Francis Ford Coppola(1939 — ?)
Francis Ford Coppola
États-Unis
6 min read
Francis Ford Coppola is an American director, screenwriter, and producer born in 1939, a major figure of New Hollywood. He is world-renowned for the Godfather trilogy and for Apocalypse Now, both of which have become cinema classics.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Directs The Godfather in 1972, adapted from Mario Puzo's novel, a massive critical and commercial success
- Directs The Godfather Part II (1974), winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture
- Directs Apocalypse Now (1979), an epic about the Vietnam War, Palme d'Or at Cannes
- A leading figure of “New Hollywood” alongside Scorsese, Spielberg, and Lucas in the 1970s
- Wins two Palmes d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (1974 and 1979)
Works & Achievements
The saga of an Italian-American Mafia family, regarded as one of the greatest films in history and awarded the Oscar for Best Picture.
A thriller about a surveillance expert consumed by guilt, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes, echoing the Watergate scandal.
A sequel and prequel to the first film, which won six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, a rare feat for a sequel.
A hallucinatory epic about the Vietnam War, loosely inspired by the novel *Heart of Darkness*, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
A flamboyant adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, praised for its costumes and visual effects and awarded three technical Oscars.
A sweeping fable about a futuristic city, a lifelong project that Coppola financed himself at the cost of part of his wine estate.
Anecdotes
For The Godfather (1972), Paramount studios wanted neither Marlon Brando, deemed too difficult, nor Al Pacino, then unknown. Coppola fought to impose them and nearly got fired several times during filming. The film became one of the greatest successes in the history of cinema.
During his screen test for the role of Don Corleone, Marlon Brando slipped cotton into his cheeks to give himself the look of an old godfather with a drooping face. Convinced, Coppola then had him wear a real dental prosthesis during filming.
The filming of Apocalypse Now (1976-1977) in the Philippines turned into a nightmare: a typhoon destroyed the sets, lead actor Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack at 36, and Marlon Brando showed up overweight without having read the script. Coppola, on the verge of bankruptcy, later declared that his film was not about Vietnam, but that it “was” Vietnam.
Filmmaking is a family affair for the Coppolas: his father Carmine, a flutist and composer, wrote the music for The Godfather Part II and won an Oscar. His sister Talia Shire played Connie Corleone, his daughter Sofia Coppola became a director, and his nephew Nicolas Cage is an actor.
Primary Sources
My film is not about Vietnam. My film is Vietnam. It's what it was really like: it was crazy.
Francis said that everything he had — his house, his possessions — was tied up in this film; if it failed, they would lose everything.
We had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane.
Key Places
Birthplace of Francis Ford Coppola in 1939, where his father was working as a musician at the time.
Borough where Coppola spent part of his childhood in an Italian-American family passionate about music.
Heart of the American film industry, where Coppola shot and produced his major films for the studios.
Site of the chaotic shooting of Apocalypse Now, where the jungle stood in for Vietnam and a typhoon destroyed the sets.
Wine-growing valley where Coppola set up his home and winery estate, which became a second career after filmmaking.
Festival where Coppola won two Palmes d'Or, for The Conversation (1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979).