Gardens of Stone

In the late 60s, a cynical Korean vet (James Caan) would rather be training soldiers for Vietnam in Georgia, but instead he's stuck at Arlington National Cemetery playing what he calls "toy soldier" with his colleagues (James Earl Jones, etc.). When an old buddy's gung-ho son shows up (D. B. Sweeney), he settles for trying to keep him from becoming another statistic in The 'Nam. Anjelica Huston plays his potential girlfriend and Mary Stuart Masterson the greenhorn's girl.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola based on the 1983 novel, "Gardens of Stone" (1987) is a worthy companion piece to all those Vietnam War flicks of the 70s-90s as it chronicles what was happening on the home front. It's a war drama, but not a war action film, yet not a dull, lifeless drama (more on this in a moment).

Caan and Jones have good chemistry as old Army buds and Sweeney works well as the "new kid" (he looks like a young Ben Affleck when he broke out ten years later). Meanwhile Mary Stuart Masterson was never more beautiful.

In ways the movie's reminiscent of Eastwood's "Heartbreak Ridge" (1986) with its spunkiness and a smidgen of comedy (which I wasn't anticipating), although don't expect the cartoonish character of Cpl. Stitch Jones (Mario Van Peebles). In other words, the proceedings aren't all dour. Yet there are heavy, moving parts given the topic. Coppola contrasts the beginning scene and ending scene. They're the same sequence, but it holds more weight the second time around for reasons you'll discover.

I was entertained, amused and moved. It's a necessary piece of the puzzle in understanding the era of the Vietnam War. While it's not on the level of greatness of Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" (1979) or "Forrest Gump" (1994), it's still a solid Coppola movie with a little sloppiness here and there. For instance, the war games episode could've been done more coherently and entertainingly, as was done in "The Dirty Dozen" (1967). But time means money in cinema and they had a deadline.

I've heard people complain about how this or that wasn't technically accurate or realistic, but filmmakers aren't interested in being 100% true-to-life. If they were, no one would go see their flicks. Let me put it this way, movies are real-life with the boring parts taken out, as well as exaggerations thrown in. Take "Platoon" (1986), for example. Do ya really think everything that took place in that movie happened to ONE platoon in real life? Of course not. Oliver Stone simply took many different highlights of the 'Nam experience and condensed them into one 2-hour tale of a single platoon.

The notable cast also includes the likes of Dean Stockwell, Sam Bottoms, Larry Fishburne, Dick Anthony Williams and Elias Koteas. Bottoms and Fishburne of course worked previously with Coppola on "Apocalypse Now."

Before shooting commenced, Francis' 23 year-old son, Gian-Carlo Coppola, was tragically killed in a speedboat accident in May, 1986. The reckless driver of the boat was Griffin O'Neal (Ryan's son), who was slated to play the role given to Elias Koteas.

The film runs 1 hour, 51 minutes, and was shot at Fort Myer & Arlington National Cemetery and nearby Washington DC.

GRADE: B.

In the late 60s, during the Vietnam War, the idealistic soldier Jackie Willow (D.B. Sweeney) arrives at Fort Meyer expecting to go to the Academy and then to the Vietnam War. Jackie is the son of a veteran sergeant and soon he becomes the protégé of the former friends of his father, Sergeant Clell Hazard (James Caan) and Sergeant Major 'Goody' Nelson (James Earl Jones).

Jackie is promoted and gets married with his childhood friend Rachel Feld (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Hazard and Goody convince their superior, Captain Homer Thomas (Dean Stockwell), to recommend Jackie to the Academy. He is promoted to lieutenant and asks to go to the Vietnam, returning to the Arlington National Cemetery.

"Gardens of Stone" is another movie by Francis Coppola (without Ford) about the military life and the prize of the Vietnam War, after one of his masterpieces, "Apocalypse Now". The cinematography is magnificent and the cast is top-notch, and it is so good to see the actors, like James Caan, James Earl Jones and Dean Stockwell still young and actresses, like Anjelica Huston and Mary Stuart Masterson, charming and beautiful. The dramatic story has a theme certainly important for Americans and for fans of movies about military life. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Jardins de Pedra" ("Gardens of Stone")

Being a former drill instructor , I can testify to the fine portrayal of the lead character by Mr. Caan . The entire film is an excellent depiction of the dedicated military man , without the usual condemnation of the military in general , so often found in films made since the Viet Nam conflict . The acting , in general , is superb , making the characters believable and the story touching . It is certainly one of Mr. Caan's finest roles and he is accompanied by a terrific cast who contribute magnificently to the overall effectiveness of the story telling . I have seen this film a number of times and will continue to do so on a periodic basis , because of the subject matter and the acting in it. It is highly recommended !!!

After 'Apocalypse Now', it's hard to believe that this film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola with such sensitivity. Truly a testament that in many ways demonstrates that Coppola is one of film's greatest directors.

This film shows the lives of many different people and their backgrounds in opposing the Vietnam war. James Caan is a military officer working as a home guard at Arlington National Cemetery during the casualties of America's most tragic conflict. It shows his relationship with Anjelica Huston and James Earl Jones as his closest friends. D.B. Sweeney and Mary Stuart Masterson are great as the younger and more naive observers of the times.

Part documentary style, part sentiment and all inclusive drama showcase its impact in a more sedated manner than most other films dealing with its subject but worth a look as an alternative.

This is a very underrated movie and belongs up there with some of Francis Ford Coppola's best movies. The movie has a great cast that includes James Caan, Anjelica Huston, James Earl Jones, Dean Stockwell and several more people. Caan plays a solider who fought in Korea and Vietnam but is now in charge of Arlington national Cemetery and wants to train young soldiers going into Vietnam but is turned down. Huston is Caan's girlfriend and Jones is his friend who fought with him in Vietnam and now serves with him. Stockwell is the man in charge and D.B. Sweeney is a young soldier who can't wait to get to Vietnam. It's a really great movie that is one of Coppola's best films.