Gardens of Stone

My oldest son spent 8 years in the Old Guard Delta Company from 1984-1992. He was fortunate to be ask to play the part of the guidon bearer ( the black Delta Company Flag ) in the movie, and also to help instruct the actors in how to dress, stand, march ect. The movie was a masterpiece that covers just how it was for troops state side while the war was raging in Asia . My son said " Coppola did a superb job of following military protocol to make the film as real as possible " The story line is so right on. Coppola has another winner in my books. I thought the movie was very moving, lacking in nothing .

It was tragic that Coppola's son was killed in a boating accident while out with Ryan Oneal's son during the making of this excellent movie.

As you can tell I'm not a professional writer, but I just had to say something about how good this film is

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 !!!

This movie is little-watched compared to Coppola's other Viet Nam movie, "Apocalypse Now", which is unfortunate, because it's a gem. Taking a device straight out of Aeschylus' masterpiece "The Persians", the war itself is almost entirely an off-screen presence (except for a few atmospheric news-reel clips, which serve to separate acts, as it were). Instead, like "The Persians", it considers the war through its effects on those at home, and does a generally excellent job.

It is particularly good at showing the view from inside the military "family", both of that life in general, and the effects of Viet Nam in particular. James Caan and James Earl Jones (the latter especially) turn in fine performances as veteran non-coms (the backbone of any army). One reviewer condemned D.B. Sweeney's portrayal of the young gung-ho recruit Willow because he sounded as if he were reading his line from cue cards - which rather misses the point, which is that because the green Willow doesn't know what it's really like, the slogans he repeats inevitably sound tinny and false.

Despite a few flaws (e.g. Mary Stuart Masterton's character is rather under-developed, and a few scenes are clangers), overall this is one of the greatest of all Viet Nam movies.

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")

An excellent film. The subject matter is not one that I thought would hold my attention....but I was wrong. The characters in this movie will involve you in their lives, so be prepared to stay awhile. The writing is first-rate. But I was most impressed with the directorial abilities of Coppola....and here's the reason why: he reined in the actors so that they gave marvelous, realistic performances (James Caan and Dean Stockwell are not always the most subtle of performers - but here, they are perfect). There is one exception - Coppola allows Angelica Huston to shine, and brings her out to full advantage (what is the opposite of 'reining in?'). For all the actors to turn in such great portrayals says something about the director, I think.