From director Francis Coppola ('The Rainmaker', 'The Godfather' saga) comes 'Gardens of Stone', a poignant look at stateside military life during the Vietnam War featuring outstanding performances by James Caan, James Earl Jones and Academy Award? winner Anjelica Huston.
'Gardens of Stone' refers to Arlington National Cemetery, its endless rows of tombstones marking the graves of America's fallen war heroes. This garden is tended by the "Old Guard," an elite Army unit led by decorated veterans no longer serving on active duty. When brash young recruit Jackie Willow (D.B. Sweeney) is assigned to the unit, he becomes a surrogate son to Sgt. Clell Hazard (Caan) and Sgt. Major "Goody" Nelson (Jones). The older men must prepare the younger for the deadly world environment of war. Meanwhile, Hazard begins a love affair with an anti-war newspaper reporter (Huston) and Willow rekindles a romance with a former college sweetheart (Mary Stuart Masterson). Against the backdrop of protest, uncertainty and violence, the war at home and the war abroad intersect with unforgettable consequences. Also featuring Dean Stockwell and Laurence Fishburne, "in many ways 'Gardens of Stone' provides an even richer and more moving perspective on Vietnam than platoon." - Michael Medved, 'Sneak Previews'