Francis Ford Coppola

Born:

April 7, 1939

My movie is not about Vietnam. My movie is Vietnam.

Biography:

Francis grew up in New York, where he developed an early interest in filmmaking. During the sixties he made eight not so successfully movies.

His big break came in 1972 with The Godfather followed by The Godfather II and The conversation. Unfortunately, his next major project, the mammoth Apocalypse Now nearly broke Coppola, financially and spiritually. The final blow came with One from the heart and the Cottonclub. Coppola's Zoetroop studio's filed for bankruptcy.

He made smaller, but still artistic films like Rumble fish (1983) and Peggy Sue got married (1986). Finally, he succumbed to commercial pressure and agreed to make The Godfather, Part III.

Over the years Francis has teetered between success and disaster, every time rising from the ashes. So one can ask what his next project, Megalopolis, will do to his career.

Academy awards:

1991 Nominated Best Director for: The Godfather: Part III (1990)
1991 Nominated Best Picture for: The Godfather: Part III (1990)
1980 Nominated Best Director for: Apocalypse Now (1979)
1980 Nominated Best Picture for: Apocalypse Now (1979)
1980 Nominated Best Writing for: Apocalypse Now (1979)
1975 Won Best Director for: The Godfather: Part II (1974)
1975 Won Best Picture for: The Godfather: Part II (1974)
1975 Won Best Writing for: The Godfather: Part II (1974)
1975 Nominated Best Picture for: The Conversation (1974)
1975 Nominated Best Writing for: The Conversation (1974)
1974 Nominated Best Picture for: American Graffiti (1973)
1973 Won Best Writing for: The Godfather (1972)
1973 Nominated Best Director for: The Godfather (1972)
1971 Won Best Writing for: Patton (1970)

Selected Movies:

The Godfather (1972)
The conversation (1974)
The Godfather part II (1974)
Apocalypse now (1979)
Peggy Sue got married (1986)
The Godfather part III (1990)

Bibliography » Books:

Bibliography » Web:

BBC News
DVD times
Empire
Sydney Morning Herald
The Guardian

Rumours and new films

- Tetro -
The generational story of an Italian immigrant family marred by fierce rivalries.
Status: Uncertain, release date may be in 2010

News

This week 11 years ago The rainmaker premiered (November 21, 1997)

-October 27, 2008
Now in UK shops: The Blu-ray Disc release of The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration. All three films are available in the four-disc box.
Source / More (Web)

-September 24, 2008
The Godfather has topped a list of the top 500 films of all time compiled by Empire magazine following a poll of readers and film industry luminaries. Raiders of the lost Ark and The empire strikes back came in 2 and 3.

-August 08, 2008
The Godfather II, the video game will be released in February. The game will not involve Coppola, who denounced the original. Robert Duvall will record original voice overs as Tom Hagen.
Source / More (Web)

-August 07, 2008
US cable channel AMC is looking to develop a TV series based on Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974). “It gives us an opportunity to look back at the 1970s through the filter of 2009”.
Source / More (Web)

-October 19, 2007
Francis has hit out at Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson, saying the trio lacked passion. “They all live off the fat of the land”
Source / More (Web)

Trivia

First Coppola thought that his sister was wrong for the part of Connie in The Godfather (1972): “I thought Tally was to beautiful to be Connie Corleone. The whole idea was that Connie was somewhat plain, and here came Carlo, a good-looking guy, marrying the Don’s homely daughter”.
--Source: Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker’s Life, Page 103

Actor Anthony Hopkins was asked to play Van Helsing in Dracula (1992). But after watching Hearts of darkness (1991) he had his doubts: “My God, is this really the man I’m going to work with?”.
--Source: Anthony Hopkins: The Authorized Biography, Page 179

Since 1978, Francis owns a California vineyard making Rubicon wine.
--Source: A Companion to California Wine, Page 238

The conversation is Coppola’s favorite from his own movies.
--Source: Francis Ford Coppola: Interviews, Page 148

In 1975 Francis was very frustrated that he couldn’t get his next project, Apocalypse now off the ground. So he flung his five Academy awards into his courtyard smashing four of them to pieces.
--Source: Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker’s Life, Page 197

The outsiders was made because of group of students wrote to Coppola and asked him to make a movie based on their favorite book, The outsiders.
--Source: Whom God Wishes to Destroy--Francis Coppola and the New Hollywood, Page 96

The original plan for Apocalypse now was that George Lucas would direct and Coppola produce. When Coppola wanted a greater share of the profits, Lucas ended his five year partnership: “It was as if we were married and we got divorced. It’s as close a relationship as I’ve had with anybody”
--Source: Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola, Page 145

When Paramount bought DreamWorks, owned by Steven Spieleberg, Coppola wrote to him, suggesting he might ask Paramount to restore the negatives of The Godfather. Spielberg appears to have made them an offer they couldn't refuse.
Source / More (Web)

John Milius wrote the screenplay for Apocalypse now and wanted to direct. Coppola planned to rewrite his screenplay and then direct it himself. Milius called him “The Bay Area Mussolini”.
--Source: Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola, Page 145

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