DEEPLY RESEARCHED BY NATHAN RERA, INCLUDING UNSEEN PHOTOS, NEW INTERVIEWS WITH LANG, DE PALMA, PENN, AND MANY MORE
Nathan Réra's book, Casualties of War: An Investigation, is a thoroughly researched examination of everything that led up to the making and release of Brian De Palma's film from 1989. In this respect, and considering the idea of "Brian De Palma's Split Screen," it seems a true and almost surreal contrast/companion to Julie Salamon's anatomy of the film De Palma made immediately after, The Bonfire Of The Vanities. The difference is that while Salamon was embedded within the production of that big-budget Hollywood production, Réra began his investigations years after the facts, and has dug deeper into the research than one might expect.
The book, originally written and published in French and now translated into English by Paul Cronin, is available from Sticking Place Books in hardback or paperback. (Keep in mind that while both have photos included, only the hardback edition includes full-color photos, while the paperback includes them in black-and-white.)
In the introductory chapter, Réra discusses his approach and lists the people he interviewed for the book:
I quickly realized that my project would make sense only if my research was as broad as possible. Without aiming for completeness - which is ultimately illusory - I decided I would embark on a quest to pull together the recollections of Casualties of War's crew, and, in doing so, assemble a new archive." In total, including the filmmaker, producer and screenwriter, I interviewed thirty-three people. I spoke with the production manager (Fred Caruso), the production coordinator (Sallie Beechinor), the director of photography (Stephen H. Burum), the Steadicam operator (Larry McConkey), the on-set photographer (Roland Neveu), the second unit director (Eric Schwab), two assistant directors (Brian W. Cook, Carl Goldstein), the production designer (Wolf Kroeger), the chief makeup artist (Paul Engelen), De Palma's personal assistant (Monica Goldstein), the props master (Mickey Pugh), a special effects technician (Yves De Bono), a historical advisor (Deborah Ricketts), two military advisors (Mike Stokey and Art Smith), a costume designer and Thai stand-in (Pasiree Panya), a Thai assistant (Charlie Sungkawess), seven actors (Sean Penn, Don Harvey, John C. Reilly, John Leguizamo, Thuy Thu Le, Erik King, Holt McCallany, Dale Dye), the San Francisco extras casting director (Nancy Hayes), the editor (Bill Pankow), the head of the sound department (Maurice Schell) and one of the sound designers (Marko A. Costanzo).I opted for semi-structured interviews, most of which took place by phone, though videoconferencing applications were also employed. Whenever possible I met with my interviewees in person. In a few cases, only written correspondence was exchanged. Our discussions, which ranged from half an hour to over two and a half hours, often led to additional exchanges via email or phone so I could clarify details or ask new questions. I transcribed each conversation in its entirety and sent the result to the interviewee for review. I extracted the essence of these conversations, which are spread throughout the second half of this book. Contacting several of these individuals meant trading the methods of an art historian for those of a detective, and sometimes-as was the case with Sean Penn-great patience was needed.
The book moves from an examination of the military trial records, to Daniel Lang's research and focus in writing the original New Yorker article, moving on to unproduced screenplays and the films that were based around the story prior to De Palma's film, which is the focus of the second part of the book. Needless to say, the book is a must-read, must-have for any De Palma enthusiast. One other note: De Palma's personal assistant at the time of production on Casualties Of War, Monica Goldstein, provided several behind-the-scenes photos for the book.
Updated: Sunday, May 25, 2025 6:11 PM CDT
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