OLIVER STONE - STONE ESCAPES AMERICA FOR FRANCE

Director OLIVER STONE is so distraught over the criticism targeted at his last two big screen projects, he's preparing to flee America for France.

The JFK movie-maker sparked controversy by meeting Cuban dictator FIDEL CASTRO for his 2003 documentary COMANDANTE - forcing TV network HBO to axe it from their schedule.

Stone's recent historical epic, ALEXANDER, was also subjected to scathing reviews in the US for portraying Macedonian warrior ALEXANDER THE GREAT as a bisexual.

And Stone can't understand why years of hard work have failed to produce a positive reaction, so is desperate to seek comfort in his mother's homeland, to escape the bad vibes that are crippling his confidence in America.

He says, "Since the Castro movie I did, things have been tough. Everyone was against it.

"Then I put my heart into Alexander, which wasn't appreciated either. The right thing is for me to stay out of America for a while. I'm planning to spend a lot more time in France."