• Golden Globe Awards

1987 – Drama: Platoon

This anti-war film set in Vietnam couldn’t have been authored by anyone else than Oliver Stone. Platoon is a visceral movie, a story seen through the eyes of a soldier (Charlie Sheen) who volunteers for ‘Nam, then discovers the horrors of war, the violence against civilian population, the insanity among U.S. officers. Tom Berenger plays the delusional, crazy sergeant, the opposite of the human one played by Willem Dafoe. Stone wrote the script taking inspiration from his own experiences as a Vietnam veteran. It’s the first film of his Vietnam trilogy, followed by Born on the Fourth of JulyHeaven & Earth (1993).Platoon won three Golden Globes: Best Film – Drama, Best Director (Stone) and Best Supporting Actor (Berenger). Stone was nominated also for Best Original Screenplay, but Robert Bolt won (for The Mission). Platoon went on to win four Oscars, including Best Film and Director. The other films nominated for the Globe that year were: The Mission, A Room with a View, Mona Lisa, Children of a Lesser God and Stand By Me.The 44th Golden Globe Awards were held on January 31, 1987, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Producer Arnold Kopelson accepted the award for Best Film. In his acceptance speech, he praised Oliver Stone “for his unwavering commitment to stay with this project for ten years, despite numerous rejections.” Jane Seymour and Tony Curtis presented the Best Director Globe to Oliver Stone, who said: “I hope this award means you’re acknowledging the Vietnam War, and that you understand that a war like this shouldn’t happen again. This award belongs to the Vietnam veterans and to those who are dead, and didn’t die in vain.”With this movie, Oliver Stone became the first Vietnam veteran to direct a major motion picture about the Vietnam War. He was already the first Vietnam veteran to win a Golden Globe, for Midnight ExpressPlatoon was filmed on the island of Luzon in the Philippines starting in February 1986. The film employed Vietnamese refugees living in the Philippines to act in various roles.