Editing Platoon (film) (section)

==Production==
===Development===
{{quote box
| quote = "Vietnam was really visceral, and I had come from a cerebral existence: study ... working with a pen and paper, with ideas. I came back really visceral. And I think the camera is so much more ... that's your interpreter, as opposed to a pen."
|source=—Oliver Stone<ref name="salewicz" />
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| width = 25em
}}
The seeds of what would become ''Platoon'' began as early as 1968, months after Stone had completed his own tour of duty fighting in Vietnam. Stone first wrote a screenplay called ''Break'', a semi-autobiographical account detailing his experiences with his parents and his time in the Vietnam War. Stone's active duty service resulted in a "big change" in how he viewed life and the war. Although ''Break'' was never produced, he later used it as the basis for ''Platoon''.<ref name="salewicz" /> His screenplay featured several characters who were the seeds of those he developed in ''Platoon''. The script was set to music from [[The Doors]]; Stone sent the script to [[Jim Morrison]] in the hope he would play the lead. (Morrison never responded, but his manager returned the script to Stone shortly after Morrison's death; Morrison had the script with him when he died in Paris.) Although ''Break'' was never produced, Stone decided to attend film school.<ref name="salewicz" />

After writing several other screenplays in the early 1970s, Stone worked with [[Robert Bolt]] on the screenplay, ''The Cover-up'' (it was not produced). Bolt's rigorous approach rubbed off on Stone. The younger man used his characters from the ''Break'' screenplay and developed a new screenplay, which he titled ''Platoon''. Producer [[Martin Bregman]] attempted to elicit studio interest in the project, but was not successful. Stone claims that during that time, [[Sidney Lumet]] was to have helmed the film with [[Al Pacino]] slated to star had there been studio interest.<ref name="chris">{{Cite magazine |last=Nashawaty |first=Chris |date=May 24, 2011 |title=Oliver Stone Platoon Charlie Sheen |url=https://ew.com/article/2011/05/24/oliver-stone-talks-platoon-and-charlie-sheen-on-the-vietnam-films-25th-anniversary-exclusive/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729210846/https://ew.com/article/2011/05/24/oliver-stone-talks-platoon-and-charlie-sheen-on-the-vietnam-films-25th-anniversary-exclusive/ |archive-date=July 29, 2019 |access-date=July 29, 2019 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref>  But, based on the strength of his writing in ''Platoon,'' Stone was hired to write the screenplay for ''[[Midnight Express (film)|Midnight Express]]'' (1978).

The film was a critical and commercial success, as were some other Stone films at the time, but most studios were still reluctant to finance ''Platoon,'' because it was about the unpopular Vietnam War. After the release of ''[[The Deer Hunter]]'' and ''[[Apocalypse Now]]'', the studios then cited the perception that these films were considered the pinnacle of the Vietnam War film genre as reasons not to make ''Platoon''.<ref name="salewicz" />

Stone responded by attempting to break into mainstream direction via the easier-to-finance horror genre, but ''[[The Hand (1981 film)|The Hand]]'' failed at the box office, and he began to think ''Platoon'' would never be made. Instead, he cowrote ''[[Year of the Dragon (film)|Year of the Dragon]]'' for a lower-than-usual fee of $200,000, on the condition from producer [[Dino De Laurentiis]] would next produce ''Platoon.'' ''Year of the Dragon'' was directed by Stone's friend [[Michael Cimino]], who had also helmed ''The Deer Hunter.''  According to Stone, Cimino attempted to produce ''Platoon'' in 1984.<ref name=chris/>

The [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] refused to support the production of the film due to its depiction of [[American war crimes in Vietnam|American war crimes]], claiming the script was "rife with unrealistic and highly unfavorable depictions of the American soldier" for its depiction of the murder and rape of Vietnamese civilians by American soldiers, the attempted murder of one US soldier by another, drug abuse and portraying the majority of American soldiers as "illiterate delinquents." The film was also accused of perpetuating racist stereotypes of African-American soldiers.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Beckett |first=Jesse |date=June 23, 2021 |title=Charlie Sheen's Co-Star Saved Him From Falling Out of a Heli and 7 Other Little-Known Facts About 'Platoon' |url=https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/platoon-facts.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241229085509/https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/platoon-facts.html |archive-date=December 29, 2024 |access-date=December 29, 2024 |website=warhistoryonline |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 29, 1987 |title=Why the Pentagon didn't like 'Platoon' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1987/08/30/why-the-pentagon-didnt-like-platoon/b638371d-0dbf-4810-9483-898fa8b68cfe/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811065123/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1987/08/30/why-the-pentagon-didnt-like-platoon/b638371d-0dbf-4810-9483-898fa8b68cfe/ |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |access-date=December 29, 2024}}</ref>

De Laurentiis secured financing for ''Platoon,'' but he struggled to find a distributor. Because De Laurentiis had already spent money sending Stone to the Philippines to scout for locations, he decided to keep control of the film's script until he was repaid.<ref name="salewicz" /> Then Stone's script for what would become ''[[Salvador (film)|Salvador]]'' was passed to [[John Daly (producer)|John Daly]] of British production company [[Hemdale Film Corporation|Hemdale]]. Once again, this was a project that Stone had struggled to secure financing for, but Daly loved the script and was prepared to finance both ''Salvador'' and ''Platoon.''  Stone shot ''Salvador'' first, before turning his attention to ''Platoon''.<ref name="salewicz" />

===Casting===
[[James Woods]], who had starred in Stone's film ''[[Salvador (film)|Salvador]]'', was offered the role of Barnes. Despite his friendship with Stone, he turned it down, later teasingly saying he "couldn't face going into another jungle with [Oliver Stone]".<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 25, 2014 |title=James Woods interview: Videodrome, the Hard Way, Hercules and more |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/james-woods-interview-videodrome-the-hard-way-hercules-and-more/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612150657/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/james-woods-interview-videodrome-the-hard-way-hercules-and-more/ |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |access-date=July 29, 2024}}</ref> [[Denzel Washington]] expressed interest in playing the role of Elias,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doty |first=Meriah |date=September 18, 2012 |title=Denzel Washington regrets passing up 'Seven' and 'Michael Clayton' |url=https://www.yahoo.com/movies/blogs/movie-talk/denzel-washington-regrets-passing-seven-michael-clayton-202631871.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004225308/https://www.yahoo.com/movies/blogs/movie-talk/denzel-washington-regrets-passing-seven-michael-clayton-202631871.html |archive-date=October 4, 2017 |access-date=May 13, 2017 |publisher=[[Yahoo! Movies]]}}</ref> a character Stone said was based on a soldier he knew in Vietnam.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 20, 2020 |title=How Oliver Stone's Experiences in Vietnam Influenced Platoon |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMk-i_h5Yn4&t=280s |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504025138/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMk-i_h5Yn4&t=280s |archive-date=May 4, 2021 |access-date=April 5, 2021 |website=YouTube}}</ref> Stone confirmed in a 2011 interview with ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' that [[Mickey Rourke]], [[Emilio Estevez]] and [[Kevin Costner]] were all considered for the part of Barnes.  He believes Costner turned down the role "because his brother had been in Vietnam."  Stone also verified in the interview that [[Keanu Reeves]] turned down the role of Taylor because of the violence.<ref name=chris/> [[Kyle MacLachlan]] also turned down the role of Taylor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kyle MacLachlan's first-ever film role was a spectacular flop. He got the last laugh |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/kyle-maclachlan-movie-tv-roles-dune-twin-peaks-2024-4 |website=[[Business Insider]]}}</ref> Sheen said that he got the part of Taylor, because of Dafoe's nod of approval.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bland |first=Interviews by Simon |date=January 3, 2022 |title=Charlie Sheen on making Platoon: 'We screamed for the medic!' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/jan/03/charlie-sheen-how-we-made-platoon-oliver-stone |access-date=February 15, 2023 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> [[Jon Cryer]] auditioned for the role of Bunny, which eventually went to Kevin Dillon.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cryer |first=Jon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XyPTCwAAQBAJ&q=platoon+jon+cryer+audition&pg=PA209 |title=So That Happened: A Memoir |date=April 5, 2016 |publisher=Penguin Publishing |isbn=9780451472366}}</ref>

Many [[Boat people|Vietnamese refugees]] living in the Philippines at the time were recruited to act in different Vietnamese roles in the film.<ref>{{Cite interview |last=Dye |first=Dale |interviewer=Almar Haflidason |title=Part 3 - Confronting Demons in "Platoon" |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/10/15/dale_dye_2001_3_interview.shtml |access-date=July 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726021637/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/10/15/dale_dye_2001_3_interview.shtml |archive-date=July 26, 2010 |url-status=live |work=Movies |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

Stone makes a [[cameo appearance]] as the commander of the [[22nd Infantry Regiment (United States)|3d Battalion, 22d Infantry]] in the final battle, which was based on the historic [[New Year's Day Battle of 1968]] in which he had taken part while on duty in South Vietnam. [[Dale Dye]], who played Captain Harris, the commander of Company B, is a [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] Vietnam War veteran who also served as the film's technical advisor.<ref name="dvd">{{Cite AV media |title=Platoon DVD commentary |date=2001 |type=DVD |publisher=MGM Home Entertainment |people=Stone, Oliver}}</ref>  The third US Army veteran who appears in the film is a member of the crew who was briefly seen shirtless in the climactic battle.

===Filming===
Exterior shooting began on the island of [[Luzon]] in the [[Philippines]] in February 1986, although the production was almost canceled because of the [[People Power Revolution|political upheaval in the country]], due to then-president  [[Ferdinand Marcos]]. With the help of well-known Asian producer Mark Hill, the shoot commenced, as scheduled, two days after Marcos fled the country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Depp |first=Johnny |title=Johnny Depp: Platoon interviews |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0GfChbi1jQ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307234002/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0GfChbi1jQ |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |access-date=March 21, 2015 |website=youtube |publisher=You Tube}}</ref> Shooting lasted 54 days and cost $6.5 million. The production made a deal with the Philippine military for the use of military equipment.<ref name="salewicz">{{Cite book |last=Salewicz |first=Chris |title=Oliver Stone: The Making of His Movies |date=July 22, 1999 |publisher=[[Orion Publishing Group]] |isbn=0-7528-1820-1 |edition=New |location=UK |orig-year=1997}}</ref> Filming was done chronologically.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 27, 2012 |title=Mohr Stories 84: Charlie Sheen |url=http://mohrstories.libsyn.com/podcast/mohr-stories-84-charlie-sheen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019125518/http://mohrstories.libsyn.com/podcast/mohr-stories-84-charlie-sheen |archive-date=October 19, 2012 |access-date=October 28, 2012 |website=Mohr Stories Podcast |publisher=Jay Mohr}}</ref> As a result of the Department of Defense refusing to supply historically-accurate equipment and uniforms, the film instead used equipment belonging to the [[Armed Forces of the Philippines]].<ref name=":1" />

Upon arrival in the Philippines, the cast was sent on an intensive training course, during which they had to dig [[Defensive fighting position|foxholes]] and were subjected to forced marches and nighttime "ambushes," which used special-effects explosions. Led by Vietnam War veteran [[Dale Dye]], training put the principal actors—including Sheen, Dafoe, Depp and Whitaker—through an immersive 30-day military-style training regimen. They limited how much food and water they could drink and eat and when the actors slept, fired [[Blank (cartridge)|blanks]] to keep the tired actors awake.<ref>{{Cite web |title=War Is Boring - From drones to AKs, high technology to low politics. |url=https://warisboring.com/dale-dye-is-hollywoods-drill-sergeant-2c65d85a3dc2#.r1l3v4b3x |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109211001/https://warisboring.com/dale-dye-is-hollywoods-drill-sergeant-2c65d85a3dc2#.r1l3v4b3x |archive-date=November 9, 2016 |access-date=March 3, 2017 |website=War Is Boring}}</ref> Dye also had a small role as Captain Harris. Stone said that he was trying to break them down, "to mess with their heads so we could get that dog-tired, don't give a damn attitude, the anger, the irritation ... the casual approach to death".<ref name="salewicz" /> [[Willem Dafoe]] said "the training was very important to the making of the film", adding to its authenticity and strengthening the camaraderie developed among the cast: "By the time you got through the training and through the film, you had a relationship to the weapon. It wasn't going to kill people, but you felt comfortable with it."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chua |first=Lawrence |title=BOMB Magazine: Willem Dafoe by Louis Morra |url=http://bombsite.com/issues/19/articles/907 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023124314/http://bombsite.com/issues/19/articles/907 |archive-date=October 23, 2011 |access-date=October 28, 2012 |publisher=Bombsite.com}}</ref>

Scenes were shot in [[Mount Makiling]], [[Laguna (province)|Laguna]] (for the forest scenes), [[Cavite]] (for the river and village scenes), and [[Villamor Air Base]] near [[Manila]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Platoon filming locations |url=http://www.fast-rewind.com/locations_platoon.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329221636/http://www.fast-rewind.com/locations_platoon.htm |archive-date=March 29, 2015 |access-date=March 21, 2015 |website=Fast rewind}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chuyaco |first=Joy |date=March 4, 2012 |title=Made in Phl Hollywood Films |url=http://www.philstar.com/entertainment/783334/made-phl-hollywood-films |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402093940/http://www.philstar.com/entertainment/783334/made-phl-hollywood-films |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=March 21, 2015 |agency=Phil Star}}</ref>

In 1986, a novelization of the film script, written by Dale Dye, was published.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Platoon by Dale A. Dye |url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1813340.Platoon |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230406/http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1813340.Platoon |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=July 14, 2013 |website=[[Goodreads]]}}</ref> In 2018 actor Paul Sanchez, who played Doc in the movie, made a documentary about the making of the film, entitled ''Platoon: Brothers in Arms''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 1, 2020 |title=Brothers in Arms review – Platoon's veterans hold their audience hostage |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/01/brothers-in-arms-review-platoon-oliver-stone |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524182550/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/01/brothers-in-arms-review-platoon-oliver-stone |archive-date=May 24, 2021 |access-date=June 24, 2021 |website=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 30, 2019 |title=Brothers in Arms Blu-ray Review |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Brothers-in-Arms-Blu-ray/213756/#Review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308054913/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Brothers-in-Arms-Blu-ray/213756/#Review |archive-date=March 8, 2024 |access-date=March 7, 2024 |website=Blu-ray.com}}</ref>