As they drove there, they had a false scare when followed by two police cruisers with blaring sirens and flashing lights, forcing them to destroy (and digest) the evidence of their joint-smoking and dope possession.In gratitude, Arrius legally adopts him as his foster son and rewards him with his freedom.He also is given control over his stable of racing horses.Arrius introduces Judah to "My old friend Pontius Pilate," a Roman who worries about his upcoming appointment as governor of troubled Judea, replacing Gratus.I would go to the library and read, and later when she looked for me, I wasn""t there.She couldn""t know I was with Leslie, but she knew I hadn""t gone ashore.She had checked on that.Leslie and I always had to be discreet.Not only because of mother but because of his position on the ship as well.One of our favorite rysting places was on the freight deck among the crates and canvas-covered automobiles.This provocative film did for the Vietnam War genre whatThe Godfatherdid for the gangster movie.After a three to four year wait for the notorious film (that brought other award-winning Vietnam war films to the forefront a year earlier -The Deer Hunter (1978)andComing Home (1978)), the film that was budgeted at $12-13 million was something of an extravagant, self-indulgent epic in the making that cost almost $31 million - with much of the film shot on location in the Philippines.In the final scene of the summer vignette, Esther joins an expectant crowd of young people (the ladies are sporting colorful flowery hats and shirt-waist dresses) - they are friends that have gathered for a picnic to ride a trolley bound for the under-construction fairgrounds (the fair is still six months away).