Hollywood at home

More Information

Platoon
platoon Charlie Sheen's voice serves as the narrator of the film.

~~~ Platoon was filmed in the Philippines. ~~~ Oliver Stone was the first Vietnam veteran to direct a major motion picture about the Vietnam War and win an Oscar. ~~~ Vietnam banned the film. ~~~ The actors had to endure the rigorous experiences of boot camp for two week in the Philippines prior to the start of filming. ~~~ The movie was filmed nearly sequentially; as soon as their characters were killed in the movie, the actors returned home. ~~~ In many U.S. military leadership classes, the character of Lt. Wolfe (Mark Moses) is used as an example of how not to behave as a junior officer. ~~~ The final battle in the movie was a recreation of an actual event that was witnessed by technical advisor Dale Dye, who was a combat correspondent with 2nd Btn, 3rd Marines.

Information gathered from IMdB and TMCDb

Upcoming Hollywood at Home Features

Platoon, Saturday, April 26th at 9 p.m.
Cabaret, Saturday, May 3rd at 9 p.m.
Saturday, May 10th, Double Feature, Some Like It Hot, at 9 .p.m., The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, at 11 p.m.
The Train, Saturday, May 17th at 9 p.m.
Separate Tables, Saturday, May 24th at 9 p.m.

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Join Victoria Lucas as our host for Hollywood at Home. Lucas provides historical background and a Hollywood insider's look at our Saturday night films. A film producer and screenwriting consultant, Lucas comes from a family of actors, producers, writers, and directors. Join Lucas each week for fascinating insights to our Hollywood at Home feature.

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This Week

platoon Saturday, April 26 at 9 p.m.

Platoon, written and directed by Oliver Stone, is a war film is based on Stone’s experiences as a U.S. infantry soldier during the Vietnam War. This film is the first of three movies that make up Stone’s Vietnam War trilogy, which includes Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Heaven & Earth (1993).

The film stars Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, and Charlie Sheen. Platoon won an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1986.

platoon poster Plot

In 1967, college dropout Chris Taylor (Sheen), enlists during the Vietnam War and is stationed near the Cambodian border. When he arrives, Taylor is labeled a rookie and treated as an outsider. He soon has to adjust to a daily life of bloodshed, drugs, and hopelessness. Over time, Taylor is accepted by the men in the platoon. The more comfortable he is with his comrades, the more aware he is of the night-and-day personalities of two officers, Sergeant Robert Barnes (Berenger), ill tempered and ruthless, and the calm and rational Sergeant Elias Grodin (Dafoe).

While on patrol, the platoon come across a nearby village and discover a supply cache. The soldiers attempt to determine if the villagers are assisting the Vietcong, the situation quickly spirals out of control, the two officers clash, and as a result the village is burned.

Taylor faces various horrors of war throughout the remainder of the film. He realizes the soldiers not only fight the Vietcong, but must battle another enemy within themselves - their conscience. Amidst a world filled with violence, death, and misery, Platoon communicates the story of Taylor’s struggle with the gray areas of what is right, what is wrong, and what is necessary.

Airs Saturday, April 26 at 9 p.m.