filmmakers
Francis Ford Coppola: “The Godfather” celebrates his birthday
Al Pacino (lr), Francis Ford Coppola and Robert De Niro at the Oscars. Photo: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
“The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” made him immortal: Francis Ford Coppola. The filmmaker was also present at the scandalous Oscar gala.
Will Smith’s slap scandal overshadowed the entire Oscar gala, and he was also on the stage: Francis Ford Coppola. With a strong statement that was rarely heard that evening: “Viva Ukraine”.
However, the US filmmaker, who turns 83 today, did not come alone: Al Pacino (81) and Robert De Niro (78) were at his side. The three had reason to celebrate – 50 years ago Coppola shot the immortal classic “The Godfather”. The mafia epic in three parts eventually became an immortal part of pop culture.
According to Coppola, he didn’t want the directing job at all and only accepted because he was plagued by money worries and had to support his family.
Shortly before the Oscar Gala, Coppola received a special honor: the director received a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. He did not say many words at the ceremony, above all he thanked his wife and colleague Eleanor Coppola (85, “Paris can wait”), with whom he has been married for almost 60 years.
Francis Ford Coppola made his big breakthrough as a director in 1972 with the ingenious film adaptation of Mario Puzo’s bestseller “The Godfather”. In his youth he thought he was a hopeless case.
He told Playboy that he had the feeling that he wasn’t talented. But that’s exactly what happened in his family. “That’s why I was the black sheep, the idiot. How often have I cried myself to sleep because of this.” With masterpieces like the Godfather trilogy or “Apocalypse Now” he should finally prove his talent enough.