Two-Disc 20th Anniversary Edition of Oliver Stone’s Platoon in May

By M&C News Mar 20, 2006, 19:57 GMT

In Platoon, Chris Taylor (Sheen) is a young, naive American who, upon his arrival to Vietnam, quickly discovers that he must do battle not only with the Viet Cong, but also with the gnawing fear, physical exhaustion and intense anger growing within him.  While his two commanding officers (Berenger and Dafoe) draw a fine line between the war they wage against the enemy and the one they fight with each ...more

MGM and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced they will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Oliver Stone’s four-time Academy Award-winning film Platoon with a new two-disc collector’s edition DVD on May 30th with a suggested retail price of $24.96. The new DVD will feature a new high-definition transfer, hours of bonus features - including more than ten minutes of never-before-seen deleted and extended scenes from the film.

“The standard against which all other movies about the Vietnam War are judged” (Chicago Tribune) – Platoon –from renowned Writer/Director Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July, JFK) - featured a legendary cast including Charlie Sheen (Wall Street, TV’s “Two and a Half Men”), Tom Berenger (Training Day, Major League), Willem Dafoe (The Aviator, Spiderman), Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and John C. McGinley (TV’s “Scrubs,” Puff, Puff, Pass). Platoon became an immediate, unforgettable success when it debuted in 1986, bringing in a record $135 million at the box office.
 
In Platoon, Chris Taylor (Sheen) is a young, naive American who, upon his arrival to Vietnam, quickly discovers that he must do battle not only with the Viet Cong, but also with the gnawing fear, physical exhaustion and intense anger growing within him.  While his two commanding officers (Berenger and Dafoe) draw a fine line between the war they wage against the enemy and the one they fight with each other, the conflict, chaos and hatred permeate Taylor, suffocating his realities and numbing his feelings to man’s highest value - life.

At the 1986 Academy Awards, Platoon garnered four Oscar wins including Best Picture, Best Director (Oliver Stone), Best Screenplay and Best Sound. Since then, the film has consistently been heralded as the most “harrowingly realistic and completely convincing” (Leonard Maltin) film of its kind.
 
Produced by Arnold Kopelson (Seven, The Devil’s Advocate), Platoon starkly depicts the horrid ordeals American soldiers experienced in Vietnam – including Stone himself, on whose experiences the film is based.
 
The Platoon Twentieth Anniversary Collector’s Edition will arrive in time for Father’s Day with a pristine high-definition transfer and hours of bonus materials including new documentaries and featurettes, and new interviews with Oliver Stone and Vietnam veterans. 
 
Complete DVD bonus features include:
Deleted Scenes and Extended Scenes with Commentary by Oliver Stone
New Interviews with Oliver Stone
New Interviews with Vietnam Veterans
“Creating the ‘Nam” Documentary
“One War, Many Stories” Documentary
“Raw Wounds: The Legacy of Platoon” Documentary
“Snapshot in Time: 1967-1968” Documentary
“Preparing for ‘Nam” Featurette
“Tour of the Inferno” Documentary, featuring Interviews with the Director, Cast and Crew
Audio Commentary by Director/Writer Oliver Stone
Audio Commentary by Military Supervisor Captain Dale Dye
Behind the Scenes & Poster Galleries
Eight-Page Journal Pamphlet
Original Theatrical Trailer & TV Spots
Previews

The DVD will be available in English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DTS, French Surround Sound and Spanish Stereo Surround. It will be available in a 1.85:1 16x9 Widescreen Presentation.

Platoon – The 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition is now available for pre-order at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.