Gardens of Stone (1987)

In the late 60s, during the Vietnam War, the idealistic soldier Jackie Willow arrives at Fort Meyer expecting to go to the Academy and then to the Vietnam War. Jackie is the son of a ... See full summary »

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

Nicholas Proffitt (novel), Ronald Bass (screenplay)

Stars:

James Caan, Anjelica Huston, James Earl Jones

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Caan	...	Sgt. Clell Hazard
Anjelica Huston	...	Samantha Davis
James Earl Jones	...	Sgt. Maj.'Goody' Nelson
D.B. Sweeney	...	Jackie Willow
Dean Stockwell	...	Capt. Homer Thomas
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Rachel Feld
Dick Anthony Williams	...	Slasher Williams
Lonette McKee	...	Betty Rae
Sam Bottoms	...	Lt. Webber
Elias Koteas	...	Pete Deveber
Laurence Fishburne	...	Sgt. Flanagan (as Larry Fishburne)
Casey Siemaszko	...	Wildman
Peter Masterson	...	Col. Feld
Carlin Glynn	...	Mrs. Feld
Erik Holland	...	Col. Godwin

Storyline

In the late 60s, during the Vietnam War, the idealistic soldier Jackie Willow 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 and Sergeant Major 'Goody' Nelson. Jackie is promoted and gets married with his childhood friend Rachel Feld, to recommend Jackie to the Academy. He is promoted to lieutenant and asks to go to the Vietnam, returning to the Arlington National Cemetery.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | sergeant | vietnam | vietnam war | military | 

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Taglines:

The story of the war at home, and the people who lived through it.

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Genres:

Drama | War | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der steinerne Garten

Filming Locations:

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$5,262,047 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ML Delphi Premier Productions, TriStar Pictures, Zoetrope Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Griffin O'Neal was originally cast as Pete Deveber, but was replaced when Francis Ford Coppola's son, Gian-Carlo Coppola, was killed in a speedboating accident in May 1986 in Annapolis, Maryland. O'Neal, who was driving the boat while using drugs, had attempted to pass between two slow-moving boats, failing to realize in his haste that both boats were connected by a very long towline. While O'Neal barely had time to duck, young Coppola was struck, throwing his body to the metal deck, sustaining head injuries whereby he died instantly. O'Neal was later charged with manslaughter over the tragedy. He was ultimately fined $200 and sentenced to 18 months probation in 1987, eventually receiving an 18-day jail sentence for not performing 400 hours of community service as ordered. A law was later passed requiring short towlines between boats. At the time of his death, Coppola's fiancée, Jaqueline De La Fontaine, was two months pregnant with their only daughter, Gian-Carla Coppola, who was born on January 1, 1987.

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Goofs

The flag on Willow's casket is improperly positioned while it sits at the altar in the cemetery chapel. The blue field should be at the back left corner of the casket (the blue field is always over the deceased's head, and the deceased's head is always to the left)

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Quotes

"Goody" Nelson: Well, here's to us and those like us.
Clell Hazard: Damn few left.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood Vietnam (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Streets of Laredo"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung by Goody, Willow and Hazard as they return from the bar to the barracks after the fight.

User Reviews

Military Life and the Prize of the War

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")