The Events that Led Coppola to Apocalypse Now | Ep1 | Making Apocalypse Now
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the making of Francis Ford Coppola's 'Apocalypse Now,' drawing on interviews and resources like Eleanor Coppola's 'Hearts of Darkness.' It delves into the film's development, script, casting, and editing, highlighting Coppola's artistic vision and the challenges he faced, set against the backdrop of the New Hollywood movement.
Takeaways
- đŹ Francis Ford Coppola's reflection on power and responsibility after the success of 'The Godfather' films led him to consider the impact of his future projects on the public.
- đ The Godfather films explore themes of power and influence within a structured world, raising questions about authority in the absence of structure.
- đ„ Coppola's next project after 'The Godfather Part II' and 'The Conversation' was to be a film about Vietnam, focusing on war and the human soul, with an awareness of the potential political implications.
- đ The series delves into the making of 'Apocalypse Now', a film that is a significant case study in film history due to its independent production without studio interference.
- đȘ 'Apocalypse Now' is based loosely on Joseph Conradâs novella 'Heart of Darkness', with the setting adapted to the Vietnam War, highlighting the conflict as a 'proxy war' during the Cold War.
- đą The idea to adapt 'Heart of Darkness' to the Vietnam War context was conceived by John Milius and George Lucas, after numerous failed attempts to adapt the novella for the screen.
- đ© The production of 'Apocalypse Now' was notorious for its difficulties, including casting issues, health problems, a typhoon, and political instability, affecting Coppola deeply.
- đ 'Apocalypse Now' was released during the New Hollywood movement, characterized by risk-taking and a 'revisionist' approach to filmmaking, diverging from traditional methods.
- đ The film's surreal depiction of the Vietnam War, though not historically accurate, captures the war's mentality and its profound effects on soldiers, American culture, and perceptions of human nature.
- đšâđ Coppola's early life, including a bout with polio and a creative upbringing, influenced his storytelling abilities and led him to a career in filmmaking.
- đŒ His father, Carmine Coppola, was a composer and flutist, contributing original music to several of Francis Ford Coppola's films, including 'The Godfather' series and 'Apocalypse Now'.
Q & A
What was Francis Ford Coppola's statement about power in his 1975 Playboy Magazine interview?
-Coppola stated that he was determined to give tremendous thought to the impact any project he undertakes would have on the public, acknowledging the responsibility filmmakers have in considering the implications of their work.
What theme does The Godfather films explore according to Coppola's interview?
-The Godfather films explore the theme of power and influence in a world of laws and structure.
What was Coppola's next project after The Godfather Part II?
-Coppola's next project was a film about Vietnam, focusing on war and the human soul, rather than being strictly political.
What is the significance of Apocalypse Now in film history?
-Apocalypse Now is significant as a large-budget epic art film done independently without studio interference, representing a unique case study in film history.
What is the source material for Apocalypse Now?
-Apocalypse Now is loosely based on Joseph Conradâs 1902 novella, Heart of Darkness, which was originally set in the Congo during the colonial era.
How did the setting of Apocalypse Now differ from the original setting of Heart of Darkness?
-The setting of Apocalypse Now changes the backdrop of Heart of Darkness to center around the Vietnam War, reflecting the conflict between communist North Vietnam and anti-communist South Vietnam.
Who thought of the idea to recontextualize Heart of Darkness around the Vietnam War?
-The idea to recontextualize Heart of Darkness around the Vietnam War was thought of by John Milius and George Lucas.
What was the impact of Roger Corman on Francis Ford Coppola's early career?
-Roger Corman provided Coppola with opportunities to work on various creative jobs in filmmaking, which helped launch Coppola's career and allowed him to develop his skills.
What was the significance of The Godfather in Coppola's career?
-The Godfather was a turning point in Coppola's career, rescuing him from financial difficulties and establishing him as a prominent filmmaker in Hollywood.
What challenges did Coppola face during the production of Apocalypse Now?
-The production of Apocalypse Now faced numerous difficulties including casting issues, health problems, a typhoon, and even military coups, leading to a downward spiral of doubt and frustration for Coppola.
What was the role of American Zoetrope in Coppola's filmmaking journey?
-American Zoetrope was a studio founded by Coppola and George Lucas as a way to make movies outside of the Hollywood studio systemâs control, allowing them to pursue more independent and personal projects.
Outlines
đŹ The Impact of Power and Vision in Filmmaking
In a 1975 Playboy Magazine interview, Francis Ford Coppola reflects on the influence of his work, particularly 'The Godfather' films, and the responsibility he feels towards the impact of his projects on the public. He discusses the themes of power and structure in 'The Godfather' and the challenges of creating a film about Vietnam, emphasizing the importance of careful consideration to avoid irresponsible storytelling. The paragraph introduces a series by Tyler, exploring the making of 'Apocalypse Now,' a film that represents a high-risk, independent artistic vision in Hollywood, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and influenced by Coppola's success with 'The Godfather' and 'The Conversation'.
đ Coppola's Artistic Journey and the Birth of American Zoetrope
This paragraph delves into Francis Ford Coppola's early life and career, from his childhood bedridden with polio to his eventual rise in Hollywood. It highlights his relationship with his composer father, Carmine Coppola, his time at UCLA Film School, and his work with Roger Corman, which significantly influenced his approach to filmmaking. The paragraph also discusses the establishment of American Zoetrope, Coppola's endeavor to create an alternative to the Hollywood studio system, and the challenges he faced in financing and producing independent films.
đ The Struggles and Triumphs Leading to The Godfather
The paragraph narrates the financial and creative struggles Coppola faced with his studio, American Zoetrope, and how the success of 'Patton' and the Oscar win for its screenplay helped him stay afloat. It details the initial reluctance and eventual acceptance of directing 'The Godfather,' a project that would become a defining moment in his career. The challenges of casting Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone and the innovative tactics Coppola used to convince the studio heads are also highlighted, showcasing his determination and creative vision.
đ The Rise of a Hollywood Powerhouse with The Godfather
After the success of 'The Godfather,' Coppola's status in Hollywood was solidified, leading to a period of significant acclaim and financial success. The paragraph discusses the accolades received for 'The Godfather Part II,' including Coppola's personal wins for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. It also sets the stage for 'Apocalypse Now,' a film that would be a departure from his previous work, with George Lucas initially attached to direct before Coppola took over.
đ The Legacy of Coppola and the Anticipation of Apocalypse Now
In this final paragraph, the focus shifts to the anticipation of the series on 'Apocalypse Now,' highlighting the film's significance in Coppola's filmography and its status as a cultural touchstone. The paragraph invites viewers to support the series through donations and Patreon, promising an in-depth exploration of the film's development, script, casting, and editing, as well as the personal and professional challenges Coppola faced during its production.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄFrancis Ford Coppola
đĄThe Godfather
đĄThe Conversation
đĄApocalypse Now
đĄVietnam War
đĄNew Hollywood
đĄHeart of Darkness
đĄRoger Corman
đĄAmerican Zoetrope
đĄThe Godfather Part II
đĄRisk
Highlights
Francis Ford Coppola's reflection on the impact of his projects on the public after the success of The Godfather films.
Coppola's contemplation on power dynamics and structure, particularly in the context of his next project about Vietnam.
Coppola's approach to his next film being about war and the human soul, with awareness of the potential for irresponsible representation.
The introduction of a series exploring the making of Apocalypse Now, including development, script, casting, and editing.
The significance of Hearts of Darkness documentary in providing a comprehensive picture of the making of Apocalypse Now.
Apocalypse Now as a case study in film history for its independent production without studio interference.
The connection between Apocalypse Now and the New Hollywood movement, known for taking risks and allowing director's visions.
The symbolic representation of the Vietnam War in Apocalypse Now, emphasizing the surreal and bizarre nature of the conflict.
The importance of understanding Coppola's life and career leading up to Apocalypse Now, including his early struggles with polio.
Coppola's early career and the influence of his father, a composer and flutist, on his filmmaking.
The impact of Roger Corman on Coppola's career, providing opportunities and shaping the Hollywood Renaissance.
Coppola's founding of American Zoetrope with George Lucas as an alternative to the Hollywood studio system.
The financial struggles of American Zoetrope and the role of The Godfather in its salvation.
The story behind getting Marlon Brando cast as Vito Corleone in The Godfather against the studio's initial disapproval.
Coppola's unprecedented achievement of winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards for The Godfather Part II against his own film, The Conversation.
The initial plan for George Lucas to direct Apocalypse Now as a low-budget Vietnam war movie.
Transcripts
In the July 1975 issue of Playboy Magazine, Francis Ford Coppola gave an interview on
The Godfather Part II and The Conversation, in which Coppola had this to say about the
enormous impact The Godfather films have had: âLet me make a statement about power: From
now on, Iâm determined to give tremendous thought to the impact any project I undertake
will have on the public. It may sound wordy, it may sound obvious, but very few filmmakers
ever really do thatâ (Directors Interviews 92).
The Godfather films play with the theme of power and influence in a world of laws and
structure, but what happens when there is no structure?
Whoâs in charge here?
Charge? I donât know, man. Iâm just the night man. Doing what Iâm told.
When asked about what would be his next film, Coppola had this to say, "My next project
is going to be delicate in that context. Itâs going to be a film about Vietnam, although
it wonât necessarily be politicalâ it will be about war and the human soul. But
itâs dangerous, because Iâll be venturing into an area that is laden with so many implications
that if I select some aspects and ignore others, I may be doing something irresponsible. So
Iâll be thinking hard about itâ (Directors Interviews 93).
Hello cinephile, Tyler here. You are watching Part One of a series where I uncover the making
of Francis Ford Coppolaâs Apocalypse Now. Like my 2001: A Space Odyssey series, I will
take you through the film from beginning to end telling you the stories behind the story,
but this time, we will be making some pit stops along the way to talk specifically about
the development, script, casting, editing, reception, and... something Iâll tell you
about a little bit later.
These are the main resources that will carry us through the film. You may have seen the
incredible documentary filmed by Eleanor Coppola on the making of Apocalypse Now titled Hearts
of Darkness, with the help of these and many other resources will give us a more complete
picture of what these artists went through and what Apocalypse Now means to filmmaking
and film history.
So, why Apocalypse Now? The story of the making of Apocalypse Now is one of doubt and struggle,
but perhaps more important considering whatâs going on with the industry today, Apocalypse
Now is about risk. Apocalypse Now is a very special case-study in film historyâ a large
budget epic art film done independently without studio interference on Coppolaâs visionâ
something that was only possible because of an unprecedented period in Hollywood lining up
with Coppolaâs unique circumstances after The Godfather Parts 1 and 2 and The Conversation.
Click the CC button if youâd like to see the transcript with citations and smaller quotes.
Also, Iâm just one guy doing this, so I will probably make some mistakes along the way.
Nicely point them out with sources and I will pin the corrections to the top of the comments.
Letâs get started!
Apocalypse Now is loosely based on Joseph Conradâs 1902 novella, Heart of Darkness
following a boat journeying up the Congo Riverâ there, a man tells the story of his obsession
with an ivory trader named Kurtz (Wiki).
The story was based on Conradâs actual experiences working for a company that brought goods back
from the jungle for trade (Travers 83).
The setting of Apocalypse Now changes the backdrop of the Heart of Darkness story to
center around the Vietnam War in which the communist North Vietnam, with the support
of communist allies like the Soviet Union and China, fought the anti-communist South
Vietnam, supported by anti-communist allies like the Philippines, Australia,
and the United States (Wiki).
The war happened during the United Statesâ Cold War with the Soviet Union and it is considered
to be a âproxy warâ in which the United States and the Soviet Union could fight without
having to actually go to war with each other (Wiki).
The idea to recontextualize the Heart of Darkness story around the Vietnam War was thought of
by John Milius and George Lucas (Martin 209). Many had tried to adapt Heart of Darkness
for the screen and failed. The most notable of these failures would have to be the adaptation
that, if it had been made, would have been Orson Wellesâ first filmâŠ
instead of Citizen Kane (Hearts of Darkness).
Welles performed the story with others in 1938 as part of his
radio series âThe Mercury Theater on the Airâ (Travers 83).
The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading
to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast skyâseemed to lead
into the heart of an immense darkness.
They did screen-tests and designed sets, but [quote] âthe studio backed away fearing
that Welles elaborate film would go over-budgetâ (Hearts of Darkness).
Weâll talk about this more in a later episode. The production of Apocalypse Now has become
legendary for its many difficulties ranging from casting issues, health issues, a typhoon,
and even military coups (Martin 209). Francis Ford Coppola himself kind of went on this
downward spiral of doubt and frustration and nearly lost his mind.
Apocalypse Now was released near the end of the New Hollywood movementâ also known as
the Hollywood Renaissanceâ in which Hollywood studios took more risks and gave more leeway
to the directorsâ vision (Wiki).
One of the main traits of New Hollywood movies is taking a ârevisionistâ approach to
filmmakingâ shedding the [quote/unquote] âtraditionalâ approach that was prevalent
in the 1950s (Martin 209).
Here, we see a surreal depiction of the Vietnam War by people who never served. But even here,
the war is more of a symbolic backdrop than something trying to be historically accurate
or contain a realistic view of the events. Still, with the drug use by soldiers and the
bizarre nature of the war itself, Apocalypse Now seems almost like a good historical account
of the mentality of the war and how insane it was that the United States were even involved--
Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy nameâŠ
âas well as the effect it had on the soldiers, on American culture,
and on our view of human nature.
Itâs important to understand Francis Ford Coppolaâs life leading up to Apocalypse Now.
Before Apocalypse Now, people only knew Francis Ford Coppola for being so good at
filmmaking, that he won a Best Picture Oscar against himself for a sequel to a movie that
also won the Best Picture Oscarâ not to mention winning a Best Adapted Screenplay
Oscar for both.
The Godfather Part IIâ Francis Ford Coppola, Gray Frederickson, and Fred Roos.
But letâs go further back and look at the parts of his life that specifically relate
to what weâll talk about in the rest of the series.
Francis Ford Coppola was born in 1939 to Italia and Carmine Coppola. Carmine was a composer
and flutist, not a flautist
I asked him once, of course, whatâs the difference between a flutist and a flautist
and he said, âfifty dollars a week.'
Carmine would go on to compose and perform original music for his sonâs films:
The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders, and The Godfather Part III (Wiki).
When Francis was young, he was diagnosed with polio and like fellow iconic director Martin
Scorsese, he spent a decent chunk of his childhood bedridden, which likely fostered his love
of storytelling because he would pass the time by putting on little theater productions
with his homemade puppets (Wiki).
And his grandfather Pennino gave him a 16mm film projector (Travers 15).
Coppola said, âthere was about a year and a half when I stayed at home. I was paralyzed
for a while. And so I basically watched television, and listened to the radio, and played with
a tape recorder, and puppets, and my day was made up of those kinds of things (achievement.org).
So, I guess if you want to make a legendary film director, just confine them to a bed
during childhood.
Coppola majored in theater arts at Hofstra College, but changed his focus to filmmaking
after seeing Sergei Eisensteinâs October: Ten Days That Shook the World â reportedly,
he was very taken with the filmâs editing (Wiki).
After getting his degree from Hofstra, he went to UCLA Film School where he directed
a couple of shorts and then he made a soft-core comedy movie called Tonight For Sure, or did
he just edit it? Either way this got him a job recutting a German film and adding in
nude scenes for an American drive-in audience (Wiki).
Coppola: âThey were made out of different films and the director was in Germany and
I didnât honestly every believeâ and I say this sincerelyâ that I was ever going
to see my name on the screen because it seemed like it was so magical to see, âdirected
by someone,â so I just put âdirected by Francis Coppolaâ and I put âmusic by Carmine
Coppolaâ because I wanted to see my father get a credit. No one was there to argue, but
Iâve had to live that down ever since.
I was like the third editor.â
He was then hired by âThe Pope of Pop Cinemaâ himself Roger Corman, to recut and completely
dub over a Russian sci-fi movie called Battle Beyond the Sun where Coppola wrote new dialogue
to change the story and remove all the anti-American propaganda (Wiki).
Coppola even directed some footage of âspace monsters fightingâ to be put into the film (Wiki).
After seeing his work, Corman hired him for various creative jobs on some movies
he was directing (Wiki). Coppola was recommended to Corman by Dorothy Arzner, a legendary film
director who got her start in the late silent era
and taught at UCLA while Coppola was a student (Travers 20).
Roger Corman had a unique way of doing things. The âCorman Modelâ was to make super cheap
movies with sex or violence âevery ten minutesâ and promote the movie like an event (FlavorWire).
If people thought the movie sucked, no matter, by the time word got around, the next movie
would be coming out. The new âFilm School Generationâ was in full swing and Corman
would hire these kids fresh out of University for cheap.
Corman might as well be a cinematic saint at this pointâ not as much for his own films
as his impact on the industry. He pretty much gave us Jonathan Demme, Peter Bogdanovich,
Ron Howard (as a director), John Sayles, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford
Coppola who all got their start (or break) with Corman â not to mention actors like
Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, and Dennis Hopper (Wired).
Iâm an American!
Corman was kind of an incubator for budding filmmakers. Corman once told Ron Howard, âIf
you do a good job on this film, youâll never have to work for me againâ (Wiki). Corman
was actually honored with some cameos in his protegesâ films including Coppolaâs The
Godfather Part II, Jonathan Demmeâs The Silence of the Lambs, and Ron Howardâs Apollo 13 (Wiki).
Cormanâs philosophy of letting inexperienced filmmakers run with their creativity was one
of the main seeds that would blossom into the Hollywood Renaissance of the 1970s where
many of Americaâs greatest movies were made.
Instead of hiring people to make a [quote/unquote]
âtraditional movie,â he hired people who didnât necessarily know the expected way
of doing things. The same thing happened with Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey with Kubrick
hiring some young and less-experienced artists to help work on the special effects. They
didnât know the ârightâ or âwrongâ ways of doing things and didnât have any
preconceived notion of whether something was possible or not.
Corman's model also gave rise to the blockbuster, which is, in essence, Cormanâs story structure
and promotion formula⊠but with money (Wired). It is very likely that Jaws and Star Wars
were influenced by Cormanâs formula
and we all know what happened after those movies came out⊠(Wired).
I actually made a little video about Cormanâs impact on American movies for No Film School
if youâd like to know more.
One of Coppolaâs turning points happened when Corman had some money left over from
a film he was directing with Coppola doing soundâat this point, Coppola was Cormanâs guy--
doing anything and everything from being a script doctor, to second-unit directing,
to, in this case, running sound (Martin 202).
Roger Corman: âHe was the sound-man, the second assistant director, and shot second
unit all on one picture. Very versatile.â
Conan: âOkay, and did you know then, this kidâs going places?â
Corman: âActually, I knew he was good. I had no idea that he was going to go to the
heights he did.â
Coppola said, âAbout three-quarters through that film, which was called The Young Racers, Roger
was called back home to direct The Raven with Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff. I knew he couldnât
pass up a bargain to make another film while we were in Europe. So I said, 'Roger, you
know, I have a script that could be made. Itâs kind of like Psycho.â He always
wanted a film that was like some hit film. Hitchcockâs Psycho was a big deal at the
time. I said, âI have this scriptâŠ' and he said, âShow me some of it.â
I showed him the three pages I wrote that night, which was of course the most garish
kind of action scene I could come up with. And he said, âOkay.â And I went off. He
gave me a check for $20,000. He sent me with a young woman who had worked on the production
who was going to be the co-signer â and I went to Ireland. When I was in Ireland,
I met another producer, and I said I was making a film for Roger, and this guy offered to
buy the English rights for another $20,000. So I had now $40,000. Roger, of course, expected
to get his $20,000 back, still make the movie for the 20 with the English rights, and get
the film for free. But I sort of just duped him. I took both checks and I put it in the bank.
And I had this young woman sign the check, and I just kind of made the amount
to the whole amount, so she basically was out of the check signing. Then I made the
movie for $40,000, which was this little black-and-white horror film called Dementia 13, which we
made in about nine daysâ (achievement.org).
One who walks with silent tread and strikes with ruthless forceâŠ
It was on the set of Dementia 13 that Coppola met Eleanor Neil and, in 1963, they would
be married (Wiki). And look who it is! Patrick Magee from Barry Lyndon and A Clockwork Orange!
Shortly after Dementia 13, Coppola won the Samuel Goldwyn Writing award for a screenplay
that would never be produced, but it got Coppola writing jobs for an up-and-coming studio called
Seven Arts (Martin 202).
Letâs jump ahead a bit to 1969 when Coppola founded his own studio with a friend named
George Lucas called American Zoetrope as a way to make movies outside of the Hollywood
studio systemâs control (Wiki).
He had made an independent personal film called The Rain People and leased the warehouse they
had used as a soundstage to be the makeshift headquarters of American Zoetrope (Martin 204).
Making The Rain People proved to Coppola that he could make a film on the cheap
without relying on the studio system (Martin 204).
At the same time, three other Corman proteges: Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson, and Peter Fonda
had just come out with a super cheap indie movie that became a big successâ Easy Rider.
George Lucas said, "Francis saw Zoetrope as a sort of alternative Easy Rider studio
where he could do the same thing: get a lot of young talent for nothing, make these movies,
hope that one of them would be a hit, and eventually build a studio that wayâ (Martin 204).
Coppola was a little older than many of the other âgreatsâ of the film school generation
and he was the first of them to work in Hollywood. While working at Warner Bros., he would steal
film stock from the supply room for Zoetrope and had promised to bring his friends up with
him when he finally âmade itâ (Travers 88).
Patton came out in 1970, which Coppola co-wrote the screenplay for. 20th Century Fox thought
it was a little bizarreâ
Coppola said, âthe script was very controversial when I wrote it, because they thought it was
so stylized. It was supposed to be like, sort of, you know, The Longest Day⊠I was sort
of interested in the reincarnation. And I had this very bizarre opening where he stands
up in front of an American flag and gives this speech.
That's why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war.
Ultimately, I wasnât fired, but I was fired, meaning that when the script was done, they said,
âOkay, thank you very much,â and they went and hired another writer and that script was forgotten.
And I remember very vividly this long, kind of being raked over the coals for this opening sceneâ (achievement.org).
George C. Scott, who played Patton in the movie, said that he would only do it if they
used Coppolaâs script and so they did (Wiki). The speech is now iconic and Coppola won an
Academy Award for the screenplay (Wiki).
I know that Mr. Coppola would join me in thanking you very much for this award.
This Oscar, made possible by George C. Scottâs decision, in effect thrusted Coppolaâs into
the mainstream.
By the way, Scott won best actor and refused the award for a interesting reasonâ he was
the first one who did that and he said that he wouldnât accept the award because he
[quote] âbelieved that every dramatic performance was unique and could not be compared to othersâ (Wiki).
A couple years later, Marlon Brando would also decline the award, but he declined
the award because of the âpoor treatment of Native Americans in the film industryâ (Wiki).
Itâs interesting how both of those Best Act or refusals were for movies that Coppola co-wrote.
Warner Bothers made a deal with Coppola to finance several of Zoetropeâs scripts (Travers 4).
The first slate of Zoetrope projects included The Conversation and Apocalypse Now, but before
those would be George Lucasâ first feature, based on a student film he made, titled THX-1138 Â (Martin 205).
They took the film to Seven Arts who financed the project. At this point
they had merged with Warner Brothers and became Warner-Seven Arts. Warner-Seven Arts [quote]
"hated Lucasâs film so much that they cited a clause in Coppolaâs contract: if they
deemed a film to be unsuitable for release, he had to buy back the picture from themâ (Martin 205).
They suddenly called the financing âa loanâ and wanted it repaid (Travers 65).
So one day, everything is going great with a slate of scripts ready to go and the next day, everything
is put on hold and Coppola is âabout $300,000â in debt (Travers 65). He would have to repay
the money or buy back all of their scripts (Travers 65). To put this in perspective,
Lucas was quoted saying âThere probably was only a handful of professional athletes
in America making as much as $100,000 per year in 1970 (Travers 66). Coppola thought
that the contract he had with Warner-Seven Arts was [quote] âa solid multi-picture
deal,â but who knows how much he was aware of this
'turn-all-of-your-funding-into-a-loan' clause (Travers 65).
Coppola said, "My enthusiasm and my imagination far outpaced any kind of financial logicâŠ
I wasnât associated with anyone who was the businessman of the group. It was all me,
and I was forging ahead without looking back and seeing whether we could afford this or
thatâ (Travers 66). The only thing keeping Coppola from completely going under was the
success of Patton that was a hit in theaters during 1970, however, the money being made
by Coppola wasnât going to be enough to save Zoetrope (Travers 66).
The stage was now set for one of those cinematic miraclesâ Paramount was looking for someone
of Italian decent to direct a little mafia adaptation called The Godfather (Martin 205).
Robert Evans, the head of Paramount, knew that mafia movies usually do poorly when they
are directed by non-Italiansâ thatâs why he first offered the job to Sergio Leone,
but he was busy making his own mafia movie: Once Upon a Time in America (Wiki). Besides,
most of the mafia movies being made became âflopsâ and the big directors didnât
want to touch them (SiriusXM). Evans said that he wanted to [quote] âsmell the spaghettiâ (Wiki).
And you fry some garlic, then you throw in some tomatoes, some tomato paste, you fry
it, you make sure it doesnât stickâŠ
Robert Evans: âI didnât particularly want Francis until I met with him. And heâs brilliant
and heâs operatic and really what makes the picture work is the opera of it.â
Coppola originally didnât want to make a mafia movie for fear of disparaging his Italian
heritage and because he wanted to do âart films.â He had written The Conversation
at this point and was really trying to get that made, but with Lucas reminding him that
they were out of money and Coppolaâs realization that he could make the story more about American
capitalism, he agreed (Wiki). Iâm tellinâ ya, most of the best movies combine artistic
expression and commercial appeal.
Lucas said, âFor him, it wasnât really, Should I do this movie?⊠It was, Can I really
accept the fact that the dream of Zoetrope, of this alternative studio, all this stuff
weâd been talking about for the last two yearsâfailed? Because at that point, Zoetrope
fell apart. Francis was very disappointed when the whole thing collapsed, but he had
to pay his debt back"(Travers 68).
Evans would attempt to fire Coppola from The Godfather in 1971, but before he could, Coppola
won the Oscar for writing Patton and Evans couldnât fire an Oscar winner (Travers 4).
The story of making The Godfather deserves a whole series of videos, so Iâm only going
to talk about the stuff that will be relevant later in this series. Coppola really wanted
Marlon Brando for the role of Vito Corleone but Paramount wanted Ernest Borgnine (Wiki).
Even though he won an Academy Award for screenwriting, Coppola didnât have much clout in Hollywood.
He went on and on about wanting Brando, but the Evans wouldnât hear of it.
Coppola: âI was told by the president of Paramount Pictures, âFrancis, Marlon Brando
will not appear in this movie and I forbid you, as president of Paramount, to bring his
name up againâ and at which time, I fell on the floor in a faint â I did it deliberatelyâ
and he said, âwhat!?â And I said, âWell, if I canât even talk about it, then what
kind of a director am I?â And he said, âOkay, you can talk about it.â
Evans finally relented under the conditions that Brando do the movie for free, do a screen
test, and put up a one million dollar bond in case anything goes wrong (92nd Street Y).
He went to Brandoâs house and filmed him trying out some characterizations for
the [quote/unquote] âscreen testâ and went over Evanâs head to the president of
Gulf and Western, which had acquired Paramount Pictures, and Coppola turned on the video
of Brandoâs screen test.
Coppola: âAnd Charlie Bluhdorn said, âNo, no, absolutely nâŠ
thatâs incredible!ââ
And thatâs how Brando got hired (92nd Street Y). They didnât make him put up the bond,
but they only paid him something like $120,000Â (92nd Street Y).
So Coppola built his career on taking risksâ sometimes failing, but sometimesâŠ
Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather!
Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo!
The winner is Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather Part II!
The Godfather won every award and made every dollar and now tops every list and Francis
Ford Coppola is a household name.
Coppola: âFirstly, Iâd like to thank Peter Bart who was responsible for getting me this
job in the first place, which sort of rescued me from my wonderful romantic financial adventure
in San Francisco, which still lives.â
A couple years later, Coppola found himself directing two filmsâ The Conversation and
The Godfather Part II and this lead to him being nominated against himself for Best Picture
at the Academy Awardsâ winning for The Godfather Part IIâ and also winning Best Adapted Screenplay.
Godfather Part IIâ Francis Ford Coppola, Gray Frederickson, and Fred Roos.
By the way, letâs look at that clip of Coppola winning against himself again. Look, he also
won against his old nemesis Robert Evans who produced Chinatown that year.
The stage was now set for a low-budget Vietnam war movie called Apocalypse Now. The director?
George Lucas.
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