Francis Ford Coppola (b. 1939) is a five-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter and producer who became a living legend when he made “The Godfather” (1972) and its sequel “The Godfather, Part II” (1974). He was only in his early thirties at the time.

He became one of the most prominent film directors of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement—the generation of young and prolific film directors who rose to fame during the 1960s and early 1970s, after the traditional studio system started to lose its grip on the Hollywood film industry. His other notable films include the much-plagued but overwhelmingly praised “Apocalypse Now” (1979), which marked the end of his golden era, and “One from the Heart” (1981), another very ambitious project and a favorite of mine, shot almost entirely on his then-recently acquired Zoetrope Studios property in Hollywood.

Reportedly mourning the loss of the big studio system, Mr. Coppola bought Hollywood General Studios in March 1980, and named it Zoetrope Studios. It was located at 1040 N. Palmas Avenue in Hollywood, on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Las Palmas Avenue. Writers, cinematographers and directors would all be able to work under one roof in a new kind of studio where creativity was key, and it would allow him to make the movies that he wanted to make.

The studio had a long and rich history; founded in 1919, it is one of the earliest production facilities in Hollywood. Various features were made there, including Harold Lloyd’s “The Freshman” (1925) and “Speedy” (1928) to “Hell’s Angels” (1930) starring Jean Harlow, several “Hopalong Cassidy” films during the 1940s, “Blood on the Sun” (1945), “Shampoo” (1975), directed by Warren Beatty, and Barry Sonnenfeld‘s “The Addams Family” (1991). Numerous TV shows were shot, recorded, or produced there as well. In the early 1950s, Lucille Ball rented sound stage two for “I Love Lucy.”

For his elaborate modern musical and stylish romantic comedy-fantasy, “One From the Heart,” lush and impressive period sets were built within the studio’s sound stages and ultimately the film pushed the studio into financial difficulties, until it was auctioned off in 1984. His production company Zoetrope, from 1991 American Zoetrope, kept on producing films, with Mr. Coppola credited as executive producer for the films the company made with other directors.

During his tenure, Mr. Coppola’s studio was also used for two other Zoetrope productions, “Hammett” (1982) and “The Escape Artist” (1982), as well as for “Body Heat” (1981), “Star 80” (1983), and “To Be or Not to Be” (1983), starring Mel Brooks who—as executive producer for Brooksfilms—previously rented a sound stage on the lot to film “Frances” (1982) starring Jessica Lange.

Oregon State University professor John Lewis wrote in his book “From Whom God Wishes to Destroy…: Francis Ford Coppola and the New Hollywood” (1995) that ‘Coppola was doing all of these things that were revolutionary. He really was a visionary. The problem was the money… I look at him as a heroic figure. He rolled the dice but he did it absolutely terribly.’ The studio property is now home to the Sunset Las Palmas Studios.

Later he made other memorable films such as “Peggy Sue Got Married” (1986), “The Godfather, Part III” (1990), “Dracula” (1992) and “The Rainmaker” (1997), based on John Grisham’s 1995 novel.

Much has been written about his incredible successes and few misfires as a filmmaker over the years, but no matter what, Mr. Coppola is and will always be one of the greatest masters of the medium ever to walk the earth, without any doubt. Two of his films rank in the 2022 and once-a-decade Sight and Sound Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, with “The Godfather” at #12 and “Apocalypse Now” at #19.

On AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies—the 2007 update of AFI’s original 1998 AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies version—”The Godfather” is listed at #2; “Apocalypse Now” at #30; “The Godfather, Part II” at #32. Steven Spielberg is the only film director with five films on the list; Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Billy Wilder have four; Mr. Coppola, Frank Capra, Charlie Chaplin, John Huston and Martin Scorsese have three.

The past few decades, Mr. Coppola made a couple of lesser-known films, and virtually ended his career as a mainstream filmmaker, although he hasn’t left the movie game entirely. In an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment from October 2015, he said, ‘I decided I didn’t want to make what you could call “factory movies” anymore. I would rather just experiment with the form, and see what I could do, and [make things] that came out of my own. And little by little, the commercial film industry went into the superhero business, and everything was on such a scale. The budgets were so big, because they wanted to make the big series of films where they could make two or three parts. I felt I was no longer interested enough to put in the extraordinary effort a film takes [nowadays].’

I never had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Coppola, unfortunately; the closest I got was in June 1982 when I got to interview his father, film composer Carmine Coppola (1910-1991), in Casino Den Bosch, in the Netherlands, where he was conducting Het Brabants Orkest at a screening of Abel Gance’s four-hour long silent epic “Napoleon” (1927). This very compelling and engaging twenty-minute interview was done during the intermission in his dressing room. His wife Italia (1912-2004) was there too.

In 2008, more than a quarter of a century later, I met Eleanor Coppola (b. 1936), the wife of the illustrious filmmaker, at a book signing at Book Soup when she was promoting her latest book “Notes on a Life” which gives an insightful look into the creative vision that drives her husband; in her book, she also describes their daughter Sofia’s rise to fame. During this event, I briefly talked with her about her previous book, “Notes on the Making of “Apocalypse Now”,” which recorded the film’s journey from 1976 until 1979. And in 2016, I had a written interview with filmmaker Roman Coppola (b. 1965), their second of three children.

Much to my joy, I watched CNN’s Fareed Zakaria’s “Extraordinary” (preview) on Christmas Day; he hosts “Fareed Zakaria GPS” on CNN, and as part of the “Extraordinary with Fareed Zakaria” series, he had made two one-hour specials that debuted on CNN last August when he spoke with Billy Joel and Francis Ford Coppola. The interview with Mr. Coppola, conducted at his home in Napa Valley, California, was aired again on CNN on December 25.

The main focus of their conversation included his basic training, “The Godfather” films, and “Apocalypse Now.” As a youngster, he saw Sergei Eisenstein’s “October: Ten Days That Shook the World” (1928), and was astounded. ‘I never saw anything like that. There was no sound, and I heard everything just from the way the film was edited.’ Then he knew he would go to UCLA Film School and decided to become a film student. ‘It was like a night-and-day decision,’ Mr. Coppola told Fareed Zakaria.

Everybody turned down “The Godfather” until ‘they decided to give this nobody, this young 28-year-old screenwriter, a chance to make the film,’ he recalled. And about Marlon Brando, he said, ‘Brando was wonderful on the picture; he did it. A lot of times, people say, ‘Oh, you got a great performance!’ Directors don’t get the performances. Some directors will argue when I say this: actors give the performances, and the director is like a coach. He may be there to say the right word at the right time, but the actor does it.’

If you get the chance to watch the episode of “Extraordinary with Fareed Zakaria” with Mr. Coppola, check it out.

In April 2018, I attended a Q&A with Dean Tavoularis in Brussels, Belgium; he was Mr. Coppola’s production designer and they collaborated on thirteen films, from “The Godfather” (1972) until “Jack” (1996). When he talked about “The Godfather” and its sequel, he said, ‘I became friends with Francis when we did “Candy” [1968], and a few years later, we were flying from New York to Los Angeles when I met him again; he kept bringing up Marlon Brando to play Don Corleone. There was this guessing game around the country, ‘Who’s going to play the Godfather?’ The book was a huge thing, and now they were going to make the movie. It was almost like when they were casting “Gone With the Wind”: who was going to play Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler? So on the plane, Francis told me he wanted Marlon Brando, and they set up a meeting, Marlon was not going to read the script, but Francis told him what the part was all about, and while Francis was telling him everything, Marlon took a Kleenex and put it into his mouth. Francis said, ‘I have a camera in my car, can I get it?’ So he got the camera, and he shot Marlon as he was ad-libbing his take on “The Godfather.” Then we had meetings at Paramount, and he brought up Marlon, but there they told him, ‘You’re an employee, don’t bring up the name Marlon Brando again.’ Then Francis and I went back to New York, thinking, ‘Okay, let’s at least make the film in New York.’ We were in the Gulf and Western building—Paramount was owned by Gulf and Western, which was owned by Charlie Bluhdorn, so Charlie owned Paramount. Francis had the take that he had shot of Marlon Brando on a monitor in his office, of Marlon doing his thing as the Godfather with the Kleenex in his mouth, and he had it running on his monitor. Charlie Bluhdorn—who knew Francis quite well, but you know, business is business—was walking down the corridor, and he saw the monitor. With his Viennese accent, he asked, ‘Who’s that? Who’s that man? This is the Godfather!’ So Francis said, ‘That’s Marlon Brando.’ And then they got Marlon Brando; they hired him. But the unfolding was interesting. They almost fired Francis; it was always shaky, which made it very unpleasant.’

“The Godfather” (1972, trailer)

Mr. Tavoularis continued, ‘To make the comparison with “The Godfather, Part II”: after “The Godfather” had come out, Paramount was very happy to make millions and millions when it became a gigantic success, and then they told Francis, ‘Make “The Godfather, Part II.”’ Francis said that there was no “Part II.” “Well, make one up. Get Mario Puzo and think up something!” They kept sweetening the pot, so to speak. Then finally Francis thought, ‘This isn’t bad. They’re paying us all the money in the world; we get freedom, no interference’—which was absolutely true. So Francis and Mario Puzo went to the Peppermint Lounge in Reno, Nevada, and wrote “The Godfather, Part II.” That was a much more expensive film, more complex, zero interference from Paramount, and a very big success for all of us.’

An avid film buff himself, Mr. Coppola participated in the 2012 Sight and Sound Poll, and gave a list of his favorite films. They were “Sunrise” (1927), “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946), “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952), “The Apartment” (1960), “Raging Bull” (1980), and “The King of Comedy” (1983); two films by Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa, “Warui Yatsu Hodo Yoku Nemuru” (1960, a.k.a. “The Bad Sleep Well”) and “Yōjinbō” (1961, a.k.a. “Yojimbo”); Andrzej Wajda’s “Popiół i diament” (1958, a.k.a. “Ashes and Diamonds”) and Federico Fellini’s comedy-drama “I vitelloni” (1953).

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FILMS AS A SCREENWRITER AND/OR A DIRECTOR

THE BELLBOY AND THE PLAYGIRLS (1962) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Harry Ross, Wolf C. Hartwig SCR Dieter Hildebrandt, Margh Malina CAM Paul Grupp ED Jack Hill, F.S. Buckow MUS Klaus Ogermann CAST June Wilkinson, Don Kenney, Karin Dor, Willy Fritsch, Michael Kramer, Louise Lawson, Laura Cummings

TONIGHT FOR SURE (1962) DIR – PROD Francis Ford Coppola SCR Francis Ford Coppola, Jerry Schafer CAM Jack Hill ED Ronald Waller MUS Carmine Coppola CAST Don Kenney, Karl Schanzer, Virginia Gordon, Marli Renfro, Sandy Silver, Linda Gibson, Pat Brooks, Linda Lightfoot

THE HAUNTED PALACE (1963) DIR – PROD Roger Corman PROD  SCR Charles Beaumont (poem “The Haunted Palace” [1839] by Edgar Allan Poe; novella “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward” [1927] by H.P. Lovecraft) ADDITIONAL DIALOGUE Francis Ford Coppola CAM Floyd Crosby ED Ronald Sinclair MUS Ronald Stein CAST Vincent Price, Debra Paget, Lon Chaney Jr., Frank Maxwell, Leo Gordon, Elisha Cook Jr., John Dierkes, Milton Parsons

THE TERROR (1963) DIR Roger Corman; ([uncredited] Francis Ford Coppola, Monte Hellman, Jack Nicholson, Jack Hill, Dennis Jakob, Jack Hale) PROD Roger Corman SCR Leo Gordon, Jack Hill CAM John M. Nickolaus Jr., Floyd Crosby ED Stuart O’Brien MUS Ronald Stein CAST Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight, Dick Miller, Dorothy Neumann, Jonathan Haze

DEMENTIA 13 (1963) DIR Francis Ford Coppola; Monte Hellman [prologue] PROD Roger Corman SCR Francis Ford Coppola CAM Charles Hannawalt ED Stuart O’Brien, Morton Tubor MUS Ronald Stein CAST William Campbell, Luana Anders, Bart Patton, Mary Mitchell, Patrick Magee, Eithne Dunne, Peter Read, Karl Schanzer

THIS PROPERTY IS CONDEMNED (1966) DIR Sydney Pollack PROD John Houseman, Ray Stark SCR Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Coe, Edith Sommer CAM Jameds Wong Howe ED Adrienne Fazan MUS Kenyon Hopkins CAST Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, Charles Bronson, Kate Reid, Mary Badham, Robert Blake, Dabney Coleman

IS PARIS BURNING? a.k.a PARIS BRÛLE-T-IL? (1966) DIR René Clément PROD Paul Graetz SCR Francis Ford Coppola, Gore Vidal, Jean Aurenche, Pierre Bost, Claude Brulé (novel “Is Paris Burning?” [1965] by Larry Collins, Dominique Lapierre) CAM Marcel Grignon ED Robert Lawrence MUS Maurice Jarre CAST Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Boyer, Leslie Caron, Alain Delon, Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford, Yves Montand, Anthony Perkins, Simone Signoret, Orson Welles

YOU’RE A BIG BOY NOW (1968) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Phil Feldman SCR Francis Ford Coppola (novel “You’re  a Big Boy Now” [1963] by David Benedictus) CAM Andrew Laszlo ED Aram Avakian MUS Robert Prince CAST Elizabeth Hartman, Geraldine Pahe, Peter Kastner, Rip Torn, Michael Dunn, Tony Bill, Karen Black, Julie Harris, Roman Coppola

FINIAN’S RAINBOW (1968) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Joseph Landon SCR Fred Saidy, E.Y. Harburg (Broadway play and book “Finian’s Rainbow” [1947] by Fred Saidy, E.Y. Harburg) CAM Philip H. Lathrop ED Melvin Shapiro MUS Ray Heindorf CAST Fred Astaire, Petula Clark, Tommy Steele, Don Francks, Keenan Wynn, Al Freeman Jr., Barbara Hancock, Dolph Sweet

THE RAIN PEOPLE (1969) DIR – SCR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Bart Patton, Ronald Colby CAM Bill Butler ED Barry Malkin MUS Ronald Stein CAST Shirley Knight, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Marya Aldredge, Laura Crews, Andrew Duncan, Margaret Fairchild, Sally Gracie, Eleanor Coppola

PATTON (1970) DIR Franklin J. Schaffner PROD Frank McCarthy SCR Francis Ford Coppola, Edmund H. North (“Patton: Ordeal and Triumph” by Ladislas Farago; memoir “A Soldier’s Story” by Gen. Omar Bradley) CAM Fred J. Koenekamp ED Hugh S. Fowler MUS Jerry Goldsmith CAST George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Strong, Carey Loftin, Albert Dumortier, Frank Latimore

THE GODFATHER (1972) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Albert S. Ruddy SCR Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo (novel “The Godfather” [1969] by Mario Puzo) CAM Gordon Willis ED William Reynolds, Peter Zinner MUS Nino Rota CAST Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, Richard Conte, John Marley, Al Lettieri, Diane Keaton, Abe Vigoda, Talia Shire, John Cazale, Al Martino, Carmine Coppola, Sofia Coppola

THE WAY WE WERE (1973) DIR Sydney Pollack PROD Ray Stark SCR Arthur Laurents; (uncredited) Francis Ford Coppola, Paddy Chayefsky, Herb Gardner, Dalton Trumbo, Alvin Sargent, David Rayfiel CAM Harry Stradling Jr. ED John F. Burnett MUS Marvin Hamlish CAST Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Bradford Dillman, Lois Chiles, Patrick O’Neal, Viveca Lindfors, Murray Hamilton, Herb Edelman, Diana Erwing, Sally Kirkland, Marcia Mae Jones, James Woods, Susan Blakely, Marvin Hamlish, Cornelia Sharpe

THE CONVERSATION (1974) DIR – PROD – SCR Francis Ford Coppola CAM Bill Butler, Haskell Wexler ED Richard Chew MUS David Shire CAST Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Michael Higgins, Elizabeth MacRae, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall

THE GREAT GATSBY (1974) DIR Jack Clayton PROD David Merrick SCR Francis Ford Coppola (novel “The Great Gatsby” [1925] by F. Scott Fitzgerald) CAM Douglas Slocombe ED Tom Priestley CAST Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Karen Black, Scott Wilson, Sam Waterston, Lois Chiles, Bruce Dern, Howard Da Silva, Edward Herrmann, Patsy Kensit

THE GODFATHER, PART II (1974) DIR – PROD Francis Ford Coppola SCR Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo (novel “The Godfather” [1969] by Mario Puzo) CAM Gordon Willis ED Richard Marks, Peter Zinner, Barry Malkin MUS Nino Rota CAST Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Talia Shire, Morgana King, John Cazale, Marianna Hill, Lee Strasberg, Michael V. Gazzo, Joe Spinell, Abe Vigado, Fay Spain, Harry Dean Stanton, Danny Aiello, Kathleen Beller, Peter Donat, Roger Corman, James Caan, Roman Coppola, Sofia Coppola, Richard Matheson

APOCALYPSE NOW (1979) DIR – PROD Francis Ford Coppola SCR Francis Ford Coppola, John Milius (novella “Heart of Darkness” [1899] by Joseph Conrad) CAM Vittorio Storaro ED Walter Murch, Lisa Fruchtman, Gerald B. Greenberg MUS Carmine Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola CAST Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Albert Hall, Harrison Ford, Dennis Hopper, Scott Glenn, Colleen Camp, Aurore Clément, Roman Coppola, Gian-Carlo Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola, Harvey Keitel, Vittorio Storaro

ONE FROM THE HEART (1981) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Fred Roos, Gray Frederickson SCR Francis Ford Coppola, Armyan Bernstein (story by Armyan Bernstein) CAM Vittorio Storaro, Ronald Víctor García ED Rudi Fehr, Anne Goursaud, Randy Roberts MUS Tom Waits CAST Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Nastassja Kinski, Lainie Kazan, Harry Dean Stanton, Allen Garfield, Italia Coppola, Carmine Coppola, Rebecca De Mornay, Tom Waits

THE OUTSIDERS (1983) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Fred Roos, Gray Fredrickson SCR Kathleen Rowell (novel “The Outsiders” [1967] by S.E. Hinton) CAM Stephen H. Burum ED Anne Goursaud MUS Carmine Coppola CAST C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Leif Garrett, Sofia Coppola, S.E. Hinton, Flea

RUMBLE FISH (1983) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Fred Roos, Doug Claybourne SCR Francis Ford Coppola, S.E. Hinton (novel by S.E. Hinton) CAM Stephen H. Burum ED Barry Malkin MUS Stewart Copeland CAST Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Vincent Spano, Diane Lane, Diane Scarwid, Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, Chris Penn, Larry Fishburne, Sofia Coppola, Gian-Carlo Coppola

THE COTTON CLUB (1984) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Robert Evans SCR Francis Ford Coppola, William Kennedy (story by Francis Ford Coppola, William Kennedy, Mario Puzo) CAM Stephen Goldblatt ED Barry Malkin, Robert Q. Lovett MUS John Barry CAST Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Lonette McKee, Bob Hoskins, James Remar, Nicolas Cage, Allen Garfield, Fred Gwynne, Gwen Verdon, Laurence Fishburne, Tom Waits, Jennifer Grey, Sofia Coppola

PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED (1986) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Paul R. Gurian SCR Arlene Sarner, Jerry Leichtling CAM Jordan Cronenweth ED Barry Malkin MUS John Barry CAST Kathleen Turner, Nicolas Cage, Barry Miller, Catherine Hicks, Joan Allen, Kevin J. O’Connor, Jim Carey, Lisa Jane Persky, Barbara Harris, Don Murray, Sofia Coppola, Maureen O’Sullivan, Leon Aames, Helen Hunt, John Carradine

GARDENS OF STONE (1987) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Michael I. Levy SCR Ronald Bass (novel “Gardens of Stone” by Nicholas Proffitt) CAM Jordan Cronenweth ED Barry Malkin MUS Carmine Coppola CAST James Caan, Anjelica Huston, James Earl Jones, D.B. Sweeney, Dean Stockwell, Mary Stuart Masterson, Sam Bottoms, Larry Fishburne

TUCKER: THE MAN AND HIS DREAMS (1988) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Fred Roos, Fred Fuchs SCR David Seidler, Arnold Schulman CAM Vittorio Storaro ED Priscilla Nedd-Friendly MUS Joe Jackson CAST Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Frederic Forrest, Mako, Dean Stockwell, Christian Slater, Peter Donat, Lloyd Bridges, Sofia Coppola

NEW YORK STORIES (1989) DIR Woody Allen (segment “Oedipus Wrecks”), Francis Ford Coppola (segment “Life Without Zoe”), Martin Scorsese (segment “Life Lessons”) PROD Fred Roos, Barbara De Fina, Fred Fuchs, Robert Greenhut SCR Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola, Richard Price CAM Vittorio Storaro, Sven Nykvist, Néstor Almendros ED Thelma Schoonmaker, Aleta Chappelle, Ellen Lewis MUS Carmine Coppola CAST Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Heather McComb, Gia Coppola, Gian-Carlo Coppola, Carmine Coppola, Adrien Brody, Carole Bouquet, Nick Nolte, Rosanna Arquette, Debbie Harry, Richard Price, Kisten Dunst, Martin Scorsese

THE GODFATHER, PART III (1990) DIR – PROD Francis Ford Coppola SCR Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo CAM Gordon Willis ED Barry Malkin, Walter Murch, Lisa Fruchtman MUS Carmine Coppola CAST Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy Garcia, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, Bridget Fonda, George Hamilton, Sofia Coppola, Raf Vallone, Helmut Berger, Catherine Scorsese, Carmine Coppola, Gia Coppola

DRACULA (1992) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Francis Ford Coppola, Charles Mulvehill SCR James V. Hart (novel “Dracula” [1897] by Bram Stoker) CAM Michael Ballhaus ED Anne Goursaud, Glen Scantlebury, Nicholas C. Smith MUS Wojciech Kilar CAST Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes, Billy Campbell, Sadie Frost, Tom Waits, Monica Bellucci

JACK (1996) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Fuchs, Ricardo Mestres SCR James DeMonaco, Gary Nadeau CAM John Toll ED Barry Malkin MUS Michael Kamen CAST Robin Williams, Diane Lane, Brian Kerwin, Jennifer Lopez, Bill Cosby, Fran Drescher, Adam Zolotin, Todd Bosley

THE RAINMAKER (1997) DIR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Michael Douglas, Fred Fuchs, Steven Reuther SCR Francis Ford Coppola (novel “The Rainmaker” [1995] by John Grisham) CAM John Toll ED Barry Malkin, Melissa Kent MUS Elmer Bernstein CAST Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place, Mickey Rourke, Danny DeVito, Dean Stockwell, Teresa Wright, Virginia Madsen, Danny Glover

SUPERNOVA (2000) DIR Thomas Lee [Walter Hill]; (uncredited) Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Shoulder PROD Daniel Chuba, Ash R. Shah, Jamie Dixon SCR David C. Wilson (story by Daniel Chuba, William Malone) CAM Lloyd Ahern II ED Michael Schweitzer, Melissa Kent; (uncredited) Francis Ford Coppola MUS David Williams CAST James Spader, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Lou Diamond Phillips, Peter Facinelli, Robin Tunney, Wilson Cruz, Eddy Rice Jr.

YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH (2007) DIR – PROD Francis Ford Coppola SCR Francis Ford Coppola (novella “Tinereţe fără tinereţe” [1976, a.k.a. “Youth Without Youth”] by Mircea Eliade) CAM Mihai Malaimare Jr. ED Walter Murch MUS Osvaldo Golijov CAST Tim Roth, Alexandra Maria Lara, Bruno Ganz, André Hennicke, Marcel Iures, Alexandra Pirici

TETRO (2009) DIR – PROD Francis Ford Coppola SCR Francis Ford Coppola (verse “Fausta” by Mauricio Kartun) CAM Mihai Malaimare Jr. ED Walter Murch MUS Osvaldo Golijov CAST Vincent Gallo, Alden Ehrenreich, Maribel Verdú, Silvia Pérez, Rodrigo de la Serna, Erica Rivas, Mike Amigorena, Lucas Di Conza, Carmen Maura

TWIXT (2011) DIR – PROD – SCR Francis Ford Coppola CAM Mihai Malaimare Jr. ED Glen Scantlebury, Robert Schafer, Kevin Bailey MUS Osvaldo Golijov, Dan Deacon CAST Val Kilmer, Bruce Dern, Elle Fanning, Ben Chaplin, Joanne Whalley, David Paymer, Anthony Fusco, Alden Ehrenreich

DISTANT VISION (2016) DIR – SCR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Fred Roos, Jenny Gersten CAM Mihai Malaimare Jr. ED Robert Schafer MUS Brian W. Tidwell CAST Alexander Niles, Jeffrey Schmidt, Lou Volpe, Ethan Louis Samuels DiSalvio, Brady McInnes, Lea Madda, Chandler Ryan, Mike Kimmel

MEGALOPOLIS (2023) DIR – SCR Francis Ford Coppola PROD Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Bederman CAM Mihai Malaimare Jr. ED Glen Scantlebury  CAST Aubrey Plaza, Adam Driver, James Remar, Shia LaBeouf, Giancarlo Esposito, Jason Schwartzman, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Forest Whitaker, Dustin Hoffman, Talia Shire, Laurence Fishburne, D.B. Sweeney