Born on the Fourth of July is a
1989 film adaptation of the best selling
autobiography of
the same name by
Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic.
Tom Cruise plays Kovic, in a performance that earned him his first
Academy Award nomination.
Oliver Stone (himself a Vietnam veteran) co-wrote the
screenplay with Kovic, and also produced and directed the film. Stone wanted to film the movie in
Vietnam, but because relations between the United States and Vietnam had not yet been normalized, it was instead filmed in the
Philippines.
Born on the Fourth of July is considered part of Oliver Stone's "trilogy" of films about the Vietnam War — along with
Platoon (
1986) and
Heaven & Earth}} (
1993). The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards and given
Academy Awards for
Best Director and
Best Film Editing.
