GARDENS OF STONE (DVD/P&S/WS 1.85/DSS/ENG-FR-SP-PO-KO-SUB) DVD

Gardens of Stone
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, All Movie Guide

Cast James Caan as Sgt. Clell Hazard Anjelica Huston as Samantha Davis James Earl Jones as Sgt. Maj. "Goody" Nelson D.B. Sweeney as Pvt. Jackie Willow Dean Stockwell as Capt. Homer Thomas Mary Stuart Masterson as Rachel Feld Dick Anthony Williams as First Sgt. Slasher Williams Lonette McKee as Betty Rae Samuel Bottoms as Lt. Webber Elias Koteas as Pete Deveber, Company Clerk Laurence Fishburne as Cpl. Flanagan Casey Siemaszko as Pvt. Albert Wildman Peter Masterson as Col. Feld Carlin Glynn as Mrs. Feld Erik Holland as Col. Godwin Bill Graham as Don Brubaker

Crew Alex Tavoularis - Art Director Janet Hirshenson - Casting Jane Jenkins - Casting Bonnie Timmermann - Casting Willa Kim - Costume Designer Judianna Makovsky - Costume Designer David Valdes - First Assistant Director Francis Ford Coppola - Director Barry Malkin - Editor Stan Weston - Executive Producer David Valdes - Executive Producer Fred Roos - Executive Producer Carmine Coppola - Composer (Music Score) Bernadette Mazur - Makeup Brad Wilder - Makeup Monty Westmore - Makeup Dean Tavoularis - Production Designer Jordan S. Cronenweth - Cinematographer Francis Ford Coppola - Producer David Valdes - Producer Michael Levy - Producer Gary Fettis - Set Designer John Frazier - Special Effects Robin Hauser - Special Effects Thomas D. Causey - Sound/Sound Designer Buddy Joe Hooker - Stunts Ronald Bass - Screenwriter Timothy R. Sexton - Executive Music Producer Nicholas Proffitt - Book Author

Gardens of Stone
Almost as much as Apocalypse Now, Gardens of Stone is a testament to what a director must occasionally endure to get a film done. In this case, it was the death of his son in a boating accident during production that almost drove director Francis Ford Coppola crazy. But he persevered: Gardens is no great film, but it's not bad, and given what he went through, it's amazing that it's as good as it is. The film highlights much of what's good and bad about Coppola's later films in general. The ensemble acting by James Caan, Mary Stuart Masterson, D.B. Sweeney, Anjelica Huston, Dean Stockwell, and James Earl Jones is quite good, the cinematography by Jordan S. Cronenweth is exceptional, but the story by Ronald Bass drags interminably. One reason is that the opening of the film undercuts any suspense that might have been generated by the ending -- the death of Sweeney's character, an idealistic recruit killed in Vietnam. Such a circular structure is supposed to focus the film on why Willow died, why he went to Vietnam, how his sacrifice matters, and how the rest of the cast, particularly Caan's veteran sergeant, feels about it. Yet the answers to those questions are not particularly clear or compelling; they aren't easy questions to answer, and one gets the feeling that Coppola wasn't terribly interested in the answers himself. Given the terrible grief he was enduring, perhaps that's understandable, but Gardens of Stone remains a minor work. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish, Por, KO Sound Processing: DDS: Dolby Digital Surround Additional Features: Bonus Trailers Interactive Menus Scene Selections MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 112 min