Born on the 4th of July: the moving true story behind the film

Broadcast this Friday, March 31, 2023 at 9 p.m. on France 5, Born on July 4 is one of the defining films of the 80s, with a Tom Cruise transformed into the role of a Vietnam veteran. A shock film transposed from a true story.

Impossible to deny it, war is a terrible thing. The conflict in Ukraine, which regularly mobilizes television channels, unfortunately reminds us of this every day. For the cinema, battles and destinies shattered by the clash of arms have given rise to many very emotional productions. The First World War was thus the occasion of a technical tour de force for Sam Mendes in his impressive 1917. The Second World War has been illustrated by many films, such as We have to save the soldier Ryan (1998) and its striking reconstruction of the Landings, or, more recently, Dunkirkwhich returned to the incredible Operation Dynamo.

Born on the 4th of July, one of many Hollywood films about the Vietnam War

If there is one war that has been illustrated many times, it is that of Vietnam. A real national trauma in the United States, the quagmire very quickly became the center of some of the greatest Hollywood films. So Apocalypse Now (1979) and its nightmarish shooting, Journey to the End of Hell (1979) directed by the late Michael Cimino, or Platoon (1986), cult film of the 80s plunged into the hell of boys sent to the other side of the world. On the same theme, another production made an impression. Released in French theaters in February 1990 (December 1989 in the USA), the film Born on July 4 follows the journey of a “Nam” veteran and his struggle to find meaning in his life.

Ron Kovic, a veteran played by Tom Cruise

As Platoon, the film is directed by Olivier Stone, himself a Vietnam veteran. This heartbreaking masterpiece won two Oscars, including Best Director. It is interpreted by Tom Cruise still at the beginning of his career and crowned with the immense success of Top Gun. Breaking his image of handsome Hollywood kid, the actor finds there one of the greatest roles of his career. He lends his features to Ron Kovic, a true Vietnam veteran whose destiny is transposed to the screen. Born July 4, 1946 to a Croatian father and an Irish mother, Kovic joined the Marines in 1964 and quickly enlisted for Vietnam. Four years later, he was wounded by enemy fire which hit his spine and left his lower limbs paralyzed. Decorated with the famous Purple Heart, he suffered an accident in 1969 and ended up in hospital. Shocked by the treatment reserved for war wounded, Kovic committed himself to the peace movement and related his story in a book published in 1976, which served as the basis for the screenplay of Born on July 4. He gave his medal to Tom Cruise in 1990 after filming the film.