Oliver Stone He is, without a doubt, one of the most important American filmmakers of the second half of the 20th century. And it is because all of his films are fierce criticisms of American society and government of that same period. With titles like “Platoon” (86), “Born on the Fourth of July” (89) o “JFK: Open Case” (91), Stone has portrayed a hypocritical and fearful country after the generational trauma of the United States‘ participation in the Vietnam War. In 2020, Stone himself signed “In search of light”a memoir that recounts his youth and his first steps as a screenwriter and director until he consolidated himself with the victory of “Platoon” at the Oscar ceremony held in March 1987. Now, in 2023, it has been distributed for the first time in Spain with its corresponding translation.
The book, which focuses on the first half of Stone’s life, is clearly divided into two parts: a first, very personal segment in which he narrates his relationship with his parents, his years fighting in the Vietnam War, and his path to discover your calling; and a second part in which she recounts her first steps in the film industry and anecdotes from her first films. Although the first part is key to understanding the filmmaker’s psyche and is the cornerstone on which his filmography will revolve (the trauma of fighting in Vietnam is the driving force of his political ideology and his films), any reader who decides Starting this book will help you learn about the Hollywood industry.
The book works very well, because what you are looking for when reading the memoirs of a filmmaker is to understand how the mind behind the films you have seen works, and Stone does this perfectly. It is clear that the author is a screenwriter, since he has a narrative that captivates the reader and makes him empathize with the author, who functions as a main character. It is fascinating how, in some segments, it manages to generate tension in the viewer as if it were a thriller. These are the best parts of the book, the ones that narrate discussions with executives and, especially, the entire fragment that recounts the tortuous filming of “Salvador” (86) that mixes armed conflicts, budget wars, haughty actors with a diva spirit, and an alcoholic and problematic friend/collaborator.
That said, it is true that Stone likes himself a little too much in this text and four hundred pages to narrate his first steps in the world of cinema are somewhat excessive. There are segments in which the detail of the sequences is effective, but the first part in which he narrates the complicated relationship with his parents and his youth before deciding to dedicate himself to film is somewhat tedious. It is true that his participation in the Vietnam War is essential to understanding his filmography, but it extends more than necessary without being able to instil the tension and epicness that he achieves in the later fragments in which he talks about cinema.
“In search of light” It is, therefore, an interesting piece of the mind of a filmmaker who has always said what he thinks through his films and who has not kept anything quiet when writing the vision he has about his own life, now that it enters its final stage. .