Salvador (1986)

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writers:

Oliver Stone (written by) and
Rick Boyle (writer)

Release Date:

23 April 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

Based on a true story.

Plot:

A journalist, down on his luck in the US, drives to El Salvador to chronicle the events of the 1980 military dictatorship...

Plot Keywords:

El Salvador | Civil War | Political Repression | Blood | Country Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

James Woods	...	Richard Boyle
James Belushi	...	Doctor Rock
Michael Murphy	...	Ambassador Thomas Kelly
John Savage	...	John Cassady
Elpidia Carrillo	...	María (as Elpedia Carrillo)
Tony Plana	...	Major Maximiliano 'Max' Casanova
Colby Chester	...	Jack Morgan - State Department Analyst
Cynthia Gibb	...	Cathy Moore (as Cindy Gibb)
Will MacMillan	...	Colonel Bentley Hyde Sr.
Valerie Wildman	...	Pauline Axelrod
José Carlos Ruiz	...	Archbishop Romero
Jorge Luke	...	Colonel Julio Figueroa
Juan Fernández	...	Army Lieutenant
Salvador Sánchez	...	Human Rights Leader
Rosario Zúñiga	...	Human Rights Assistant
Martín Fuentes	...	Carlos
Gary Farr	...	Peter
Gilles Millinaire	...	French Reporter
Ramón Menéndez	...	Gomez
John Doe	...	Roberto
Leticia Valenzuela	...	Rebel Woman
Roberto Sosa	...	Rebel Youth (as Roberto Sosa Jr.)
Daria Okugawa	...	Dog Attendant
Sue Ann McKean	...	Cop in San Francisco
Joshua Gallegos	...	Immigration Officer on Bus
María Rubell	...	Boyle's Wife
Ty Granderson Jones	...	San Francisco Landlord (as Tyrone Jones)
Sean Stone	...	Boyle's Baby
Danna Hansen	...	Sister Stan
Sigridur Gudmunds	...	Sister Burkit
Erika Carlsson	...	Sister Wagner (as Erica Carlson)
Kara Glover	...	Kelly Assistant
Julie Conn	...	WAC at Party
María del Carmen Sánchez	...	Maria's Grandmother
Art Bonilla	...	Romero Assassin (as Arturo Bonilla)
Gerardo Zepeda	...	Death Squad Member #1 (as 'Chiquilín' Zepeda)
Nicolás Jasso	...	Death Squad Member #2
José Chávez	...	Jail Guard
Héctor Téllez	...	Mayor at Nun's Burial
Jorge Reynoso	...	Jefe at Customs Shed
Jorge Pol	...	Customs Officer #2
César Sobrevals	...	Customs Officer #3
Bruno Rubeo	...	Customs Officer #4
Bob Morones	...	Customs Officer #5
Juliana Urquisa	...	Wilma
Queta Carrasco	...	Bruja
María de los Ángeles Urquiza	...	Mamá Moncha at Panamá Club
Tomás Leal	...	Rapist #1
René Pereyra	...	Rapist #2
Arturo Rodríguez Doring	...	Young Killed Student
Jair De Rubin	...	Maria's Son (as Yair De Rubin)
Claudia Hernández	...	Maria's Daughter
Humberto Elizondo	...	Roadblock Thug #1
Mário Arévalo	...	Roadblock Thug #2
Gerardo Quiroz	...	Carlos' Friend #1
Israel León	...	Carlos' Friend #2
Mauricio Martínez	...	Executed Lieutenant
Xochitl del Rosario	...	Messenger on Horse
Agustín Bernal	...	Bodyguard to Major Max
John MacDevitt	...	GI in Salvador
Bill Hoag	...	Immigration Officer #2
Waldeir DeSouza	...	US Customs Guard
Ángel Vargas	...	Tic Tac Monster in Cafe
Miguel Ehrenberg	...	Captain Marti
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jimmy Carter	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Nancy Davis	...	Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Ronald Reagan	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Oliver Stone

Writing credits
Oliver Stone		written by and
Rick Boyle		writer (as Richard Boyle)

Produced by
Brad H. Aronson	....	associate producer
John Daly	....	executive producer
Derek Gibson	....	executive producer
Gerald Green	....	producer
Bob Morones	....	associate producer
Oliver Stone	....	producer

Original Music by
Georges Delerue

Cinematography by
Robert Richardson

Film Editing by
Claire Simpson

Casting by
Bob Morones		(as Bob 'Blackie' Morones)

Production Design by
Bruno Rubeo

Costume Design by
Kathryn Morrison		(as Kathryn Greko Morrison)

Makeup Department
Bertha Chiu	....	hair stylist: Mexico
Humberto Escamilla	....	hair stylist: Mexico
Elvira Oropeza	....	makeup artist: Mexico
Gordon J. Smith	....	prosthetic makeup artist
Gionilda Stolee	....	prosthetics assistant

Production Management
Brad H. Aronson	....	executive in charge of production
Anuar Badin	....	supervising production manager: Mexico
Michael Bennett	....	post-production supervisor
Mary M. Ensign	....	production supervisor: San Francisco
Carlos Gutiérrez	....	assistant production manager: Mexico
Alejandra Hernández	....	production manager: Mexico

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Miguel Lima	....	second assistant director: Mexico
Ramón Menéndez	....	first assistant director
José Luis Ortega	....	first assistant director: Mexico

Art Department
Ron Downing	....	property master
Ricardo Gil	....	property master: Mexico
Melo Hinojosa	....	art director: Mexico
Luis Jiménez Méndez	....	camera painter: Mexico
Adalberto López	....	key set dresser: Mexico
Francisco López	....	stand-by on-set dresser: Mexico
Milo	....	set dresser: USA (as Milo Needles)
Adolfo Navarro	....	assistant property master: Mexico

Sound Department
Neil Brody	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jonathan D. Evans	....	sound recordist
Michael Fishman	....	sound assistant
Jorge Gómez	....	sound assistant: Mexico
Ted Goodspeed	....	foley artist
F. Hudson Miller	....	sound effects editor
Bob Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bill Mumford	....	sound re-recording mixer
R.J. Palmer	....	sound effects editor
Philip Perkins	....	sound recordist: San Francisco
John Post	....	foley artist
Steve Rice	....	dialogue editor
Jesús Sánchez	....	sound assistant: Mexico
Frank Smathers	....	dialogue editor (as Frank T. Smathers)
Manuel Topete	....	sound operator: Mexico
David Lewis Yewdall	....	sound designer
David Lewis Yewdall	....	supervising sound editor
Stephen Balliet	....	boom operator: San Francisco (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Daniel Cordero	....	second special effects assistant: Mexico
Yves De Bono	....	special effects supervisor
Alfonso Pacheco	....	first special effects assistant: Mexico
Marcelino Pacheco	....	special effects: Mexico

Stunts
Bill Catching	....	stunt coordinator
Raúl Martínez	....	stunt coordinator: Mexico

Camera and Electrical Department
Fernando Calvillo	....	gaffer: Mexico
Flavio Castillero	....	videoman: Mexico
Gary Farr	....	still photographer (as Gary Anthony Farr)
Humberto Galindo	....	generator operator: Mexico
Salvador Gutiérrez	....	chief electrician: Mexico
Chris Lombardi	....	assistant camera (as Christopher Lombardi)
Guillermo Moysen	....	assistant camera: Mexico
Manuel Paredes	....	assistant camera: Mexico
Antonio Ramírez 'Puma'	....	dolly grip: Mexico (as Antonio Ramírez)
Thomas Julian Richmond	....	camera operator
León Sánchez del Ángel	....	assistant camera: Mexico
León Sánchez	....	assistant camera: Mexico (as León Sánchez del Ángel)
León Sánchez Ruiz	....	director of photography: Mexico
Pedro Vázquez	....	assistant camera: Mexico
Salvador Vázquez	....	key grip: Mexico
Tom Richmond	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)

Casting Department
Claudia Becker	....	additional casting: Mexico
Chucho Guerrero	....	extras casting: Mexico

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Monica Araiz	....	wardrobe: Mexico
Federico Castillo	....	wardrobe master: Mexico
María de Jesús Luna	....	seamstress: Mexico
Jaime Ortiz	....	assistant wardrobe: Mexico

Editorial Department
David Brenner	....	assistant film editor
Tom Finan	....	associate editor (as Tom Finnan)
Lisa Leeman	....	first assistant editor
Julie Monroe	....	assistant editor
Edgar Pavon	....	assistant editor: Mexico
Carlos Puente	....	associate editor
Julie Rogers	....	apprentice editor
John David Allen	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Joan Biel	....	music editor
Budd Carr	....	music supervisor
Georges Delerue	....	musical director (uncredited)
Roger Monk	....	scoring recordist (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Miguel Angel Gomez	....	transportation chief
Miguel Ángel Gómez	....	transportation captain: Mexico

Other crew
Pablo Buelna	....	location manager: Mexico
Mario Cisneros Jr.	....	script supervisor: Mexico
Robert Dawson	....	title designer: main titles
Cristina Espinosa	....	public relations: Mexico
Rosa María Gómez	....	production accountant: Mexico
Patricia Green	....	executive secretary
Elsa Hermoso	....	assistant production accountant: Mexico
Laurie Noll	....	location manager: San Francisco
Sergio Prieto P.	....	production assistant: Mexico
Federico Serrano	....	production unit manager: Mexico
Elizabeth Stone	....	assistant to director
Concepcion Taboada	....	production coordinator: Mexico
Manuel Trejo Morales	....	actor's delegate: Mexico
Eileen Zannino	....	production secretary
Arturo Del Rio	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Charles Ryan	....	special thanks
Louis Stone	....	dedicatee (as Dad)

Production Companies

• Hemdale Film

Distributors

• CEL (1986) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Hemdale Film (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• Jugendfilm-Verleih (1987) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Rosenbergs Filmbyrå (1986) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Virgin Films (1986) (UK) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1987) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Koch Media (2010) (Germany) (DVD)
• Look Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (Europe) (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• PVB Editions (2004) (France) (DVD)
• PolyGram Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Vestron Video (1986) (USA) (video)

Other Companies

• Banca del Noroeste  special thanks
• Bart Milander Associates  special thanks
• Big Time Picture Company  post-production services
• M/S Billings Publicity Ltd.  publicist (as M/S Billings Co.)
• Modern Film Effects  opticals
• Patsa Productions S.A.  production services

Also Known As:

Outpost: Salvador (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Singapore:R21 (DVD rating) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Brazil:16 | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Alameda County, California, USA

Company:

Hemdale Film

Trivia:

John Savage plays a fictional version of a real photographer John Hoglund or Olivier Rebbot in the movie.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Richard Boyle is being attacked by the thugs, you can clearly see that the blows do not hit him, yet he reacts as if it were so.

Quotes:

John Cassady: I got the shot! I got the shot!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Queen Of Hearts

Oliver Stone's best movie

Salvador is Oliver's Stone's best movie. This was a low budget movie and the last one Stone made before Platoon. This is a guerilla movie in the true sense of the work. A movie made about a guerilla revolt in El Salvador and one American journalist's story during that revolution; and made on in a guerilla style with a lot of hand-helded shots and local Mexican atmosphere and actors. James Wood and Jim Belushi are excellent. Except for the politics and an acid trip scene, this film is very gritty and real. Now it does have a frat boy road trip aspect, but that only adds a comic touch that is almost endearing at times. Set against the brutality of the civil war of El Salvador, the comedy helps keep the movie from being overly harsh and pedantic, which Mr. Stone tends to want to lean towards in portraying the politics of the time and place. Thankfully Mr. Stone is more interesting in entertaining then preaching in this movie, and with the excellent acting accomplishes this goal.