Born on the Fourth of July - Ron Kovic
 

Ron Kovic, portrayed by Tom Cruise in the 1989 Oliver Stone film Born on the Fourth of July, wrote his autobiography of the same name back in 1976. The book was done very well, considering it switched back and forth between 1st Person and 3rd Person narratives. The book is also written randomly - out of sequence, and that's fine because, although you don't know how or why he sustained his injuries in the war, you know that eventually you will find out. It was a very moving account of his ordeal with the aftermath of fighting in the Vietnam War - but it is not as conclusive as the film version of this account.

The movie, unlike the book, goes in chronological order - and ends with Ron Kovic getting respect and dignity from the media and the nation. The book didn't get that far, either because the author Kovic decided to end it this way on purpose, or because the scene in question hadn't occurred at the time of the writing.

I understand that Kovic co-wrote the screenplay with director Stone, and that Kovic loved the film version of his life - even though there was much emphasis between Kovic and his childhood girl chum in the film, but nary a mention of this girl was made in the book. In the book, he goes on and on about his boyhood chums.

I know that the DVD was recently released as a Special Edition, but it would have been nice to see real footage of Ron Kovic from the Democratic Convention footage. Any chance of this happening in the future?