| Francis Ford Coppola | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biography | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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When Francis Ford Coppola came down with polio at the age of ten, he amused himself by creating puppet shows and making an 8mm film. As an apprentice to director Roger Corman, he had the chance to direct a horror movie, a flick about an axe murderer entitled Demetia 13. A few years later he took the helm on You're a Big Boy Now, which led to more credited assignments like Finian's Rainbow and The Rain People. In 1970, he won an Oscar for his screenplay for Patton. With backing from Warners, Coppola was able to establish his own production facility, American Zoetrope, with George Lucas in 1969. In 1972, Coppola established himself as a major director and screenwriter with The Godfather, a stunning film which proved a success on every level. He followed up by producing the hit American Graffiti, and by directing The Conversation and Godfather II--brilliant films that deserved and won countless awards. In his free time, he bought a magazine, a restaurant, a Napa Valley vineyard, and part of Belize. In the late seventies, Coppola began filming his epic Apocalypse Now, loosely based on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Shot in the Philippines, the film was plagued by illnesses, typhoons, and massive cost overruns (Coppola put in $16 million of his own money), but left the director's reputation intact--even increased it. The Cotton Club, a musical set in a Harlem jazz club in the 1920, was a big-budget fiasco. Mortgaged to the hilt, American Zoetrope went belly up. Although Peggy Sue Got Married was great fun and Tucker: A Man and His Dream was a visual treat, the films weren't enough to regain the luster of Coppola's seventies triumphs. Godfather III, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and The Rainmaker, while not up to his earlier classic films, were still well-received by critics and fans. Excessive highs and lows also mark Coppola's personal life. He is famous for hiring as many members of his family as possible to work on his projects. Some, like musician father Carmine, did fine work. Others, like his daughter, Sofia--a last-minute replacement for an ailing Winona Ryder in Godfather III--didn't. Apocalypse Now almost ruined his marriage; the Godfather III miscasting almost ruined daughter Sofia; and his son, Gian Carlo, was killed in a boating tragedy. No wonder Coppola loves opera. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Director Style | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"I think if I understand the concept correctly, it would seem that all fiction is bio-imaged in that, ultimately, at the foundation, you only have yourself, your feelings, your perceptions and you life upon which to base. And so when you say "bio-imaged" it's based on what you've seen, what you've felt. You create images and a situation and characters on top of that." -Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola's reputation is based solely a handful of dark masterpieces (The Godfather Trilogy, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now). It's rare that a film tells as many interconnected stories as the Godfather does. Great performances, excellent directing, and a tightly-plotted script all guided it to success. The use of up and down angles which invoke fear convey to us the amount of respect and humility that the Don commands. Clearly Coppola's directing style should demand the same respect from its audience. This movie, or any of his movies for that matter, was not slapped together to satisfy the masses; it was carefully and painstakingly crafted, by an artist. Every major character (and more than a few minor ones), of Coppola's films is molded into a distinct, complex individual. Stereotypes do not influence Coppola, although certain ones were formed as a result of his films. For his most successful pictures, Coppola's mood was very dark. The movies were not illuminate, but dimly lit, and mysterious. But there's another side to Coppola, when looking at his career as a whole, and movies he created later in life. A man who focuses not on shadows but on light. He is cautiously optimistic, overly sentimental, basically a big bear hug of a moviemaker/grandpa who is always reaching for heart strings to tug. This is the Coppola who staked not just his reputation but all his worldly possessions on an old-fashioned romantic musical called One From the Heart. It's also the man whose signature works include movies such as Jack. His movies all have one thing in common, heavy undertones. The movie Jack had just a tiny amount of his directorial emphasis. Therefore it could have been a much darker film. Because of his ambiguous approach, it dissapointed those who prefer the Coppola who lives in the heart of darkness. But then, the two Francis Ford Coppola's are far from discrete personalities. His huge love of family life humanizes The Godfather. He makes the audience feel for, and identify with the loyalties of the Corleone Family. Even still, a hint of potential anguish runs through the edges of even his most upbeat efforts, his comedies are therefore dark as well. His personality peeks through into every one of his films. His own quote sums it up the best, "You only have yourself, your feelings, your perceptions, and your life upon which to base."-F.F.C. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reviews | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Godfather Part Three | The family is doomed, their past haunts them. The lighting, the dark rooms, convey secrets, mystery, and depression. Up andc down angles are used to show power. I think the best scene is when Mike and Kay fight over Anthony wanting to be an opera singer. He wants him to run the business. The conflict is awesome, and they are both fierce. Maybe it brought back sentiment from the first two Godfathers. These two have always been a ble to stare a hole through eachother with their looks. She tells him it doesn't matter what the church bestows him, he is still a gangster in his heart. The Godfather Part III is an important part of the saga. You don't have to "wonder" what happened to the Corleones after the Godfather. It gives a sense of closure. It is an important movie. We are familiar with the characters and care what happens to them. We are almost part of the family. We feel their hatred towards their enemies, we are on the inside. Bram Stoker's Dracula Coppola communuicates the theme with Dracula's aging/young switches. Also with choice of costume. In one scene where her friend is seduced into evil, her friend is wearing flowing red bedclothes signifying seduction, evil, or even blood, while Mina's are blue, symbolizing innocence and purity. There are many time transitions, and the acting conveys the strength of the love felt. The most visually striking scene is when she dances with Dracula. Everything is blacked out and all you see are hundreds of lit candles as they dance about. They are the object of our attention, and you can almost feel what they feel. Nothing else matters but eachother. I think if you are interested in vampires or love stories you should see this movie. Some of it looks fake, and at times is silly. It drags on, and if you are not sappy, you won't enjoy Coppola's use of love letters read aloud montages. They also make her seem very whiny and clingy. But the climax of the film is when she is at the altar in the church sitting over Dracula's dead body. She looks up and painted on the ceiling is him standing over her dead body in Medieval times when they were together. Their love surpassed time, and mortality. The Rainmaker Coppola communicates the theme with up angles, and dark lighting. Also with Devito's Dick, who is the background for Rudy, finding evidence, giving advice. The most intense moment of the film is when Kelly is being beat by her husband. It was a very cool movie. By keeping all the "little people" in focus, Coppola portrays through this film the variety of a young lawyer's life where every client is necessary, and most of them need a lot more than a lawyer.
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