Hollywood filmmaker Oliver Stone put in a smiley appearance as he attended the Victory Day military parade in Russia on Friday.
The esteemed US director, 78, is known for tackling various subjects, including war and politics, in his work, while he’s also made dramas and biopics.
With three Academy Awards, a Bafta, an Emmy, and five Golden Globes to his name, it’s no surprise he drew attention during the celebrations, given that he’s behind some of the most iconic movies.
The military parade took place in Moscow for the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany during World War II.
Meticulously choreographed with fine detail, the parade occurred in the capital’s Red Square and was attended by over 20 global leaders, including China’s President Xi Jinping and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Leaders from the United States and Africa were also present.
Stone was in high spirits among the crowd, dressed in smart attire of a white shirt, red tie, and camel coat.
He also shielded his eyes with a pair of red sunglasses and added the black and orange Saint George’s ribbon to his lapel.
Also among attendees yesterday was American actor Steven Seagal. The 73-year-old was dressed in all black as he attempted to blend in with the pack of spectators.
Stone has an extensive military background himself, having risen to notoriety in the late 1980s for his movies about the Vietnam War, in which he also participated as an infantry soldier.
The acclaimed director served from 1967 to 1968 in the 25th Infantry and 1st Cavalry Divisions and was wounded twice in action.
He is the proud owner of several honours awarded for his service, including a Bronze Star for valour, an Air Medal, and an Oak Leaf Cluster to recognise the two wounds.
Speaking last November during a Vietnam at 50 lecture, Stone reflected on his decision to enlist in the army, spending a year in South Vietnam as a teacher but leaving with more questions.
‘I didn’t feel like my education was complete. I was still confused about what was going on because I didn’t understand all of the politics. I went back because I didn’t feel that I knew enough. I didn’t want to be a fraud.’
He continued: ‘I felt like I had to go to this war to understand it. I had to go back. I had already seen a bit of it from the fringes, but I went right into the heart of it in ‘67.’
Several years following his return from war, he would struggle with his mental health, but managed to overcome the challenges and attend film school.
Stone went on to depict the brutality of war in his Vietnam trilogy, which included 1986’s Platoon, which starred Johnny Depp and Willem Dafoe; Born on the Fourth of July (1989), starring Tom Cruise; and Heaven & Earth (1993), with Tommy Lee Jones.
Platoon, specifically, was, in part, inspired by Stone’s own experiences on the frontlines. It won four Academy Awards, including best picture.
The Oscar-winning best director is also behind controversial flicks such as The Putin Interviews (2017), having hailed the Russian dictator as a ‘great leader’ for the country and a ‘very refined individual’.
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Speaking about the longest-serving Russian President Putin’s leadership in 2017, he said that the ‘Russian people have never been better off’.
Other divisive films from Stone include those that critics have used to accuse him of promoting conspiracy theories.
For example, 1991’s JFK examined the investigation into the assassination of John F. Kennedy by New Orleans attorney Jim Garrison, who believed there was a conspiracy behind the assassination and that shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, was scapegoated.
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