41. Coppola Cast #23: Gardens of Stone

We’re back from summer hiatus to discuss Francis Coppola’s little seen Gardens of Stone (1987). This Vietnam War drama is about as far from Apocalypse Now as a movie about Vietnam could get. The plot follows Sergeant Hazard (James Caan), who runs the “Old Guard” that performs military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery and takes a young recruit (D. B. Sweeney) under his wing. We discuss the differences between Gardens of Stone and other Vietnam War movies of the era, whether the appearances by actors from Apocalypse Now are distracting, and try to figure out why, despite the talent in front of and behind the camera, the individual aspects of the movie don’t seem to add up. We also talk about the tragedy that occurred during filming: the sudden death of Coppola’s son, Gio. Finally, we get started planning our Shocktober schedule. This episode’s Coppola wine was: 2018 Black Label Claret 1910 Type.  

26. Coppola Cast #8: The Rain People (1969)

The characters in Francis Coppola’s The Rain People are on a cross country roadtrip but we are sheltering in place. After directing an old fashioned studio musical, Coppola returns to a more intimate, character focused story with The Rain People. Shirley Knight stars as a young housewife that leaves on a road trip to reevaluate her decisions. Her journey of self discovery takes a turn when she picks up a former college football star with brain damage (James Caan). In terms of style and technique this is as far away from Finian’s Rainbow as you can get. We talk about road movies, the “70’s movie ending”, and the Farrelly brothers come up, naturally. This episode’s wine was: Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Blue Label Merlot 2016.