Born on the Fourth of July (1989): trivia & fun facts

Fun facts

• At the time, Stone had been developing Platoon (1986), and an unproduced sequel script titled Second Life, that was inspired by his own life after the war.
• Stone also discussed the adaptation with William Friedkin, who turned down an opportunity to direct in favor of The Brink's Job (1978).
• The film was cinematographer Robert Richardson's fifth collaboration with Stone, and their first to be shot in the anamorphic format.
• The film went over its initial $14 million production budget and ended up costing $17.8 million after reshoots.
• The studio entered into negotiations to finance the film in May 1988 with a $20 million budget, but it later withdrew from funding the film.
• In February 1990, the film competed for the Golden Bear at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival, but lost to the American film Music Box (1990) and Czech film Larks on a String (1969).
• The film was successful at the box office as it grossed over $162 million worldwide, becoming the tenth highest-grossing film of 1989.
• Shot on locations in the Philippines, Texas, and Inglewood, California, principal photography took place from October to December 1988, lasting 65 days of filming.
• In the United States and Canada, it was the seventeenth highest-grossing film of 1989.
• Worldwide, it was the tenth highest-grossing film of 1989, as well as Universal's second highest-grossing film released that year, behind Back to the Future Part II.
• The website's consensus reads, "Led by an unforgettable performance from Tom Cruise, Born on the Fourth of July finds director Oliver Stone tackling thought-provoking subject matter with ambitious élan."
• When Stone optioned the book in 1978, the film adaptation became mired in development hell after Pacino and Bregman left, which resulted in him and Kovic putting the film on hold.

Source: Wikipedia

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