Gardens of Stone

The subtext of this 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 (D.B. 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

Movie Details

Cast: James Caan, Anjelica Huston, James Earl Jones, D.B. Sweeney, Dean Stockwell, Mary Stuart Masterson, Dick Anthony Williams, Lonette McKee, Sam Bottoms, Elias Koteas, Laurence Fishburne, Casey Siemaszko, Peter Masterson, Carlin Glynn, Erik Holland, Billy Graham, Terrence Currier, Terry Hinz, Lisa-Marie Felter, William Williamson, Joseph A. Ross Jr., Robert Frerichs
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 112 min
DVD Aspect Ratios: 1.85:1

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DVD Features:

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen

International rating:

Europe: 15

DVD International release dates:
North America: Jun 3, 03

VHS International release dates:
North America: Jan 19, 99