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'''Francis Ford Coppola''' (born ], ]) is an ] ]. | '''Francis Ford Coppola''' (born ], ]) is an ] ]. | ||
Coppola studied film at ] and while there, he made numerous short films |
Coppola studied film at ] and while there, he made numerous short films, including some ]. In the late 1960s, he started his professional career making low-budget films with ] and writing. | ||
He won an ] for his screenplay for ''Patton.'' However, his name as a filmmaker was made in the ] as the co-writer and director of '']'' and '']'', which both won the ], the latter being the first sequel to do so. | |||
Following their success he set about filming an ambitious version of ]'s '']'', set during the ]. The film, entitled '']'', was beset by numerous problems, including ]s, ] and ]s; and was delayed so often it was nicknamed ''Apocalypse Whenever.'' The film was equally lauded and hated by critics when it finally appeared, and the cost nearly bankrupted Coppola's nascent studio ]. The ] ] '']'', directed by ] (Francis's wife), ] and ], chronicles the difficulties the crew went through making ''Apocalypse Now'', and features behind the scenes footage filmed by Eleanor. | Following their success he set about filming an ambitious version of ]'s '']'', set during the ]. The film, entitled '']'', was beset by numerous problems, including ]s, ] and ]s; and was delayed so often it was nicknamed ''Apocalypse Whenever.'' The film was equally lauded and hated by critics when it finally appeared, and the cost nearly bankrupted Coppola's nascent studio ]. The ] ] '']'', directed by ] (Francis's wife), ] and ], chronicles the difficulties the crew went through making ''Apocalypse Now'', and features behind the scenes footage filmed by Eleanor. |
Revision as of 03:25, 8 April 2004
Francis Ford Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is an American film director.
Coppola studied film at UCLA and while there, he made numerous short films, including some pornography. In the late 1960s, he started his professional career making low-budget films with Roger Corman and writing.
He won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Patton. However, his name as a filmmaker was made in the 1970s as the co-writer and director of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, which both won the Academy Award for Best Picture, the latter being the first sequel to do so.
Following their success he set about filming an ambitious version of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, set during the Vietnam war. The film, entitled Apocalypse Now, was beset by numerous problems, including typhoons, drug abuse and nervous breakdowns; and was delayed so often it was nicknamed Apocalypse Whenever. The film was equally lauded and hated by critics when it finally appeared, and the cost nearly bankrupted Coppola's nascent studio American Zoetrope. The 1991 documentary film Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, directed by Eleanor Coppola (Francis's wife), Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper, chronicles the difficulties the crew went through making Apocalypse Now, and features behind the scenes footage filmed by Eleanor.
After a lengthy layoff Coppola returned to directing, with some commercial and critical success. The Godfather Part III, the third installment in the Godfather saga, appeared in 1990.
He also wrote the screenplay for the 1974 remake of The Great Gatsby and produced George Lucas's breakthrough film, American Graffiti.
Coppola directed with George Lucas the Michael Jackson film Captain EO for Disney theme parks, which is the most expensive film of all-time, per minute.
Coppola's daughter Sofia is also a filmmaker (see The Virgin Suicides and Lost In Translation). His nephew Nicholas Cage is an acclaimed actor in his own right.
Selected filmography
- Apocalypse Now
- The Conversation
- Bram Stoker's Dracula
- The Godfather
- Jack
- Rumble Fish
- The Secret Garden
- Tucker: The Man and His Dream