Oliver Stone (b. 1946) is a legendary American film director, producer, screenwriter and author. He’s known and praised for his ‘dramas about individuals in personal struggles,’ as he describes his films on his website, and considers himself a ‘dramatist rather than a political filmmaker.’

During the past fifty years—give or take a few years—the outspoken, rabble-rousing, highly acclaimed and three-time Academy Award winning film director tackled various subjects. He directed a trilogy on the Vietnam War (“Platoon,” 1986; “Born on the Fourth of July,” 1989; “Heaven & Earth,” 1993) and did three films about U.S. Presidents (“JFK,” 1991; “Nixon,” 1995; “W.,” 2008—on George W. Bush while he was still in office). He also made crime dramas and, in recent years, a series of solid and, to some, controversial documentary features. For the first one, on Fidel Castro, entitled “Comandante” (2003), he went to Cuba.

“Platoon” (1986, trailer)

His latest documentairy features include “The Putin Interviews” (2017), a four-part, four-hour television series with interviews conducted with Putin between 2015-2017, “JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass” (2021) with newly declassified information about JFK’s assassination, and his latest documentary, “Nuclear Now” (2022), stating that nuclear energy is the best solution to combat the climate change crisis.

Mr. Stone, a Vietnam War veteran who distinguished himself in combat and earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, first broke into Hollywood as a screenwriter with his Oscar-winning screenplay for Alan Parker’s prison drama “Midnight Express” (1978), based on the 1977 memoir of Billy Hayes. The film established him as a dynamic stylist and tough-minded writer who pulled no punches. A few years later, he brought the same intensity to his screenplay for Brian De Palma’s remake of “Scarface” (1983) and his career-changing directorial debut films “Salvador” and “Platoon” (both 1986)—the latter earning him an Academy Award for Best Director. Although working mostly independently, “Wall Street” (1987), which earned Michael Douglas an Academy Award as Best Actor, became his first and one of his few big-budget films.

Throughout his career, Mr. Stone remained one of the most accomplished raconteurs and politically-charged directors of his generation. He made several exceptional and compelling films that cemented his place as one of Hollywood’s most versatile film directors.

He also authored a semi-autobiographical novel “A Child Night’s Dream” (1997), his captivating memoir “Chasing the Light: Writing, Directing, and Surviving ‘Platoon,’ ‘Midnight Express,’ ‘Scarface,’ ‘Salvador,’ and the Movie Game” (2020), and “JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass” (2022, based on the documentary; written by James DiEugenio, with an introduction by Mr. Stone).

The following one-on-one interview with Mr. Stone was conducted in Brussels. As the guest of honor during the Millenium Documentary Film Festival Brussels—which runs from March 15 until March 22—to present his documentaries “JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass” (2021) and “Nuclear Now” (2022), and a masterclass as well, I got to sit down with him in a Brussels hotel for a conversation on his craft that he knows inside out. With his approval, this interview didn’t focus on his two documentaries, but rather dealt with general topics and his work as a filmmaker.

Mr. Stone, after your last feature film, “Snowden” [2016], you changed your modus operandi and became a documentary filmmaker. Why did you do that?

Documentaries are different. When you make documentaries, they’re not consuming your life. You don’t have to build the sets, you don’t have to hire actors or paint walls. You don’t have to think about a hundred different things. That also means you’re no longer ceating an artificial world. A documentary is something real, you have witnesses, people who went through it or who were around when it happened. So the preparation for a documentary is very different; it’s a living environment parallel to you and you’re joining it. My documentaries are a lot about political ideas and about the country, so it’s something entirely different. Making a documentary means much less work, much less money and much less stress. It’s simpler to be a documentarian.

Several of your films are based on true events, and “JFK” [1991] and “Snowden” are documentary-like features. Were they maybe your most difficult films to make?

They are difficult in the sense that you have to check everything and authenticate it. Obviously, fantasy gives you a lot more freedom: if you’re doing films like “Natural Born Killers” [1994], “U Turn” [1997] or “Savages” [2012], those are fictional. They give you more freedom, and you can f*ck around. When you’re doing “JFK” [1991], you really have to pay attention. There’s so much out there, and the film is so difficult to authenticate because it’s not like a book. The dialogue is difficult because those are real people and you don’t know what they really said. So you’re taking dramatic liberties.

When you did “Snowden,” you met Edward Snowden in unusual circumstances. What was he like?

He was very straightforward; he remindend me of a very bright boy scout. He doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t do drugs. He’s quiet, shy, polite and pleasent. He had one woman in his life at that time. He’s a serious man; I was very impressed with him and he’s not a celebrity type attention seeker. Not at all. Some people said that I made him a white knight in the movie, but they don’t know who he really is. If they knew him, they’d realize he is very sincere, very articulate, and he really believed that his oath was to the constitution—which it is—and not to the NSA or to the CIA. He was a whistleblower at twenty-nine, so I wanted to know and explore how and why he did that at such a young age.

“Snowden” (2016, trailer)

What film or filmmaker gave you the passion to become a filmmaker?

I went to the New York Film School and the message came from Martin Scorsese who was a teacher. I had done a short film of fourteen minutes, “Last Year in Viet Nam” [1971] and he liked it. He praised it and took it to class. That didn’t happen too often; short films were mostly criticized. That was the method; it was like a Chinese commune where you showed your work to the class and everyone went bla bla bla. But this time he threw it in the class and said, ‘This is a filmmaker.’ And he said, ‘Keep it personal.’ That’s what you have to do, keep it personal. That was very good. I felt very inspired by that and then I just kept going.

So then you began making personal films, and with “Midnight Express” [1978] and “Salvador” [1986], for example—not to mention your Vietnam War trilogy—you immediately put yourself on the map with message films. That reminds me of the films Stanley Kramer or Fred Zinnemann did, for example. Is that an accurate comparison?

That’s a tough question to answer, whether they are personal or not. You don’t know how Stanley Kramer really felt. He was an emotional man with a great conscience, and you know he was passionate about nuclear war; so he did “On the Beach” [1959] with that passion. And you know he wanted to be funny when he did a comedy [“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” 1963] with a lot of car crashes. He wasn’t funny, but he did make a point. “Judgement at Nuremberg” [1961] was about justice, bringing justice to the Nazis and America did the Nuremberg trials—the one good thing they did. And even then, it was compromised, but still he made the point of the Holocaust very clear. So I think we owe him because of the many films he did. They were motivated by passion. They weren’t motivated by politics, I don’t think so. It was in his heart. Of course, my interpretation of him may be different than critics who say, ‘He was just a producer.’ But I saw an early film he did with Frank Sinatra, “Not as a Stranger” [1955], and that was a very interesting film. Sinatra was great; he played the second doctor and Robert Mitchum was the first doctor who starts a relationship with a nurse who gives him the money to finish school. He uses her and then dumps her. But she comes back and plays a very good scene… But you asked a tough question. Zinnemann, I don’t relate to him the same way you do. I don’t. I knew him, I met him, but I don’t regard him in the same way. Kramer was special, although he made some stinkers too [laughs]. He also did a beautiful movie, “The Secret of Santa Vittoria” [196] with Anna Magnani, beautifully scripted, beautifully done. Anthony Quinn plays the major of this Italian town and nobody trusts him. He’s a layabout and Anna Magnani is his angry wife. That was a great movie and he should have gotten more credit for it, right?

Did it ever happen to you that you should have gotten more credit for a film you did?

Yeah. “Snowden” [2016]. I couldn’t finance it in the U.S. We moved the production to Germany because we thought we might be at risk in the United States. We had no idea what the NSA might or could do. So we financed it abroad, and that’s very disturbing: you make a film about an American and it’s not possible to finance it in the U.S.

Generally speaking, has it been easy for you to be an independent filmmaker and make most of your films without the financial support of the major studios?

I can’t rely on the studios, so I have always been independent. I bounce around with different independents. A lot of my films are owned by bankrupt corporations and sell-of assets. I work a lot with guys who get bankrupt [laughs]. I have been both ways and when I work with studios, the experience can be good. “Wall Street” [1987] was good, but the second Wall Street [“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” 2010] was not because that was made by [executive] Tom Rothman. He acted like a head and would tell you what to do. It’s a whole different attitude. We give studios the power, we entitle them—every filmmaker in some way has a relationship with the studios so he’s always thinking about them because he’s gotta deliver his film and they have the money. Sometimes you’re the slave of that money, and sometimes… f*ck ’em [laughs]. Some filmmakers are always fighting against the studios; it’s a tedious relationship because it’s a slave relationship. Unless you prefer independent. But then, of course, you have to go to them for distribution.

Alain Parker once told me he always wanted a production deal and at the same time a distribution deal, otherwise you have to go shopping with your film. Did you ever have to do that?

Of course. A lot. With “Nuclear Now” we were invited to Cannes where you can get a lot of publicity, but they wanted to hold the film for America in October, and by that time it was not noticed. But it’s okay; that’s the business and I get tired of promotion anyway. Besides, documentaries don’t need that. You just throw them out there and f*ck ’em. You know what I mean; you have to be a showman and you have to care. A showman cares about the results. To go through that again, watching box office, counting numbers,… all that stuff is pretty tiring.

Have you always been able to cast the actors that you wanted?

No, but I had pretty much freedom. I mean, it’s always a deal pressure kind of thing. They mention a few names and things happen. There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen, but somehow you have to be the master cook [laughs].

Does that mean you have to compromise?

Always. But you don’t have to say yes. I never say yes to an actor overnight. I have never done that. I have made mistakes, but I have never said yes to an actor right away.

When you write a screenplay, do you have certain actors in mind?

Yes, but that’s more elusive because by the time you go through the casting process, you have seen different interpretations and you may prefer an actor’s interpretation to your own. I had many actors reading for me—that helps—or I have them read on tape with a casting director and then I see the tape. You don’t have to be there always. Sometimes if you’re in the room, you’re the gorilla, you know.

In your films you always have a great cast of supporting actors, such as Sylvia Miles, Millie Perkins, Haing S. Ngor, Paul Sovino, E.G. Marshall, Eli Wallach, Madeline Kahn… Mel Brooks recently said that ‘Madeline Kahn was maybe the single best comedian that ever lived.’

Casting your supporting actors is always very special. Most of what you’re doing is picking supporting actors. The main actors line up on money deals; it’s a money situation with agents and lawyers. Whereas the supporting actors, that’s a different story, that’s really where the casting process kicks in.

How closely do you collaborate with your casting directors?

A lot because he or she will make suggestions and knows who is out there working or not. You don’t know and you can’t remember everything. Sometimes you have a thought in mind, like, ‘I want a Cary Grant type for this.’

You have a long and rewarding career as a filmmaker, with a string of highlights. Is there a secret, or is it always a challenge?

Well, it’s been okay. Is it a challenge? I would say yes. It’s a challenge to stay relevant, it’s a challenge to be interested in society but that naturally comes to me. My ideas may not be popular at the moment, but they are fresh—at least, to me, they are. I don’t talk like most directors, and I can’t stand most directors’ irresponsibility about political situations. Most directors want to be friends with everybody and avoid all controversy. But that’s not the way you should speak. You should speak your mind. But then you risk ostracism.

Did you ever have any problems with your actors?

Yeah sure. Some got drunk, some were uncommunicative and stubborn, some dropped out. Bill Paxton, for example, dropped out of “U Turn” [1997] and was replaced by Sean Penn because he didn’t understand his character.

How important are your three Oscars to you?

They look good in the corner. Memories. I think I’ve passed the level of merit. I see myself as a better filmmaker, although others may not agree. But the Oscars, it’s a game, you know. Oscar chasing is like high school politics where they want to be president of the class. I don’t like any of that.

You worked with a lot of great actors and big stars. Have you ever been starstruck?

Yes. When I was forty, I won an Oscar for [directing] “Platoon” [1986]. Liz Taylor presented me the Oscar on stage and then she kissed me. She was my sweetheart, my dream girl, during the 1950s and 1960s, so that was a special moment for me.

Millenium Documentary Film Festival Brussels,
March 15, 2024

Mr. Stone receives his Academy Award as Best Director for “Platoon” (1986)

FILMS

SUGAR COOKIES (1973) DIR Theodore Gershuny PROD Ami Artzi ASSOC PROD Oliver Stone, Jeffrey Kapelman, Garrard Glenn SCR Theodore Gershuny, Lloyd Kaufman CAM Hasse Wallin ED Dov Hoenig MUS Gershon Kingsley CAST George Shannon, Mary Woronov, Lynn Lowry, Monique Van Vooren, Maureen Byrnes, Daniel Sadur, Ondine, Jennifer Welles, Anthony Pompei, Alexandra Stewart

SEIZURE (1974) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Jeffrey Kapelman, Garrard L. Glenn SCR Oliver Stone, Edward Mann CAM Roger Racine ED Oliver Stone, Nobuko Oganesoff MUS Lee Gagnon CAST Jonathan Frid, Martine Beswick, Joe Sirola, Christina Pickles, Hervé Villechaize, Anne Meacham, Roger De Koven, Troy Donahue, Oliver Stone (voice only [uncredited])

MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (1978) DIR Alan Parker PROD David Puttnam, Alan Marshall SCR Oliver Stone (book “Midnight Express” [1977] by William Hayes, William Hoffer) CAM Michael Seresin MUS Giorgio Moroder CAST Brad Davis, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Randy Quaid, John Hurt, Mike Kellin, Paul Smith, Alan Parker

THE HAND (1981) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Edward R. Pressman SCR Oliver Stone (novel “The Lizard’s Tail” [1979] by Marc Brandel) CAM King Baggot ED Richard Marks MUS James Horner CAST Michael Caine, Andrea Marcovicci, Annie McEnroe, Bruce McGill, Viveca Lindfors, Rosemary Murphy, Mara Hobel, Oliver Stone (Bum)

CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982) DIR John Milius PROD Buzz Feitshans, Raffaella De Laurentiis SCR Oliver Stone, John Milius (story by Edward Summer; characters created by Robert E. Howard) CAM Duke Callaghan ED Carroll Timothy O’Meara MUS Basil Poledouris CAST Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones, Sandahl Bergman, Ben Davidson, Cassandra Gaviola, Gerry Lopez, Mako, Valerie Quennessen, William Smith, Max von Sydow, John Milius

SCARFACE (1983) DIR Brian De Palma PROD Martin Bergman SCR Oliver Stone (screenplay SCARFACE [1932] by Howard Hawks, Ben Hecht; novel “Scarface” [1929] by Armitage Trail) CAM John A. Alonzo ED David Ray, Gerald B. Greenberg MUS Giorgio Moroder CAST Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia, Miriam Colon, F. Murray Abraham, Paul Shenar, Brian De Palma, Charles Durning (voice only)

YEAR OF THE DRAGON (1985) DIR Michael Cimino PROD Dino De Laurentiis SCR Oliver Stone, Michael Cimino (novel “Year of the Dragon” [1981] by Robert Daley) CAM Alex Thomson ED Noëlle Boisson, Françoise Bonnot MUS David Mansfield CAST Mickey Rourke, John Lone, Ariane, Leonard Termo, Raymond J. Barry, Caroline Kava, Eddie Jones, Joey Chin, Victor Wong

8 MILLION WAYS TO DIE (1986) DIR Hal Ashby PROD Stephen J. Roth SCR Oliver Stone, R. Lance Hill [David Lee Henry] (book “Eight Million Ways to Die” [1983] by Lawrence Block) CAM Stephen H. Burum ED Robert Lawrence, Stuart H. Pappé MUS James Newton Howard CAST Jeff Bridges, Rosanna Arquette, Alexandra Paul, Randy Brooks, Andy Garcia, Lisa Sloan, Christa Denton, Vance Valencia

SALVADOR (1986) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Oliver Stone, Gerald Green SCR Oliver Stone, Richard Boyle CAM Robert Richardson ED Claire Simpson MUS Georges Delerue CAST James Woods, Jim Belushi, Michael Murphy, John Savage, Elpedia Carrillo, Cindy Gibb, Tony Plana, Colby Chester, Sean Stone

PLATOON (1986) DIR – SCR Oliver Stone PROD Arnold Kopelson CAM Robert Richardson ED Claire Simpson MUS Georges Delerue CAST Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Depp, Francesco Quinn, Oliver Stone (Alpha Company Major in Bunker)

WALL STREET (1987) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Edward R. Pressman SCR Oliver Stone, Stanley Weiser CAM Robert Richardson ED Claire Simpson MUS Stewart Copeland CAST Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Daryl Hannah, Hal Holbrook, Sean Young, James Spader, Sylvia Miles, Richard Dysart, Millie Perkins, James Karen, Terence Stamp, Martin Sheen, Josh Mostel, Monique Van Vooren, Oliver Stone (Trader)

TALK RADIO (1988) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Edward R. Pressman, A. Kitman Ho SCR Oliver Stone, Eric Bogosian (play “Talk Radio” [1987] by Eric Bogosian, Tad Savinar; book “Talked to Death: The Life and Murder of Alan Berg” [1987] by Stephen Singular) CAM Robert Richardson ED David Brenner, Joe Hutshing MUS Stewart Copeland CAST Eric Bogosian, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Greene, Leslie Hope, John C. McGinley, John Pankow, Michael Wincott, Linda Atkinson, Robert Trebor, Zach Grenier

BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Oliver Stone, A. Kitman Ho SCR Oliver Stone Ron Kovic (book “Born on the Fourth of July” [1976] by Ron Kovic) CAM Robert Richardson ED David Brenner, Joe Hutshing MUS John Williams CAST Tom Cruise, Kyra Sedgwick, Raymond J. Barry, Jerry Levine, Frank Whaley, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, Ed Lauter, Stephen Baldwin, Tom Sizemore, Ron Kovic, Sean Stone, Oliver Stone (News Reporter)

BLUE STEEL (1989) DIR Kathryn Bigelow PROD Oliver Stone, Edward R. Pressman SCR Kathryn Bigelow, Eric Red CAM Amir Mokri MUS Brad Fiedel ED Lee Percy CAST Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver, Louise Fletcher, Clancy Brown, Elizabeth Peña, Philip Bosco, Richard Jenkins, Markus Flanagan, Mary mara, Mike Starr

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE (1990) DIR Barbet Schroeder PROD Oliver Stone, Edward R. Pressman SCR Nicholas Kazan (book “Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case” [1985] by Alan M. Dershowitz) CAM Luciano Tovoli ED Lee Percy MUS Mark Isham CAST Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Ron Silver, Annabella Sciorra, Uta Hagen, Fisher Stevens, Jack Gilpin, Christine Baranski

THE DOORS (1991) DIR Oliver Stone PROD A. Kitman Ho, Sasha Harari, Bill Graham SCR Oliver Stone, Randall Jahnson CAM Robert Richardson ED David Brenner, Joe Hutshing CAST Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley, Kevin Dillon, Michael Wincott, Michael Madsen, Billy Idol, Kathleen Quinlan, Sean Stone, Christopher Lawford, Jennifer Tilly, Oliver Stone (UCLA Film Professor [uncredited])

JFK (1991) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Oliver Stone, A. Kitman Ho SCR Oliver Stone (book “On the Trail of the Assassins” [1988] by Jim Garrison; book “Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy” [1989] by Jim Marrs) CAM Robert Richardson ED Joe Hutshing, Pietro Scalia MUS John Williams CAST Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Oldman, Michael Rooker, Sissy Spacek, Jack Lemmon, Joe Pesci, Walter Matthau, John Candy, Edward Asner, Lolita Davidovich, Sally Kirkland, John Laroquette, Sean Stone, Martin Sheen (voice only)

IRON MAZE (1991) DIR Hiroaki Yoshida PROD Ilona Herzberg, Hidenori Ueki EXEC PROD Oliver Stone, Edward R.. Pressman SCR Tim Metcalfe (screen story by Hiroaki Yoshida, Tim Mecalfe; short story “In a Grove” [1922] by Ryûnosuke Agutagawa) CAM Morio Saegusa ED Bonnie Koehler MUS Stanley Myers CAST Jeff Fahey, Bridget Fonda, J.T. Walsh, Hiroaki Murakami, Gabriel Damon, John Randolph, Peter Allas, Carmen Flipi

ZEBRAHEAD (1992) DIR – SCR Anthony Drazan PROD Charles Mitchell, Jeff Dowd, William F. Willett EXEC PROD Oliver Stone, Janet Yang CAM Maryse Alberti ED Elizabeth Kling MUS Taj Mahal CAST Michael Rapaport, Kevin Corrigan, Lois Bendler, Dan Ziskie, DeShonn Castle, N’Bushe Wright, Marsha Florence, Shula Van Buren, Ray Sharkey

SOUTH CENTRAL (1992) DIR Stephen Milburn Anderson [Steve Anderson] PROD Janet Yang, William B. Steakley EXEC PROD Oliver Stone SCR Stephen Milburn Anderson [Steve Anderson] (novel “The Original South Central L.A. Crips” [1987] by Donald Bakeer) CAM Charlie Lieberman ED Steven Nevius MUS Tim Truman CAST Glenn Plummer, Carl Lumbly, Byron Minns, Lexie Bigham, Vincent Craig Dupree, LaRita Shelby, Kevin Best, Big Daddy Wayne

THE JOY LUCK CLUB (1993) DIR Wayne Wang PROD Wayne Wang, Amy Tan, Ron Bass, Patrick Markey EXEC Oliver Stone, Janet Wang SCR Any Tan, Ron Bass (novel “The Joy Luck Club” [1989] by Amy Tan) CAM Amir Mokri ED Maysie Hoy MUS Rachel Portman CAST Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu, Ming-Na Wen, Tamlyn Tomita, Lauren Tom, Rosalind Chao, Chao Li Chi, Andrew McCarthy, Diane Baker, Amy Tan

HEAVEN & EARTH (1993) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Oliver Stone, A. Kutman Ho, Robert Kline, Arnon Milchan SCR Oliver Stone (books “When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman’s Journey from War to Peace” [1989] and “Child of War, Woman of Peace” [1993] by Le Ly Hayslip) CAM Robert Richardson ED David Brenner, Sally Menke MUS Kitarô CAST Tommy Lee Jones, Joan Chen, Hiep Thi Le, Haing S. Ngor, Thuan K. Nguyen, Thuan Le, Dustin Nguyen, Debbie Reynolds, Conchata Ferrell, Sean Stone

NATURAL BORN KILLERS (1994) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Don Murphy, Jane Hamsher, Clayton Townsend SCR Oliver Stone, Richard Rutowski, David Veloz (story by Quentin Tarantino) CAM Robert Richardson ED Brian Berdan, Hank Corwin MUS Brent Lewis CAST Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, Tom Sizemore, Rodney Dangerfield, Everett Quinton, Jared Harris, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Edie McClurg, Russell Means, Lanny Flaherty, Sean Stone

THE NEW AGE (1994) DIR – SCR Michael Tolkin PROD Keith Addis, Nick Wechsler EXEC PROD Oliver Stone, Arnon Milchan CAM John J. Campbell ED Suzanne Fenn MUS Mark Mothersbaugh CAST Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Patrick Bauchau, Rachel Rosenthal, Adam West, Paula Marshall, Bruce Ramsay, Tanya Pohlkotte, Susan Traylor, Patricia Heaton, Samuel L. Jackson

KILLER: A JOURNAL OF MURDER (1995) DIR Tim Metcalfe PROD Mark Levinson, Janet Yang EXEC PROD Oliver Stone, Melinda Jason SCR Tim Metcalfe (book “Killer: A Journal of Murder” [1970] by James O. Long, Thomas E. Gaddis) CAM Ken Kelsch ED Richard Gentner MUS Graeme Revell CAST James Woods, Robert Sean Leonard, Ellen Greene, Cara Buono, Robert John Burke, Richard Riehle, Harold Gould, John Bedford Lloyd, Jeffrey DeMunn

NIXON (1995) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Oliver Stone, Clayton Townsend, Andrew G. Vajna SCR Oliver Stone, Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson CAM Robert Richardson ED Brian Berdan, Hank Corwin MUS John Williams CAST Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, Powers Boothe, Ed Harris, Bob Hoskins, David Paymer, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Sorvino, Mary Steenburgen, J.T. Walsh, James Woods, E.G. Marshall, Tony Goldwyn, Larry Hagman, Edward Herrmann, Madeline Kahn, Dan Hedaya, Tony Lo Bianco, Sean Stone

EVITA (1996) DIR Alan Parker PROD Alan Parker, Robert Stigwood, Andrew G. Vajna SCR Oliver Stone, Alan Parker (musical play “Evita” [1978] by Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber) CAM Darius Khondji MUS Andrew Lloyd Webber CAST Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce, Jimmy Nail, Victoria Sus, Julian Littman, Olga Merediz, Alan Parker

FREEWAY (1996) DIR – SCR Matthew Bright PROD Brad Wyman, Chris Hanley EXEC PROD Oliver Stone, Dan Halsted, Donald Kushner, Peter Locke, Richard Rutowski CAM John Thomas ED Maysie Hoy MUS Danny Elfman CAST Kiefer Sutherland, Reese Witherspoon, Brittany Murphy, Dan Hedaya, Amanda Plummer, Brooke Shields, Conchata Ferrell, Kathleen Marshall

THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT (1996) DIR Milos Forman PROD Oliver Stone, Janet Yang, Michael Hausman SCR Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski CAM Philippe Rousselot ED Christopher Tellefson MUS Thomas Newman CAST Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton, Bret Harrelson, Donna Hanover, James Cromwell, Crispin Glover, Vincent Schiavelli, Larry Flynt

U TURN (1997) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Clayton Townsend SCR John Ridley (also book “Stray Dogs”) CAM Robert Richardson ED Hank Corwin, Thomas J. Nordberg MUS Ennio Morricone CAST Sean Penn, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Nolte, Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Voight, Powers Boothe, Bo Hopkins, Joaquin Phoenix, Claire Danes, Laurie Metcalf, Sean Stone

COLD AROUND THE HEART (1997) DIR – SCR John Ridley PROD Dan Halsted, Adam Merims, Craig Baumgarten EXEC PROD Oliver Stone, Richard Rutowski CAM Malik Hassan Sayeed ED Eric L. Beason MUS Mason Daring CAST David Caruso, Kelly Lynch, Stacey Dash, Chris Noth, John Spencer, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Richard Kind, Kirk Baltz, Jennifer Jostyn

SAVIOR (1998) DIR Predrag Antonijevic PROD Oliver Stone, Janet Yang SCR Robert Orr CAM Ian Wilson ED Gabriella Cristiani, Ian Crafford MUS David Robbins CAST Dennis Quaid, Nastassja Kinski, Stellan Skarsgård, John Maclaren, Catlin Foster, Dusan Perkovic, Natasa Ninkovic, Miodrag Miki Krstovic, Ljiljana Blagojevic

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (1999) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Clayton Townsend EXEC PROD Oliver Stone, Richard Donner SCR Oliver Stone, John Logan (also screen story) CAM Salvatore Totino ED Stuart Levy, Thomas J. Nordberg, Keith Salmon, Stuart Walks MUS Paul Kelly, Richard Horowitz CAST Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, James Woods, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, Matthew Modine, Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Bill Bellamy, Andrew Bryniarski, Ann-Margret, Aaron Eckhart, Charlton Heston, Sean Stone, Oliver Stone (Tug Kowalski, TV Announcer #1)

ALEXANDER (2004) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Iain Smith, Thomas Schühly, Jon Kilik, Moritz Borman SCR Oliver Stone, Christopher Kyle, Laeta Kalogridis CAM Rodrigo Prieto ED Yann Hervé, Gladys Joujou, Alex Márquez, Thomas J. Nordberg MUS Vangelis CAST Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Jared Leto, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Plummer, Gary Stretch

WORLD TRADE CENTER (2006) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Debra Hill, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, Moritz Borman SCR Oliver Stone (based on the true stories by John McLoughlin, Donna McLoughlin, William Jimeno, Allison Jimeno) CAM Seamus McGarvey ED Julie Monroe, David Brenner MUS Craig Armstrong CAST Nicolas Cage, Maria Bello, Michael Peña, Jay Hernandez, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Patti D’Arbanville, Connor Paolo, Anthony Piccininni

W. (2008) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Moritz Borman, Bill Block, Paul Hanson, Eric Kopeloff SCR Stanley Weiser CAM Phedon Papamichael ED Julie Monroe, Joe Hutshing, Alexis Chavez MUS Paul Cantelon CAST Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Colin Hanks, Scott Glenn, Richard Dreyfuss, Ellen Burstyn, Stacy Keach, Bruce McGill, Sean Stone

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS (2010) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Edward R. Pressman, Eric Kopeloff, Oliver Stone [uncredited] SCR Allan Loeb, Stephen Schiff (characters created by Oliver Stone, Stanley Weiser) CAM Rodrigo Prieto ED David Brenner, Julie Monroe MUS Craig Armstrong CAST Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan, Frank Langella, Josh Brolin, Susan Sarandon, Eli Wallach, Charlie Sheen, Sean Stone, Oliver Stone (Investor)

SAVAGES (2012) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Moritz Borman, Eric Kopeloff SCR Oliver Stone, Don Winslow, Shane Salerno (novel “Savages” [2010] by Don Winslow) CAM Dan Mindel ED Joe Hutshing, Stuart Levy, Alex Márquez MUS Adam Peters CAST John Travolta, Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro, Emile Hirsch, Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Diego Cataño, Shea Whigham, Karishma Ahluwalia, Sean Stone

SNOWDEN (2015) DIR Oliver Stone PROD Fernando Sulichin, Philip Schulz-Deyle, Eric Kopeloff, Moritz Borman SCR Oliver Stone, Kieran Fitzgerald (book “The Snowden Files” [2014] by Luke Harding; book “Time of the Octopus” [2015] by Anatoly Kucherena) CAM Anthony Dod Mantle MUS Craig Armstrong ED Alex Marquez CAST Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Scott Eastwood, Rhys Ifans, Tom Wilkinson, Melissa Leo, Ben Chaplin