Exceptional director Francis Ford Coppola created film classics for eternity with “The Godfather 1 and 2” and “Apocalypse Now”. Today he turns 85.
The American Francis Ford Coppola (85), born in Detroit but raised in New York, is one of the most important living directors. But Coppola’s greatest successes lie far in the past. But later this year, the filmmaker, considered one of the co-founders of New Hollywood cinema, could step back into the spotlight with his latest work, “Megalopolis.” However, this is not yet certain, as a look at Coppola’s previous work reveals, as the auteur’s filmography includes some huge successes after catastrophic failures.
“The Godfather 1 and 2”, “Apocalypse Now”: Francis Ford Coppola dominates Hollywood
Coppola was considered a child prodigy from an early age. In 1963, at the age of just 24, he directed the horror film classic “Dementia 13” for the legendary low-budget producer and director Roger Corman (97). After three other successful directing works, “Big Boy, Now You’re Going to Be a Man!”, “The Golden Rainbow” and “Never Love a Stranger,” Coppola received his first Academy Award at the 43rd Academy Awards in 1971 – for this “Best Original Screenplay” for “Patton: Rebel in Uniform”. At that point, Coppola was just 32 years old – and was on the verge of what was probably the greatest success of his entire career.
After some well-known, established directors such as Sergio Leone (1929-1989) left, the film studio Paramount Coppola offered to adapt Mario Puzo’s (1920-1999) bestseller “The Godfather” for the big screen. The young filmmaker is said to have initially not been inclined to the project, but according to legend he later recognized Puzo’s work as an allegory of the triumph of capitalism in the United States, and subsequently created a classic in film history.
In 1972, “The Godfather” met mass taste and became the highest-grossing film of the year – and at the time, the highest-grossing film in the entire history of film. Coppola’s work was nominated for a total of eleven Oscars, and the mafia film ultimately received three, including one for director Coppola for “Best Adapted Screenplay”. Even today, “The Godfather” regularly ends up at the top of many lists of the best films of all time.
Coppola’s even greater achievement was probably the sequel “The Godfather – Part II”. Not only did the Mafia sequel make Robert De Niro (80) a veritable Hollywood star and give the mime the first of two Oscar wins, there were also a total of six Academy Awards for the continuation of the story of the Corleone family, including three for Coppola as “Best Director”, again for “Best Adapted Screenplay” and for “Best Film”.
“The Godfather – Part II” is said to have been the first film to have “Part II” in the title. Coppola, who basically never wanted to be part of the Hollywood establishment, may have played a significant role in today’s dream factory sequel and franchise craze.
“This film is Vietnam”
Perhaps this gigantic success has already gone to the filmmaker’s head. Starting in 1976, Coppola shot his big Vietnam film “Apocalypse Now” in the Philippines, a sensual trip into the “Heart of Darkness” and another classic of film history.
The production of Apocalypse Now was plagued by almost every difficulty imaginable. A particularly severe typhoon devastated the film’s sets, lead actor Martin Sheen (83) suffered an almost fatal heart attack during filming at the age of just 36, and director Coppola was also considered a veritable enfant terrible during this time and anything but easy Handling.
Ultimately, “Apocalypse Now” devoured the astronomical sum of 30 million US dollars at the time, with Coppola making 16 million from his own funds is said to have contributed to the budget of the legendary anti-war film. At the premiere in Cannes, where the film received the Palme d’Or, Then the famous Coppola quote came out: “My film is not about Vietnam, it is Vietnam,” with which the filmmaker referred to the aforementioned problematic genesis of his work.
Francis Ford Coppola: A victim of his own success?
What ended well with “Apocalypse Now” was Coppola’s undoing in his next work. In contrast to his financially successful Vietnam film, “One with a Heart” turned out to be a million-dollar grab. In 1982, the romantic musical grossed just over $600,000 on a hefty budget of $26 million.
Francis Ford Coppola, who had produced “One with a Heart” with his own company Zoetrope Studios, was subsequently heavily in debt and in the following decades took on commissioned works such as “Peggy Sue Got Married”, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and “The Rainmaker”. to find a way out of his financial misery.
Successful winemaker and “Megalopolis”
However, other business ventures may have helped the filmmaker more than these works. In 1975, Coppola acquired his first winery in Napa Valley, California, with the proceeds from the first “Godfather” film. More followed over the years. These wineries ultimately made it possible for the legendary director to write his late work “Megalopolis”.
Because in 2021 Coppola sold part of his Californian wine empireand invested a rumored $100 million from the proceeds into his next film project “Megalopolis”, which stars, among others, “Star Wars” star Adam Driver (40), Nathalie Emmanuel (35), known from “Game of Thrones”, “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” star Giancarlo Esposito (65), Aubrey Plaza (39), known from “The White Lotus”, the veteran stars Laurence Fishburne (62), Jon Voight (85) and Dustin Hoffman ( 86) and Coppola’s nephew Jason Schwartzman (43).
In “Megalopolis” it should According to Deadline about the reconstruction of a large city that was destroyed as a result of an accident in the style of New York City. Filming on Coppola’s late work has been completed. A cinema release of the major project is planned for this year.