"The Godfather" is in my top five films of all time, "The Godfather Part II" is perhaps the greatest sequel ever made. His relevance and lasting place in cinema history is ensured from them alone. But his career is an odd one, with some soaring highs and crashing lows.
I actually really enjoy "The Godfather Part III" as well, though it's impossible not admit a drop in quality. I think "The Conversation" is one of the greatest and most underrated films of all time. I know many consider "Apocalypse Now" to be a masterpiece, but I myself don't really care for it.
I read a biography on him that was extremely detailed and got into all his ventures and companies and what not. Its really interesting how he basically created a studio, American Zoetrope, and put out films of its own by other creative directors at the time. What's more heartbreaking is that the whole thing pretty much failed over night as the first films were flops, though Coppola tried to keep it going forever.
the 80s were not a particularly kind decade to him. I've seen "The Cotton Club" and thought it was a competent, sometimes great, film that ran way too long but just felt off in some way. And then of course the 90s saw "Jack", which I think all can agree has some problems, and "Dracula", which is interesting but IMO ultimately sort of goofy. "The Rainmaker" is actually a really good film, but I think it was hard for some people to reconcile Coppola on a Grisham adaptation.
So let's debate the man and his career. Is he a couple hit wonder who slowly let his gifts slide away? Were his early successes flukes? Or is his output for the last few decades just the result of not getting to do what he wants, a studio system that crushed his desire to reach high and fight?
PS. I have been long intrigued by his forever-rumored "Megalopolis".
I actually really enjoy "The Godfather Part III" as well, though it's impossible not admit a drop in quality. I think "The Conversation" is one of the greatest and most underrated films of all time. I know many consider "Apocalypse Now" to be a masterpiece, but I myself don't really care for it.
I read a biography on him that was extremely detailed and got into all his ventures and companies and what not. Its really interesting how he basically created a studio, American Zoetrope, and put out films of its own by other creative directors at the time. What's more heartbreaking is that the whole thing pretty much failed over night as the first films were flops, though Coppola tried to keep it going forever.
the 80s were not a particularly kind decade to him. I've seen "The Cotton Club" and thought it was a competent, sometimes great, film that ran way too long but just felt off in some way. And then of course the 90s saw "Jack", which I think all can agree has some problems, and "Dracula", which is interesting but IMO ultimately sort of goofy. "The Rainmaker" is actually a really good film, but I think it was hard for some people to reconcile Coppola on a Grisham adaptation.
So let's debate the man and his career. Is he a couple hit wonder who slowly let his gifts slide away? Were his early successes flukes? Or is his output for the last few decades just the result of not getting to do what he wants, a studio system that crushed his desire to reach high and fight?
PS. I have been long intrigued by his forever-rumored "Megalopolis".
