Author(s): Zgamer
Location: Eagle, ID
“The 38th Parallel"
Distributed by: Universal Studios
Produced by: Oliver Stone, Tommy Lee Jones and Michael Shamberg
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Written by: Oliver Stone
Release Date: October 21, 2008
Running Time: 140 Minutes
Rated R for some graphic violence, strong language and alcohol use.
Genre: Political/War/Biopic
Principal Cast:
Robert De Niro as General Douglass MacArthur
Joe Pesci as Lieutenant General Walton Walker
Tim Robbins as Lieutenant Matthew Ridgeway
William Hurt as President Harry S. Truman
Tagline: "We all have barriers in our paths. It all depends on how far you push them”
Synopsis: October 1950. It had been a few weeks since the boats landed on the shores of Inchon. Forty thousand United Nations soldiers piled out onto the beach with one goal on their minds: secure at all costs. As they advanced through the beach and into the fields, the city of Seoul began to slowly come into view. In the city, a detachment of North Korean soldiers stood in the streets prepared to fight. With the determination to win, the UN troops charged forward. After a year of loses and draws, they would finally have their moment. This was Operation CHROMITE.
One week has passed since then and the UN troops are alive with morale. Seoul has been recaptured and the South Korean government has been liberated. However, someone is unsatisfied. As he sits in his tent, General Douglass MacArthur looked down upon his map. He knew he easily defeated the enemy in South Korea and had driven them to the 38th Parallel, but he wasn’t satisfied with that. He knew he could win this war against Communism and he had every intention to keep pushing until Korea was united by democracy. Despite all warnings of Chinese resistance, he gave Lieutenant General Walton Walker the order to march…
January 1951. Thousands of Chinese soldiers have been flooding down North Korea to push the overeager UN soldiers back. Having only recently reclaimed some of the land the Chinese took, the forces are now at a standoff at the 38th Parallel, with neither side able to push the other back enough to make a difference. Walker, with his Eight Army unit in trouble, begs MacArthur for assistance. MacArthur is now in a pickle. If he backs down, he will admit weakness against the “Communist Disease”. If he pushes forward, he will have a long struggle ahead of him. Refusing to take the former, MacArthur demands that President Truman allows him to use nuclear weapons against the Chinese. This shocks the entire Cabinet, who immediately deny the request. MacArthur refuses to quit, however, and proceeds with his attacks on and of the battlefield.
February 1951. Lieutenant General Ridgeway walks into MacArthur’s tent. He has replaced Walker, who was killed in a car crash a month earlier. MacArthur is not pleased with this, as he sees this rising star as a threat. He knows that Ridgeway is the UN’s little star pupil and he will not take it. With the Communist scum at his doorstep, MacArthur decides that it is time for him to call the shots in the war. He goes straight to the American newspapers to gain support for his cause and belittle the president’s lack of action. Even if he had to fight his own government, MacArthur was going to keep pushing. Or so he thought.
What the press would say:
There’s a saying that “Those in power want to stay power”. Well, that is true in many ways with the release of Oliver Stone’s new film “The 38th Parallel”. The struggle for power is the central theme of this political war movie, as the hotheaded MacArthur contends with his superiors for control of the situation. However, this is also symbolized by Stone’s seeking for power. Years ago, Stone was one of the premiere directors in Hollywood. Recently though, he has lost some of his fame with the lack of limelight and some snoozer film. But with the release of this film, Stone wishes to cement himself back into the Hollywood prestige, to which we gladly say he succeeds in.
“The 38th Parallel”, along with being a film on power struggle, is a return to glory of the controversial films Stone had directed earlier. However, it is one that is not intentionally controversial, but has a layer of depth that if not uncovered will lead to this. At first glance, many will think that Douglass MacArthur is merely portrayed as a foul-mouthed, hotheaded, and stubborn man bent on succeeding in his goals with no worries for the consequences. Add this to the less than enthusiastic attitude on the war, this may mislead people into thinking that MacArthur was just some demon bent on fighting a losing war. However, upon further examination, we see that the film goes deeper than this. MacArthur, despite his unappealing ego, is shown conflicted human being who wished nothing more than to serve his country and protect his way of living. He may have had some interesting methods, but in a world like ours today, don’t we have some radical thinkers to match. This is the true genius of the film.
The acting in the film is something at a different level. The heart and sole of this is the hot head General himself, played with gusto by Robert De Niro. Invoking a bit of George C. Scott’s Patton while adding a fresh spin, De Niro has given us a unique portrait on an oft forgotten historical figure. Even when we disagree with his views, we can’t help but feel sympathy for this man who was once a World War II hero. The sight of De Niro walking into screen with those iconic sunglasses can give a tingle down your spine. The supporting cast also sports some impressive work, with Joe Pesci as General Walton Walker and Tim Robbins as the rising star Ridgeway. Their roles, while overshadowed at times, support the film and give it the depth it needs to show that this war was one fought by more than one man. Some impressive technical work is also in need of praise. The editing, cinematography and score all give a great feeling of professionalism within war. While it is not the gritty down to earth style of war we’ve come to know lately, it really isn’t necessary for this movie. This is a movie not only about the combat on the field, but the combat off the field as well, which requires more restraint and prestige. And Stone’s style of filmmaking expertly compliments this.
“The 38th Parallel” is one of those films you don’t see anymore; a good, adrenaline fueled politically charged war biopic. Like the infamous imaginary line that divided Korea, this movie will be the film that separates the weak films from the strong films. And we can safely say that this is among the strong.
Award Possibilities
Best Picture (Oliver Stone, Tommy Lee Jones and Michael Shamberg)
Best Director (Oliver Stone)
Best Actor (Robert De Niro)
Best Supporting Actor (Joe Pesci)
Best Supporting Actor (Tim Robbins)
Best Original Screenplay (Oliver Stone)
Best Cinematography (Robert Richardson)
Best Editing (Julie Monroe)
Best Original Score (Craig Armstrong)
Location: Eagle, ID
“The 38th Parallel"
Distributed by: Universal Studios
Produced by: Oliver Stone, Tommy Lee Jones and Michael Shamberg
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Written by: Oliver Stone
Release Date: October 21, 2008
Running Time: 140 Minutes
Rated R for some graphic violence, strong language and alcohol use.
Genre: Political/War/Biopic
Principal Cast:
Robert De Niro as General Douglass MacArthur
Joe Pesci as Lieutenant General Walton Walker
Tim Robbins as Lieutenant Matthew Ridgeway
William Hurt as President Harry S. Truman
Tagline: "We all have barriers in our paths. It all depends on how far you push them”
Synopsis: October 1950. It had been a few weeks since the boats landed on the shores of Inchon. Forty thousand United Nations soldiers piled out onto the beach with one goal on their minds: secure at all costs. As they advanced through the beach and into the fields, the city of Seoul began to slowly come into view. In the city, a detachment of North Korean soldiers stood in the streets prepared to fight. With the determination to win, the UN troops charged forward. After a year of loses and draws, they would finally have their moment. This was Operation CHROMITE.
One week has passed since then and the UN troops are alive with morale. Seoul has been recaptured and the South Korean government has been liberated. However, someone is unsatisfied. As he sits in his tent, General Douglass MacArthur looked down upon his map. He knew he easily defeated the enemy in South Korea and had driven them to the 38th Parallel, but he wasn’t satisfied with that. He knew he could win this war against Communism and he had every intention to keep pushing until Korea was united by democracy. Despite all warnings of Chinese resistance, he gave Lieutenant General Walton Walker the order to march…
January 1951. Thousands of Chinese soldiers have been flooding down North Korea to push the overeager UN soldiers back. Having only recently reclaimed some of the land the Chinese took, the forces are now at a standoff at the 38th Parallel, with neither side able to push the other back enough to make a difference. Walker, with his Eight Army unit in trouble, begs MacArthur for assistance. MacArthur is now in a pickle. If he backs down, he will admit weakness against the “Communist Disease”. If he pushes forward, he will have a long struggle ahead of him. Refusing to take the former, MacArthur demands that President Truman allows him to use nuclear weapons against the Chinese. This shocks the entire Cabinet, who immediately deny the request. MacArthur refuses to quit, however, and proceeds with his attacks on and of the battlefield.
February 1951. Lieutenant General Ridgeway walks into MacArthur’s tent. He has replaced Walker, who was killed in a car crash a month earlier. MacArthur is not pleased with this, as he sees this rising star as a threat. He knows that Ridgeway is the UN’s little star pupil and he will not take it. With the Communist scum at his doorstep, MacArthur decides that it is time for him to call the shots in the war. He goes straight to the American newspapers to gain support for his cause and belittle the president’s lack of action. Even if he had to fight his own government, MacArthur was going to keep pushing. Or so he thought.
What the press would say:
There’s a saying that “Those in power want to stay power”. Well, that is true in many ways with the release of Oliver Stone’s new film “The 38th Parallel”. The struggle for power is the central theme of this political war movie, as the hotheaded MacArthur contends with his superiors for control of the situation. However, this is also symbolized by Stone’s seeking for power. Years ago, Stone was one of the premiere directors in Hollywood. Recently though, he has lost some of his fame with the lack of limelight and some snoozer film. But with the release of this film, Stone wishes to cement himself back into the Hollywood prestige, to which we gladly say he succeeds in.
“The 38th Parallel”, along with being a film on power struggle, is a return to glory of the controversial films Stone had directed earlier. However, it is one that is not intentionally controversial, but has a layer of depth that if not uncovered will lead to this. At first glance, many will think that Douglass MacArthur is merely portrayed as a foul-mouthed, hotheaded, and stubborn man bent on succeeding in his goals with no worries for the consequences. Add this to the less than enthusiastic attitude on the war, this may mislead people into thinking that MacArthur was just some demon bent on fighting a losing war. However, upon further examination, we see that the film goes deeper than this. MacArthur, despite his unappealing ego, is shown conflicted human being who wished nothing more than to serve his country and protect his way of living. He may have had some interesting methods, but in a world like ours today, don’t we have some radical thinkers to match. This is the true genius of the film.
The acting in the film is something at a different level. The heart and sole of this is the hot head General himself, played with gusto by Robert De Niro. Invoking a bit of George C. Scott’s Patton while adding a fresh spin, De Niro has given us a unique portrait on an oft forgotten historical figure. Even when we disagree with his views, we can’t help but feel sympathy for this man who was once a World War II hero. The sight of De Niro walking into screen with those iconic sunglasses can give a tingle down your spine. The supporting cast also sports some impressive work, with Joe Pesci as General Walton Walker and Tim Robbins as the rising star Ridgeway. Their roles, while overshadowed at times, support the film and give it the depth it needs to show that this war was one fought by more than one man. Some impressive technical work is also in need of praise. The editing, cinematography and score all give a great feeling of professionalism within war. While it is not the gritty down to earth style of war we’ve come to know lately, it really isn’t necessary for this movie. This is a movie not only about the combat on the field, but the combat off the field as well, which requires more restraint and prestige. And Stone’s style of filmmaking expertly compliments this.
“The 38th Parallel” is one of those films you don’t see anymore; a good, adrenaline fueled politically charged war biopic. Like the infamous imaginary line that divided Korea, this movie will be the film that separates the weak films from the strong films. And we can safely say that this is among the strong.
Award Possibilities
Best Picture (Oliver Stone, Tommy Lee Jones and Michael Shamberg)
Best Director (Oliver Stone)
Best Actor (Robert De Niro)
Best Supporting Actor (Joe Pesci)
Best Supporting Actor (Tim Robbins)
Best Original Screenplay (Oliver Stone)
Best Cinematography (Robert Richardson)
Best Editing (Julie Monroe)
Best Original Score (Craig Armstrong)
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