Salvador

Salvador (1986)

Timing: 2:3 (123 min)

7.01/10
336

7.518/10
5286

7.3/10
25000

All about film

Video 1

Photo 20

Actors and characters

Release date

1986-04-23

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Production

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Hemdale Film, Cinema '85

Genre

Drama, War, Thriller

Budget

$4 500 000

Revenue

$1 500 000

Website

Director

Oliver Stone

Actors

James Woods, Jim Belushi, Michael Murphy, John Savage, Tony Plana, Colby Chester, Cynthia Gibb, Will MacMillan, Valerie Wildman, José Carlos Ruiz
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Oliver Stone, Rick Boyle

Producer

Oliver Stone, Bob Morones, Brad H. Aronson, Gerald Green, Derek Gibson, John Daly

Operator

Robert Richardson

Composer

Georges Delerue

Artist

Audition

Bob Morones

Editing

Claire Simpson
All team (25)

• A consultant working on the film was killed in El Salvador during filming.
• After discovering a blank cartridge in the gun that could have harmed his health, James Woods refused to continue filming, causing another scandal between the actors and the crew.
• According to James Woods, as he was leaving a screening of the film at a cinema, a Salvadoran refugee approached him and tearfully thanked him for telling the story of her family's murder in the film.
• Director Oliver Stone faced certain difficulties in financing the film. He had to mortgage his own home, but then British producer John Daly promised financial support for the film. The film's budget was just under $5 million.
• The confession scene featuring James Woods' character was improvised from beginning to end. Woods believed that this scene was the reason he was nominated for an Oscar.
• Originally, Oliver Stone wanted to cast Marlon Brando (1924-2004) in the lead role, but also considered offering it to Paul Newman (1925-2008) and Lee Marvin (1924-1987). Newman liked the idea, but was busy with other projects. Marvin also liked the script, but felt he was too old for the role, and he didn't want to travel constantly, moving from place to place as the film required, due to health problems (a year after the film's release, Marvin died of a heart attack).
• The screenplay is based on the true story of Richard Boyle, a journalist and friend of director Oliver Stone.
• Towards the end of the film, a cavalry charge is shown. According to James Belushi, to pay for the scene with the horses, director Oliver Stone contributed $25,000 of his own money.
• During filming, there were no individual trailers near the set where the actors could rest, nor were there makeup artists and costume designers. According to Belushi, he sometimes had to film in his own clothes.
• The murder of Kathy is based on a real case in El Salvador, where four American nuns were raped and killed.
• The scene where Richard Boyle pulls the last film cassette from his shoe was invented by James Woods. Director Oliver Stone was angry with him because they only had one take, and it was supposed to be the last scene of all filmed, but the scene was not cut from the film, and he later even admitted that he liked it.