Oliver Stone, the Presidency, and the Auteur Theory

January 24, 2023

Oliver Stone, the Presidency, and the Auteur Theory

Order Number	678646354466534
Type of Project	ESSAY/DISERTATION
Writer Level	PHD/MASTERS CERTIFIED
Format	APA/MLA/HARVARD/OXFORD
Academic Sources	10 -20
Page Count	4-8 PAGES

Instructions/Descriptions

Oliver Stone, the Presidency, and the Auteur Theory

I need assistance with a 3000 word essay for my film class for my American Studies program. The concept is Oliver Stone, the Presidency, and the Auteur Theory. The main idea of this is an analysis of 3 films of Oliver Stone that involve presidents of the United States, JFK about JFK obviously, Nixon about Nixon, and W about George W. Bush. The idea is to focus on the concept that by the 1990’s Oliver Stone was at his peak of power, being an Auteur, and essentially getting to do whatever he wanted with his films. “Stone first gained prominence in Hollywood when he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of Midnight Express (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake Scarface (1983)”

Due to the success of Platoon and Born on the 4th of July, Oliver Stone was able to do whatever he wanted within the confines of Hollywood.

JFK came out in 1991- A nearly 3 hour (not typical for Holluywood productions) about a controversal subject, not just president Kennedy himself, but the conspiracy regarding his assassination . The main idea, taken from wikipedia: “Despite the controversy, JFK received critical praise for the performances of its cast, Stone’s directing, score, editing, and cinematography. The film gradually picked up momentum at the box office after a slow start, earning over $205 million in worldwide gross, making it the sixth highest-grossing film of 1991 worldwide. JFK was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won two for Best Cinematography and Best Editing. It was the first of three films Stone made about American presidents, followed by Nixon and W.” In fact JFK was so impactful on American society, it motivated Congress to update and modify the laws regarding the assassination.

“The final report of the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) partially credited concern over the conclusions in JFK with the passage of the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, also known as the JFK Act.[82] The ARRB stated that the film “popularized a version of President Kennedy’s assassination that featured U.S. government agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the military as conspirators.”[83] While describing the film as “largely fictional”, the ARRB acknowledged Stone’s point that official records were to be sealed from the public until 2029, and his suggestion that “Americans could not trust official public conclusions when those conclusions had been made in secret.”[84] By ARRB law, all existing assassination-related documents were to be made public by 2017,[85] and most are now released.[86].”

As part of the analysis about Oliver Stone and his films about the presidency, is to focus on Stone’s frequent use of alternating aspect ratios, switching between black and white for some scenes, often unique and different cinematography found in most Hollywood movies at the time. I also want to briefly mention as part of the topic of the auteur theory, that in between JFK and Nixon, Oliver Stone made Natural Born Killer. A adaptation of what was originally a script by Quinten Tarantino, Natural Born Kills is what I would call the peak of Stone’s power in Hollywood, as he made another controversial, and also hyper violent film, but also included Stone’s unique cinematography and editing According to wikipedia “Natural Born Killers was released on August 26, 1994 in the United States, and screened at the Venice Film Festival on August 29, 1994. It was a box office success, grossing $110 million against a production budget of $34 million, but received polarized reviews. Some critics praised the plot, acting, humor, and combination of action and romance, while others found the film overly violent and graphic. Notorious for its violent content and inspiring “copycat” crimes, the film was named the eighth most controversial film in history by Entertainment Weekly in 2006.[4]”

So while the film was popular and profitable it was still controversial. It also commented on the state of American media.” One of the central themes of Natural Born Killers is the relationship between real-life violence and the mass media’s coverage of it.[5] This thematic preoccupation was declared in the film’s promotional materials, with its theatrical poster advertising it as a “bold new film that takes a look at a country seduced by fame, obsessed by crime, and consumed by the media.”[5] The character of Wayne Gale, the television host of American Maniacs, functions in the film as a figurehead of lurid true crime television documentaries, which recycle real-life incidents of violence and criminal activity into entertainment for the general public.[6] On several occasions, expressionistic jump cuts featuring Gale as a blood-soaked Satan are interspersed into the film, which Muir suggests emphasizes the film’s assertion that mass media and crime mutually reinforce one another.[6]” So Oliver Stone was still at the peak of his power as part of the auteur theory .

Oliver Stone then made Nixon. Another 3 hour long biopic of President Nixon, also featuring Stone’s editing and cinematography, but also met with controversy as people objected to some of the representations of Nixon and being inaccurate or slanderous, and the fact that the movie came out the same year as his death. More interestingly, Oliver Stone, often considered a leftist, by himself and by his critics, said that he meant the film to be sympathetic to Nixon. “The film portrays Nixon as a complex and, in many respects, admirable, though deeply flawed, person. Nixon begins with a disclaimer that the film is “an attempt to understand the truth […] based on numerous public sources and on an incomplete historical record.” However, “the film was a box office bomb, grossing $13.7 million against a $44 million budget, but received mostly positive reviews from critics, with Hopkins’ performance receiving particular praise.”

This was the beginning of the end of Stone’s power to make what he wanted in Hollywood. By the time W came out, Stone’s iconic editing and cinematography was gone, and it was presented as a mostly standard Hollywood film visually, It is often called Oliver Stone’s Presidency Trilogy.

In the end, the idea is that these film represent not just the journey of understanding the American presidency in three different way: 3 conspiracy theory film in JFK, 3 hour biopic for Nixon, and a straightforward Hollywood movie for W, but we can also view all three films as a demonstration of Oliver Stone’s power of being an auteur in Hollywood in the early 90s.

Ultimately, this needs to be around 3000 1.5 space, times new roman font. Feel free to ask any questions. I am more than happy to collaborate on this, perhaps in finding sources if needed. I wanted to do the whole thing myself, but I just ran out of time. I look forward to working with you.

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Oliver Stone, the Presidency, and the Auteur Theory

RUBRIC

Excellent Quality

95-100%

Introduction

45-41 points

The context and relevance of the issue, as well as a clear description of the study aim, are presented. The history of searches is discussed.

Literature Support

91-84 points

The context and relevance of the issue, as well as a clear description of the study aim, are presented. The history of searches is discussed.

Methodology

58-53 points

With titles for each slide as well as bulleted sections to group relevant information as required, the content is well-organized. Excellent use of typeface, color, images, effects, and so on to improve readability and presenting content. The minimum length criterion of 10 slides/pages is reached.

Average Score

50-85%

40-38 points

More depth/information is required for the context and importance, otherwise the study detail will be unclear. There is no search history information supplied.

83-76 points

There is a review of important theoretical literature, however there is limited integration of research into problem-related ideas. The review is just partly focused and arranged. There is research that both supports and opposes. A summary of the material given is provided. The conclusion may or may not include a biblical integration.

52-49 points

The content is somewhat ordered, but there is no discernible organization. The use of typeface, color, graphics, effects, and so on may sometimes distract from the presenting substance. It is possible that the length criteria will not be reached.

Poor Quality

0-45%

37-1 points

The context and/or importance are lacking. There is no search history information supplied.

75-1 points

There has been an examination of relevant theoretical literature, but still no research concerning problem-related concepts has been synthesized. The review is just somewhat focused and organized. The provided overview of content does not include any supporting or opposing research. The conclusion has no scriptural references.

48-1 points

There is no logical or apparent organizational structure. There is no discernible logical sequence. The use of typeface, color, graphics, effects, and so on often detracts from the presenting substance. It is possible that the length criteria will not be reached.