Stars: James Caan, Anjelica Huston, James Earl Jones, Dean Stockwell, D.B. Sweeney, Mary Stuart Masterson, Rick Washburn, Elias Koteas

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Summary: Francis Ford Coppola's 'Gardens Of Stone' is a poetic tribute to the men who form the Old Guard, soldiers in charge of burying the dead at Arlington National Cemetery during the war in Vietnam. Clell Hazard (James Caan), an army sergeant who opposes the war because he believes it can't be won, becomes attached to a battle-hungry young soldier, Jackie Willow (D. B. Sweeney). Hazard knows the reality the youth will encounter if he goes to Vietnam, after serving two tours himself. His girlfriend, Washington reporter Samantha Davis (Anjelica Huston), also opposes the war, but for different reasons. Feeling useless in the Old Guard, Hazard requests a transfer to Fort Bragg, where he can help prepare the young soldiers for what they must face in Vietnam. Jackie is reunited with his girlfriend, Rachel (Mary Stuart Masterson), whose father, a retired colonel (played by Masterson's real-life father, Peter Masterson), sees the war as a commercial opportunity. James Earl Jones is a show-stealer as Goody Nelson, Hazard's best friend and voice of reason. The film's scenes of military burials - drills carried out with precision and ritual - are beautiful to watch.

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The subtext of Gardens of Stone, a grim, snail-paced Francis Ford Coppola film, is the death of Coppola's son Giancarlo in a boating accident. Coppola came back with this Vietnam-era military drama about the men assigned to patrol and serve at the funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. James Caan is the world-weary patrol leader with a fatherly interest in a gung-ho cadet (DB Sweeney). Caan tries to show Sweeney the potentially fatal future that awaits him if he volunteers for combat, but he can't break through his young charge's zealousness. The subplot involves crusty Caan's attempts at romance with Anjelica Huston, who can't quite fathom his contradictions. The story is all glum and lumbering, despite a warm, full-bodied performance by James Earl Jones as one of Caan's buddies.--Marshall Fine

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Subtitles:	Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Year:	1987
Release Date:	October 3, 2005
Runtime:	107 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C 823 769 8
Keywords:	General, Wide, Screen, Gardens, Stone, Drama
Genre:	Drama