The man who gave us cinematic masterpieces such as The Godfather Pts 1 and 2, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now is dead and buried in this film about soldiers assigned to burial detail.
The story is a very compelling and unique one and it's such a shame it wasn't told better. It is about army infantry soldiers who are assigned to the Honor Gard burial detail back in the States during the Vietnam war. It is fundamentally about their moral conflict and guilt about having to bury the dead from a war that many of them at once do not agree with but at the same time feel guilty that they aren't there with their brothers in the fight. While they serve an important role to their country and to the families of the fallen, many are nevertheless frustrated that as highly-trained infantry soldiers, safe burial detail in the States is what they got assigned instead of being sent to fight. There is so much fertile ground here for the makings of a superb movie and all ingredients would seem to be there, yet despite the great story and credentials of all involved, it comes off forced, flat, schizophrenic and entirely unbelievable at times.
Having served in the army infantry myself, I found the fraternizing relationship between the highest-rank characters and the lowest as completely unrealistic... especially in a highly disciplined infantry outfit. I love James Earl Jones, but as the commanding NCO of the outfit, I found him unbelievable and a bit insulting for the film to suggest that a 60 lb overweight, old dude who's uniform fits like the skin of the Goodyear blimp is fit to run and inspect one of the most highly disciplined units in the military. Then there was the inappropriate usage of unit arm patches... things that may only stand out to those who have served, but it demonstrates the lack of care and attention to detail.
The film constantly feels "cheap" like something made for TV. The dialog is simplistic, suggesting the screenplay was rushed and escaped any meaningful quality control. At times, voice dubbing was so far off the mark, it felt like a foreign film.
Gardens of Stone does have a few powerful and poignant moments though they almost feel out of place given the rest of this embarrassing mess. Considering the enviable cast, powerful (potentially) story and Coppola serving as both director and producer, it is hard to imagine this film could be so... meh, but it is. Such a shame given the unique and important perspective on war and those who serve.. not necessarily the front-line troops.
Given all these apparent failings, I rate Gardens of Stone a 6 mostly because it tells an important story from a unique perspective... even if badly. Around the same time of its release, there were also other Vietnam films such as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket and Hamburger Hill. Maybe Coppola felt like he had to get his in too in order to take advantage of the interest and rushed it. I dunno but I sure wish it had been done better. The soldiers deserved a better telling of their story.
The story is a very compelling and unique one and it's such a shame it wasn't told better. It is about army infantry soldiers who are assigned to the Honor Gard burial detail back in the States during the Vietnam war. It is fundamentally about their moral conflict and guilt about having to bury the dead from a war that many of them at once do not agree with but at the same time feel guilty that they aren't there with their brothers in the fight. While they serve an important role to their country and to the families of the fallen, many are nevertheless frustrated that as highly-trained infantry soldiers, safe burial detail in the States is what they got assigned instead of being sent to fight. There is so much fertile ground here for the makings of a superb movie and all ingredients would seem to be there, yet despite the great story and credentials of all involved, it comes off forced, flat, schizophrenic and entirely unbelievable at times.
Having served in the army infantry myself, I found the fraternizing relationship between the highest-rank characters and the lowest as completely unrealistic... especially in a highly disciplined infantry outfit. I love James Earl Jones, but as the commanding NCO of the outfit, I found him unbelievable and a bit insulting for the film to suggest that a 60 lb overweight, old dude who's uniform fits like the skin of the Goodyear blimp is fit to run and inspect one of the most highly disciplined units in the military. Then there was the inappropriate usage of unit arm patches... things that may only stand out to those who have served, but it demonstrates the lack of care and attention to detail.
The film constantly feels "cheap" like something made for TV. The dialog is simplistic, suggesting the screenplay was rushed and escaped any meaningful quality control. At times, voice dubbing was so far off the mark, it felt like a foreign film.
Gardens of Stone does have a few powerful and poignant moments though they almost feel out of place given the rest of this embarrassing mess. Considering the enviable cast, powerful (potentially) story and Coppola serving as both director and producer, it is hard to imagine this film could be so... meh, but it is. Such a shame given the unique and important perspective on war and those who serve.. not necessarily the front-line troops.
Given all these apparent failings, I rate Gardens of Stone a 6 mostly because it tells an important story from a unique perspective... even if badly. Around the same time of its release, there were also other Vietnam films such as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket and Hamburger Hill. Maybe Coppola felt like he had to get his in too in order to take advantage of the interest and rushed it. I dunno but I sure wish it had been done better. The soldiers deserved a better telling of their story.