Heaven and Earth Movie Based on Le Ly's True Life Story

Le Ly was at the photo shoot when I met Oliver Stone for the first time. Well, actually in was the second time. Back in 1992, Heaven and Earth starring Tommy Lee Jones was being shot in Phuket. I was selected, while playing an 'extra', for a walk by so Stone could decide if I was suitable for another part. No is the answer.

Le Ly invited me to the Open Forum, Psychosocial Response to Disasters Focus on Children in Asia held next day after Stone's FCCT presentation. Her traumatic experiences while a child, her due recovery and ability to deal with life in such a positive and constructive manner proved to be inspirational to the forum.

She founded East Meets West Foundation then moved on to found Global Village Foundation focusing on sustainable community, development projects, www.globalvillagefoundation.org

Some of this work covers areas affected by Cluster Bombs in Viet Nam

Oliver Stone Talks to Project Pineapple Again....

Oliver Stone made his speech at the Foreign Correspondence Club of Thailand, FCCT, on 25th January 2010. Stone made thought provoking observations and assessments with eloquent words such as "the highest stance to have is to co-exist in our existance". Surprisingly, he even quoting Winston Churchill's
"Through the need to sweat and toil we will kill. Keep my conscience awake and not fall asleep".
Stone went to to say he is "trying to undo some of the knots" like the "recent debacles in Iraq".

Then he said "The Bomb is very much with us now. It will threaten life on this planet".

Indeed, Mr Stone, but not just 'that bomb'. There are millions of these little Cluster Bombs still killing young kids every month after the 'American War'.

At this time, the Cambodia Tribunal is hearing the case against Duch, head of Special Security for the Khmer Rouge, charged with Crimes Against Humanity for systematically torturing 15,000 prisoners and the execution of 12,000. Around 1.5 million died during the Pol Pot era in Cambodia.

During the American War, or Vietnam War, around 3 million died many due to carpet bombing by Cluster Bombs.

I asked Mr Stone what his thoughts were on this incongruity and to put it into his perspective.

"We have an enormous story to tell. We cannot deal with all the injustices in the world. When making a movie, it has to catch the audience's attention. I get so many letters about injustices in the world. It's just too much" he said, grasping his forehead, rubbing it anxiously.

In 2007 Stone abandoned due to lack of funding, the making of 'Pinkville', the story set around the events of the My Lai Massacre. The movie was to have starred Sean Penn and Channing Tatum. On March 16, 1968, more than 500 Vietnamese (or 367, depending on the source), including unarmed women, children and elderly, were slaughtered by American soldiers who were given a "search and destroy" order.

Perhaps Mr Stone would be able to thread something of the Cluster Bomb issue into that movie were he able to be refinanced.

Oliver Stone Talks to Project Pineapple.... Just

Oliver Stone was in Bangkok for a Bridges - Dialogue For Peace event on 25th January this year, 2010. Along at the press photo shoot in the Dusit Thani Hotel, across from where the Red Shirts are now, a few questions were accepted but I didn't get one in then. Only after he stood up and was moving towards the exit I managed to show him this Blogspot address for Project Pineapple and asked him to please take a look.

"It's about Cluster Bombs" I said. "Of course" observed Stone, director of movies such as Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Heaven and Earth, not to mention the highly relevant 'JFK', replying with the awareness of someone intimately knowledgeable of the American War and all associated issues.

Many have asked why this is called Project Pineapple, thus some elementary photo explanations in this blog. Stone, familiar with the jargon, he knew straight away.