Gardens of Stone (1987)

A Sergeant must deal with his desires to save the lives of young soldiers being sent to Viet Nam. Continuously denied the chance to teach the soldiers about his experiences, he settles for trying to help the son of an old Army buddy.

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola (as Francis 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	...	'Goody' Nelson
D.B. Sweeney	...	Jackie Willow
Dean Stockwell	...	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:

vietnam | sergeant | soldier | vietnam war | arlington national cemetery | 

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Taglines:

It was a dangerous time to be young. An impossible time to be a hero.

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Genres:

Drama | War | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jardines de piedra

Filming Locations:

Fort Myer, Arlington, Virginia, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$5,262,047

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

Second consecutive movie in back-to-back years with TriStar Pictures for Francis Ford Coppola, whose previous movie had been Peggy Sue Got Married (1986).

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Goofs

At the beginning of the movie in what turns out to be Willow's funeral, a shot of Wildman shows him in Dress Blues. At the end outside the chapel just before Willow's casket is moved to the burial site Wildman is seen in Class A (green) uniform.

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Quotes

Jackie Willow: [over the phone]
[shouts]
Jackie Willow: Hey, Sarge! I need another favor.
Clell Hazard: [shouts] Oh, great. Let's see... you got my money, you got my car. I guess now you need my dick to seal the deal!

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Connections

References WarGames (1983)

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Soundtracks

I Heard It Through the Grapevine
Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
Performed by Marvin Gaye
Courtesy of Motown Record Corporation

User Reviews

forgotten film

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.