ABSTRACT
Oliver Stone successfully negotiates and exploits the tension in Hollywood between topicality and political centrality by infusing political and cultural issues with his own brand of liberal critique, while creating dramatic narratives and characters that tingle and sizzle with energy and rage. The relationship between Hollywood and politics has always been complex. Hollywood filmmakers have traditionally been reluctant to explicitly engage political issues and events. Even if the Hollywood film industry were to treat political issues or perspectives, there remains, as Stephen Prince noted, a "long-standing belief that entertainment values must take precedence over whatever social messages or values a given film might embody or convey." The iconic, two-dimensional qualities of Stone's characters are not surprising insofar as parables are vehicles to reveal a "truth" through stories made intelligible to the people. Allegorical figures, designed to represent various traits such as greed, innocence, and deceit, are often two-dimensional.
