Gardens of Stone (1987)
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43% of critics liked it
(14 reviews) -
57% of users liked it
(2,341 ratings)
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… More 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, Rovi
- Directed By
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Written By
- Ron Bass
- Genres
- Drama
R,
- In Theaters
- May 8, 1987 Wide
- Studio
- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Seems to take its name not so much from the Arlington Memorial Cemetery, where much of the action takes place, but from the stiffness of the characters it portrays.
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, Time Out
There's a pervasive and worrying sense of the central issues being gently but undeniably fudged.
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Vincent Canby, New York Times
The most important missing ingredient is Mr. Coppola.
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Desson Thomson, Washington Post
A handsome but fragmentary film that can't decide which story to tell.
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Pat Graham, Chicago Reader
Francis Coppola's 1987 Vietnam meditation was his best film in a while, though it's still something less than satisfying.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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James Caan
as Sgt. Clell Hazard
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Anjelica Huston
as Samantha Davis
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James Earl Jones
as Sgt. Maj. "Goody" Nelson
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D.B. Sweeney
as Pvt. Jackie Willow
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Dean Stockwell
as Capt. Homer Thomas
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Mary Stuart Masterson
as Rachel Feld
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Dick Anthony Williams
as First Sgt. Slasher Williams
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Lonette McKee
as Betty Rae
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Samuel Bottoms
as Lt. Webber
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Elias Koteas
as Pete Deveber Company Clerk
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Laurence Fishburne
as Cpl. Flanagan
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Casey Siemaszko
as Pvt. Albert Wildman
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Peter Masterson
as Col. Feld
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Carlin Glynn
as Mrs. Feld
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Erik Holland
as Col. Godwin
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Bill Graham
as Don Brubaker
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Terrence Currier
as Editor
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Hajna O. Moss
as Wedding Friend
- Rick Washburne
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Steve Barcanic
as Soldier
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Grant Lee Douglass
as Blue Lieutenant
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Lisa-Marie Felter
as Daughter
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Terry Foster
as Soldier
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Mark Frazer
as Soldier
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Robert Frerichs
as Private
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Arthur V. Gorman Jr.
as Chaplain
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Terry Hinz
as Navy Captain
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Matthew Litchfield
as Lt. Atkins
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Nick Mathwick
as Lt. Horton
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Louis Rangel
as ANC Driver
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Joseph A. Ross Jr.
as General
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Marshall Sizemore
as Soldier
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William Williamson
as Lt. Colonel
