Main Cast: James Caan, Anjelica Huston, James Earl Jones, D.B. Sweeney, Dean Stockwell, Mary Stuart Masterson, Laurence Fishburne
Release Year: 1987
Country: US
Run Time: 112 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Set in Washington D.C. during the Vietnam War era, Gardens of Stone concentrates on the trials and tribulations of the Arlington National Cemetery home guard. James Caan plays career soldier Sgt. Clell Hazard, who has come to the sad conclusion that Vietnam is unwinnable and that America should withdraw as soon as possible. His attitude is contrasted to that held by Private Jackie Willow (D.B. Sweeney), who wants nothing more in life than to go into battle for his country. Though Hazard cannot officially dissuade Willow from this yearning, he pulls a few surreptitious strings to change the lad's mind, including encouraging a renewed romance between Jackie and his former girlfriend Rachel (Mary Stuart Masterton). After so many big-budgeters, Coppola determined that Gardens would be a deliberately "small" picture, concentrating on personalities rather than opulence; the director's father, Carmine Coppola, supplied the music, while Peter Masterton and Carlyn Glynn, the real-life parents of Mary Stuart Masterton, play Mary's on-screen dad and mom. Gardens of Stone was adapted by Ronald Bass from the novel by Nicholas Proffitt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Almost as much as Apocalypse Now, Gardens of Stone is a testament to what a director must occasionally endure to get a film done. In this case, it was the death of his son in a boating accident during production that almost drove director Francis Ford Coppola crazy. But he persevered: Gardens is no great film, but it's not bad, and given what he went through, it's amazing that it's as good as it is. The film highlights much of what's good and bad about Coppola's later films in general. The ensemble acting by James Caan, Mary Stuart Masterson, D.B. Sweeney, Anjelica Huston, Dean Stockwell, and James Earl Jones is quite good, the cinematography by Jordan S. Cronenweth is exceptional, but the story by Ronald Bass drags interminably. One reason is that the opening of the film undercuts any suspense that might have been generated by the ending -- the death of Sweeney's character, an idealistic recruit killed in Vietnam. Such a circular structure is supposed to focus the film on why Willow died, why he went to Vietnam, how his sacrifice matters, and how the rest of the cast, particularly Caan's veteran sergeant, feels about it. Yet the answers to those questions are not particularly clear or compelling; they aren't easy questions to answer, and one gets the feeling that Coppola wasn't terribly interested in the answers himself. Given the terrible grief he was enduring, perhaps that's understandable, but Gardens of Stone remains a minor work. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., All Movie Guide
Dick Anthony Williams - First Sgt. Slasher Williams; Lonette McKee - Betty Rae; Samuel Bottoms - Lt. Webber; Elias Koteas - Pete Deveber, Company Clerk; Casey Siemaszko - Pvt. Albert Wildman; Peter Masterson - Col. Feld; Carlin Glynn - Mrs. Feld; Erik Holland - Col. Godwin; Bill Graham - Don Brubaker; Terrence Currier - Editor; Hajna O. Moss - Wedding Friend; Rick Washburne; Steve Barcanic - Soldier; Grant Lee Douglass - Blue Lieutenant; Lisa-Marie Felter - Daughter; Terry Foster - Soldier; Mark Frazer - Soldier; Robert Frerichs - Private; Arthur V. Gorman, Jr. - Chaplain; Terry Hinz - Navy Captain; Matthew Litchfield - Lt. Atkins; Nick Mathwick - Lt. Horton; Louis Rangel - ANC Driver; Joseph A. Ross, Jr. - General; Marshall Sizemore - Soldier; William Williamson - Lt. Colonel
Credit
Alex Tavoularis - Art Director, Bonnie Timmermann - Casting, Jane Jenkins - Casting, Janet Hirshenson - Casting, Willa Kim - Costume Designer, Judianna Makovsky - Costume Designer, David Valdes - First Assistant Director, Francis Ford Coppola - Director, Barry Malkin - Editor, Fred Roos - Executive Producer, David Valdes - Executive Producer, Stan Weston - Executive Producer, Carmine Coppola - Composer (Music Score), Bernadette Mazur - Makeup, Monty Westmore - Makeup, Brad Wilder - Makeup, Dean Tavoularis - Production Designer, Jordan S. Cronenweth - Cinematographer, Francis Ford Coppola - Producer, Michael Levy - Producer, David Valdes - Producer, Gary Fettis - Set Designer, John Frazier - Special Effects, Robin Hauser - Special Effects, Thomas D. Causey - Sound/Sound Designer, Buddy Joe Hooker - Stunts, Ronald Bass - Screenwriter, Timothy R. Sexton - Executive Music Producer, Nicholas Proffitt - Book Author
Gardens of Stone is a 1987 film by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel of the same title by Nicholas Proffitt. It tells the story of a hardened Korean and Vietnam War veteran Sgt. Clell Hazard (James Caan); he longs to train soldiers for Vietnam but is instead put in the 1st battalion3d Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) at Fort Myer, Virginia. The Old Guard conducts the funeral ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. Hazard calls them the "toy soldiers" and hates his job until Jackie Willow (D. B. Sweeney), the son of an old friend and fellow veteran, turns up in his company and he sees an opportunity to make sure at least one man comes home alive. He tries to warn Willow about Vietnam but the young man sees it as his duty as a soldier to fight for his country, no matter what kind of war.
James Earl Jones plays Hazard's longtime friend, Sergeant Major "Goody" Nelson. Anjelica Huston portrays Hazard's girlfriend, Samantha Davis, a writer for the Washington Post who is against the Vietnam War for different reasons than Hazard. Later in the film, Jackie marries a Colonel's daughter named Rachel Feld (Mary Stuart Masterson).
The movie had a limited release (612 theaters) and end up grossing $5,262,047. According to Box Office Mojo the movie also made $1,645,588 on its opening weekend.
Replacement of Griffin O'Neal
Griffin O'Neal was initially cast in Gardens of Stone, but was replaced after his involvement in the accidental speedboating death of Coppola's eldest son, Gian-Carlo Coppola, in May 1986.[1]
