Chasing the Light: Writing, Directing, and Surviving Platoon, Midnight Express, Scarface, Salvador, and the Movie Game
By Oliver Stone
Category
WarRecommended by
Chasing the Light by Oliver Stone is a captivating and illuminating memoir that takes readers on a remarkable journey through the life and career of one of Hollywood’s most influential and controversial directors.
From his humble beginnings as the son of a Jewish stockbroker in New York City, Stone recounts his upbringing, including the struggles and conflicts that shaped him into the fearless and often polarizing filmmaker he would become.
Delving into his formative years as a young soldier in Vietnam, Stone offers a deeply personal account of the horrors of war and the profound impact it had on him. This experience would later become instrumental in shaping the brutally honest and uncompromising storytelling style that permeates his films.
Chasing the Light takes readers behind the scenes of Stone’s most iconic works, such as Platoon, Wall Street, and JFK, providing a candid and revealing glimpse into the creative process and the challenges faced in bringing these stories to life on the big screen.
Throughout the book, Stone reflects on his encounters with Hollywood legends, political figures, and personal relationships, offering unique and often controversial insights into their lives and his own. His encounters with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Sean Penn, and Fidel Castro leave an indelible mark on both his personal and professional growth.
However, Chasing the Light is not just a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Stone also confronts the darker aspects of his life, including struggles with addiction, failed marriages, and the constant battle against a deeply entrenched, industry-driven status quo.
With his signature blend of grit and candor, Stone manages to capture the essence of his own artistic vision while simultaneously weaving a broader narrative about the power of cinema as a medium for social and political change.
Chasing the Light is a must-read for cinephiles, fans of Oliver Stone’s work, and anyone interested in the intersection of film, politics, and personal introspection.
From his humble beginnings as the son of a Jewish stockbroker in New York City, Stone recounts his upbringing, including the struggles and conflicts that shaped him into the fearless and often polarizing filmmaker he would become.
Delving into his formative years as a young soldier in Vietnam, Stone offers a deeply personal account of the horrors of war and the profound impact it had on him. This experience would later become instrumental in shaping the brutally honest and uncompromising storytelling style that permeates his films.
Chasing the Light takes readers behind the scenes of Stone’s most iconic works, such as Platoon, Wall Street, and JFK, providing a candid and revealing glimpse into the creative process and the challenges faced in bringing these stories to life on the big screen.
Throughout the book, Stone reflects on his encounters with Hollywood legends, political figures, and personal relationships, offering unique and often controversial insights into their lives and his own. His encounters with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Sean Penn, and Fidel Castro leave an indelible mark on both his personal and professional growth.
However, Chasing the Light is not just a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Stone also confronts the darker aspects of his life, including struggles with addiction, failed marriages, and the constant battle against a deeply entrenched, industry-driven status quo.
With his signature blend of grit and candor, Stone manages to capture the essence of his own artistic vision while simultaneously weaving a broader narrative about the power of cinema as a medium for social and political change.
Chasing the Light is a must-read for cinephiles, fans of Oliver Stone’s work, and anyone interested in the intersection of film, politics, and personal introspection.
Share This Book 📚
More Books in War
The Art of War
Sun-Tzu
Lone Survivor
Marcus Luttrell
The Art of War in the Middle Ages
Charles Oman
The Book of Five Rings
Miyamoto Musashi
A Peace to End All Peace
David Fromkin
A Spy Among Friends
Ben MacIntyre
Black Flags
Joby Warrick
Chasing the Light
Oliver Stone
Flying Start
Hugh Dundas
Hornblower Saga
C.S. Forester
No Easy Day
Mark Owen
No Ordinary Time
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Once a Warrior
Jake Wood
Presidents of War
Michael Beschloss
Sea Flight
Hugh Popham
Stalin's War
Sean McMeekin
Storm of Steel
Ernst Junger
The Best We Could Do
Thi Bui
The British Are Coming
Rick Atkinson
The Gallic Wars
Julius Caesar
The Great Illusion
Norman Angell
The Great War of Our Time
Michael Morell
The Kill Chain
Christian Brose
The Painted Bird
Jerzy Kosinski
The River War
Winston Churchill
The Second World War
John Keegan
The Sleepwalkers
Christopher Clark
The Storm of Steel
Ernst Junger
The Things They Carried
Tim O'Brien
The Warrior Ethos
Steven Pressfield
Popular Books Recommended by Great Minds 📚
Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman
Richard Feynman
Economics in One Lesson
Henry Hazlitt
When Genius Failed
Roger Lowenstein
The Score Takes Care of Itself
Bill Walsh
The Courage To Be Disliked
Ichiro Kishimi
Wanting
Luke Burgis
Behind the Cloud
Marc Benioff
The Ride of a Lifetime
Bob Iger
Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand
Principles for Dealing With The Changing World Order
Ray Dalio
Red Notice
Bill Browder
The Great CEO Within
Matt Mochary
The Power of Habit
Charles Duhigg
Trailblazer
Marc Benioff
Snow Crash
Neal Stephenson
The Coddling of the American Mind
Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt
The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel
The Ascent of Money
Niall Ferguson
American Kingpin
Nick Bilton
The Sovereign Individual
James Dale Davidson & William Rees-Mogg
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
Only the Paranoid Survive
Andy Grove
Siddhartha
Hermann Hesse
Who We Are and How We Got Here
David Reich
The Undoing Project
Michael Lewis
The True Believer
Eric Hoffer
When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi
Dune
Frank Herbert
The Rise And Fall Of American Growth
Robert J. Gordon
Destined For War
Graham Allison