Rotten
Seems to take its name not so much from the Arlington Memorial Cemetery, where much of the action takes place, but from the stiffness of the characters it portrays.
Variety Staff, Variety
Gardens of Stone
The story of the war at home, and the people who lived through it.
1987 · 1h 51m · R
Drama, History, War
Directed by
Francis Ford Coppola
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Gardens of Stone
Overview
At Arlington National Cemetery during the Vietnam era, veteran sergeant Clell Hazard trains young soldiers while mourning those lost in combat. Unable to return to war himself, he mentors Jackie Willow—the idealistic son of a fallen comrade—hoping to prepare him for the realities of Vietnam and the cost of duty.
Director and cast
- Francis Ford Coppola Director
- James Caan as Sgt. Clell Hazard
- Anjelica Huston as Samantha Davis
- James Earl Jones as Sgt. Maj.'Goody' Nelson
- D. B. Sweeney as Jackie Willow
- Dean Stockwell as Capt. Homer Thomas
- Mary Stuart Masterson as Rachel Feld
- Dick Anthony Williams as Slasher Williams
- Lonette McKee as Betty Rae
- Sam Bottoms as Lt. Webber
- Elias Koteas as Pete Deveber
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
41%
Tomatometer
Rotten
The most important missing ingredient is Mr. Coppola.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
Rotten
A handsome but fragmentary film that can't decide which story to tell.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Fresh
Francis Coppola's 1987 Vietnam meditation was his best film in a while, though it's still something less than satisfying.
Pat Graham, Chicago Reader
Rotten
There's a curious ambiguity in Coppola's feelings about the soldiers and their life.
Hal Hinson, Washington Post
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