Born on the Fourth of July: Collector’s Edition (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Dec 11, 2024
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
Oliver StoneRelease Date(s)
1989 (November 12, 2024)Studio(s)
Ixtlan Productions/Universal Pictures (Shout! Studios/Shout Select)- Film/Program Grade: B+
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B+
Review
The meteoric rise of Oliver Stone following the release of Platoon paved the way for a genuine auteur to work with studio resources. His particular brand of loud, brash and unsettling subject matter forced audiences to actually think critically of all the art that came before, a feat in and of itself. Stone had worked with author Ron Kovic on adapting his memoir Born on the Fourth of July back in the late 1970s. The project never took off then, but Stone returned after the success of Platoon with a bit more power in convincing Universal Pictures to produce it. Although Universal only allocated 14 million dollars to the production, they agreed to produce it under the condition they hire a megastar in the lead role. Stone, the cantankerous man that he was and still is, initially disagreed to cast Tom Cruise because he held 1986’s Top Gun to be a “fascist movie.” He eventually agreed to Cruise being the lead and a rigorous pre-production began, in which Cruise spent a year preparing for the role. The insane pre-production story of Stone telling Cruise that he should be injected with a paralytic to become closer to the role is true, although I guess maybe we shouldn’t be surprised given how many times Cruise has put his life on the line for roles over the years.
Born on the Fourth of July follows Vietnam war veteran and huge anti-war activist Ron Kovic (Cruise) from his days as a kid living in Massapequa, NY, to his appearance at the 1976 Democratic National Convention. We’re exposed to the great joys of Kovic’s life, like falling in love in high school and feeling like the entire world is within his grasp. But it’s when he watches John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address in which he feels spurred to enlist in the Marines, much to the dismay of his WWII veteran father. Soon enough, he’s whisked off to Vietnam and serves for two tours of duty. During a reconnaissance mission in 1967 in which Kovic’s squadron mistakenly kill Vietnamese villagers, Kovic becomes overwhelmed and confused, leading him to accidentally shoot and kill Private Wilson (Michael Compotaro). Kovic reports the friendly fire to his superior, who advises him to say no more of this. Just a few months later, Kovic is paralyzed from the mid-chest down by gunfire during a firefight. Then begins Kovic’s next war: his battle to recover and live a life back home, haunted by everything he witnessed and did in Vietnam.
I’ll save you any other plot points therein, as Stone is the proper force to really make this sweeping story of American ideals torn asunder land as hard as it should. But on the other hand, Stone is also the exact filmmaker to be somewhat ignorant and close-minded when it comes to Kovic’s journey from an idealistic kid in Massapequa to a full-blown anti-war activist. The film ends on Kovic being supported by the Democratic National Convention as the party campaigns to end the Vietnam War with Jimmy Carter as their nominee. It’d be one thing if the film showed how Kovic’s distrust in political parties stemmed from their inefficiency to act on behalf of their constituents, but the film is sanded down to an extent. We’re able to witness the atrocities of war and hate the treatment of Kovic in the underfunded VA hospital in which he languished for far too long, however we’re left with very little to chew on when it comes to how the country can actually change to support people like Kovic.
That isn’t to say that Born on the Fourth of July isn’t an engaging, worthwhile drama that pulls no punches. It’s just that the punches aren’t always directed in their anger and frustration. But at the core of the film is the terrific performance by Cruise, showcasing the full range of his talents while bringing that inexplicable on-screen magnetism to moral quandaries he mostly wouldn’t have to deal with later on in his career. And with the breathless cinematography by Robert Richardson in gorgeous Panavision, widescreen has almost never felt this massive and unrelenting. It’s a film that will endure because nothing this critical of American idealism was released this big, loud and brash at the time of its release. You can even say that this and Platoon opened the door for Hollywood-produced war films to be more critical of American idealism.
Born on the Fourth of July was shot by cinematographer Robert Richardson on a mix of 35mm and 16mm sources. For the 35mm segments, which account for the majority for the presentation, the production used Panavision Panaflex and Panaflex Gold II camera rigs with Panavision E- and C-Series lenses. And for the 16mm segments, they still used a Panavision rig loaded with 16mm or Super 16mm stock depending on what they were filming. Most of the 16mm segments are reserved for the Democratic National Convention sequence at the end where they combine archival footage with what they shot. The entire film was also shot anamorphic, resulting in an absolutely gorgeous image with a fine grain field and deep, resplendent textures.
Shout Studios presents Born on the Fourth of July on 4K Ultra HD in 2160p with Dolby Vision HDR (High Dynamic Range), an HEVC encode that offers bitrates that hover between 85-95Mbps and framed in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. (HDR10 is also included.) This presentation is sourced from a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative that was supervised and approved by Oliver Stone. For those wondering if this is another situation like Platoon, where there was some hasty DNR acting as a scourge on the transfer, I’ve got terrific news. This is a reference-grade presentation that corrects all the ailments of previous disc releases of the film. The film has never had the strongest color palette, choosing instead to revel in the earthy textures and clothing worn during the era, but key sequences astound in clarity and depth. The war sequences look remarkable with the orange dust confusing Kovic finally rendered properly with the grain and not DNR’d into a static mess, plus that final Democratic National Convention sequence finally revels in the heavier grain field before transitioning to archival footage. With this sturdy HEVC encode, the mixed shooting methods are no challenge anymore and black levels are finally deep and inky as they should be. The Dolby Vision HDR compression helps bring the most out of the highlights and finite details without anything getting blown out. This is truly a stellar presentation through and through.
As for audio, we’ve got three options to choose from: a new Dolby Atmos track, the 5.1 track based on the original 6-track stereo mix for 70mm prints and a 2.0 original stereo track. The new Atmos track is a worthwhile mix of the old with new technology, employing the upward- and downward-firing channels to handle environmental effects like gunfire and fireworks. I’ll say that dialogue is mixed a few decibels lower than in the 5.1 track, although I get there’s much more sound direction through the various channels in the Atmos track over the 5.1. All in all, a great presentation that honors the source and has a couple tricks up its sleeve. The 5.1 track is a bit more well-rounded than the Atmos track, in my opinion, making terrific use of your common surround channels to recreate what the film sounded like in theaters playing it on 70mm originally. It’s a robust, assaultive track during the war sequences and also heartbreaking and elegiac during Kovic’s recovery. The 2.0 stereo track is similarly great but naturally lacking in dynamic range compared to its 5.1 counterpart. All in all, this is a terrific collection of tracks encoded in the DTS-HD Master Audio lossless codec, save for the Atmos track of course.
Born on the Fourth of July marches triumphantly home with a two-disc 4K and Blu-ray package that comes housed in a standard black Amaray case with a slipcover over it. The 4K disc is a BD-100 and the Blu-ray is a BD-50. The following bonus features are included on each disc:
DISC ONE: UHD
- Audio Commentary by Matt Zoller Seitz
- Audio Commentary by Oliver Stone
DISC TWO: BD
- Audio Commentary by Matt Zoller Seitz
- Audio Commentary by Oliver Stone
- The Battlefield at Home: Interview with Oliver Stone (HD – 13:15)
- The Ghost Generation: Interview with Special Makeup Effects Artist Gordon J. Smith (HD – 12:00)
- The War Continues: Interview with Associate Producer Clayton Townsend (HD – 11:32)
- TV Spots (SD – 6 in all – 2:04)
- Theatrical Trailers (SD – 4 in all – 9:44)
- Edie Brickell & New Bohemians: A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall Music Video (SD – 3:57)
On the special features front, Shout has done their due diligence and provided this new release with some wonderful newly-produced supplements that fans are sure to enjoy. The interview with Stone is a 13-minute rundown of Stone’s involvement in the project, from his work dramatizing events in Kovic’s memoir to shooting in the Philippines. The new commentary track with Matt Zoller Seitz is the most illuminating supplement in this package, as the critic naturally flips back and forth between talking about what’s happening in the scene and how that applies to the overarching themes that Stone was going after. Seitz was also an extra on the film, plus has conducted many interviews with Stone since the release of the film, resulting in a mind full of knowledge about this film and the wherewithal to communicate it all properly. A terrific commentary track through and through. While the Backstory: Born on the Fourth of July featurette from previous DVD and Blu-ray releases is missing, this is a great collection of supplements to refine or renew your interest in the film.
Born on the Fourth of July is still every bit the foundation-shaking Hollywood effort it was when it was released back in 1989. While some elements feel broad and marred by some self-righteousness, the astonishing filmmaking remains, as does Tom Cruise’s terrific performance. Shout Studios has done remarkable work in making this film ready for the ultimate viewing experience at home, and their new 4K and Blu-ray package stands as proof of that fact. Pick this one up with the utmost confidence!
- Sam Cohen
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