. As the film industry gets constrained by streaming services and a few select studios, many young filmmakers are unwilling to step out and make projects that speak truth to power and question authority. It’s sad to see promisingartists like Chloé Zhaoand Ryan Coogler get swept up by the studio machine; it seems like every great “Sundance breakout” director is stuck making a Marvel film in order to pay the bills.
While Stone’s most recent work hasn’t been his best, he hardly has the sort of disastrous filmography that some great directors have towards the back half of their careers. 2016’sSnowdenactually represented a creative step forward for Stone, as he showed that he could still relate to young people and was willing to incorporate emerging new stories within the context of the film itself through the use of documentary footage. If Stone can make a film as good asSnowdenthis late in his career, he is deserving of a comeback.
