Rolling Rocks Oliver Stone:“Film Changes Constantly”

Oliver Stone may not be a household name in China but many of his films are some of the most notable of recent decades， including Platoon， Born on the Fourth of July， Wall Street and JFK， and he’s the owner of three Oscar statuettes.

In late April 2014 during his attendance at the 4th Beijing International Film Festival， Stone spoke to several media outlets of the China International Publishing Group （CIPG）， including China Pictorial.

Oliver Stone first became widely known in 1986 when Platoon， a gritty Vietnam War film， won the Academy Award for Best Picture， and the Best Director Award went to Stone. Stone’s fascination with the decade-long southeast Asian military conflict didn’t end there： Born on the Fourth of July won Stone a second Best Director Oscar in 1990， and Heaven Earth completed his Vietnam “trilogy”upon its release in 1993.

Carriers for cultural exchange， entertainment products play a prominent and expanding role in modern globalization. As an artist， Stone has shuttled between the United States and China since the 1990s， learning more about China’s past and present. Like many acclaimed American directors， he has shown great interest in Chinese movies. Of those from last year， he most liked Journey to the West： Conquering the Demons directed by Stephen Chow and No Man’s Land directed by Ning Hao. He asserts that China has made considerable progress in movie production in terms of 3D and CGI special effect in recent years.

A topic that inspires exceptional passion in Stone today is cinematic cooperation between China and the United States. Currently， he is working on two movies： The Art of War and Genghis Khan’s Treasures. Despite his fascination with joint productions， he has encountered problems keeping both sides on the same page. “First is language，” he declares. “Language is the most difficult thing. I could not direct a Chinese film. Without a translator， how could they understand me at all？” He noted an exception， Chinese-born actress Joan Chen， who starred in Stone’s Heaven and Earth. She speaks fluent English as well as Chinese after spending much of her adolescence in the United States.

In Stone’s opinion， the development of ideas is another factor hindering joint productions. “Co-productions can be awkward sometimes， mostly because they are motivated by money， not by ideas，” he explains.“A co-production should be based on good ideas. It is very important to touch people.”

Stone also had advice for Chinese actors and actresses who aspire to compete in Hollywood： Western films are always going to continue featuring a majority of Western faces. Nevertheless， more room for diversity could be found in love stories.

Stone didn’t quite agree that certain styles of film are more easily accepted by global audiences. It’s true that highly commercial movies such as Iron Man and Transformers have produced massive box office numbers， but more realistic films can also score big.

Stone believes that China could eclipse Hollywood in many aspects， and its shifts in movie styles have greatly inspired Western filmmakers. China’s long history also inspires Chinese filmmakers， who often hunger to revive the “essence” of the past– kung fu， for instance. He warned filmmakers that spectators would quickly tire of movies modeled after masterpieces and turn to fresher fare. “Never stay still – always change，” he advises.

In fact， Stone’s primary motivation to visit China was somewhat self-serving： He is promoting the documentary Untold History of the United States in the wake of the book’s release in China. “We [the U.S.] have never given up World War II，”he states frankly on his inspiration for the documentary and book. “We have never learned lessons from World War II.”

In 2008， the final year of George W. Bush’s presidency， Stone decided to return to college to dig for the “dark side” of American history， particularly the most reprehensible details in the wake of World War II， which are rarely mentioned by the American educational system and mainstream media.

“When we do history in movies， it is always difficult，” admits Stone. “Even in my country， there are many disagreements.” No one ever imagined that this documentary would be embraced by the American government or mainstream media. Nevertheless， Stone， a director who has long been labeled “Left Wing，” has never avoided kindling controversy. “It’s time to face history，” he declared at the 4th Beijing International Film Festival. “I hope that one day I can work on a film about China’s‘cultural revolution’ [1966-76]， for example， which was a fascinating period of Chinese history，” remarked Stone during his meeting with CIPG journalists.