Ford Coppola Essays

  • Francis Ford Coppola

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    Following careful thought on which director to study, I chose Francis Ford Coppola. Although he has directed more films than I have had the opportunity to experience, I have viewed enough to understand his progression and style of his work. Over almost forty years of work, Coppola has directed about twenty-five films, produced near forty-five, composed two, and acted in eight. He is known predominantly for Apocalypse Now (1979) and The Godfather I (1972), II (1974), and III (1990). However, he has

  • Francis Ford Coppola And The Godfather

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    Francis Ford Coppola has amassed a reputation nearly as large as his film repertoire. He has worked as a director, producer, movie studio entrepreneur, and as a film writer. In each role he maintained a balance of working inside the studio system, while consciously maintaining a wary distant from it (Hill and Philips 167). The sweeping range of critical commentary on his films, paired with popular and profitable films, followed by complete flops led him to declare in 1987, “I’m embarrassed by my

  • War Film Analysis: Apocalypse Now Directed by Ford Coppola

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film’s main theme is devastation, violence, and horror. In this film Coppola thoroughly scrutinized the main characters ideas, behavior, and emotions to depict the darkness and the horror of war. His goal was to make the audience part of the horror. He wanted the audience to have a tremendous impact on this film and he succeeded with the perfect use of sound and editing in the ending sequence of his film. I will demonstrate how Coppola exploits a wide array

  • Déjà vu in Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad and the film Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford Coppola

    634 Words  | 2 Pages

    event prior. Déjà vu is a complex phenomenon that is highly debated among the scientific community because of its complexity and evidence to support theories. Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad and the film Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford Coppola’s have a similar feeling to Déjà vu. Though the two works have a similar story line they have different characters, timelines, and locations. Even with their differences which set them apart from each other, the two works almost one in the

  • George Lucas's Films

    845 Words  | 2 Pages

    to overcome any limitations - something he firmly believes. This theme is strong in the early movies that marked the start of his professional career. In 1971, using San Francisco production studio American Zoetrope and long-time friend Francis Ford Coppola as executive producer, Lucas transformed an award-winning student film into his first feature, THX 1138. Lucas's second feature film, the low-budget American Graffiti (1973), became the most successful film of its time, and garnered the Golden

  • Power and Control in Dracula

    1801 Words  | 4 Pages

    longer has domain over Dracula. Or second, God feels that she is being justly punished for her sins (sins which the reader is never informed of). Lucy is very flirtatious, and possibly she is more promiscuous than we are led to believe. In Francis Ford Coppola’s film version when Lucy and Mina look at the book that shows sexual acts, Lucy states that "people can do that (sexual acts)". Mina then asks Lucy how she knows that people do those sexual acts, and Lucy replies "because I did that last night…

  • Martin Scorsese

    1474 Words  | 3 Pages

    has been called the “most influential and best director of their time” by fellow director, George Lucas. Director Martin Scorsese has been an influential director for the past twenty years. In the 60’s class of directors that included, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Brian De Palma, and Steven Spielberg. Scorsese ranks with this class of artists, and his movies have changed the film industry of America (Friedman I). The impact of Scorsese can be shown in a number of ways, such as his style of

  • Film Contributions of the Sixties

    1654 Words  | 4 Pages

    methodical pace, there were many uniform contributions made by some of the era’s seminal directors. In particular, the “Sixties” saw the return of the auteur, as people like Francis Ford Coppola and Stanley Kubrick wrote and directed their own screenplays, while Woody Allen wrote, directed and starred in his own films. Kubrick, Coppola and Allen each experimented with characterization, narrative and editing techniques. By examining the major works of these important directors, their contributions become more

  • The Great Gatsby Movie Review

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 1974 adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel the Great Gatsby is directed by Jack Clayton and screenwriten by Francis Ford Coppola, with Robert and Mia Farrow as leads. The two actors give excellent performances, and certainly portray the beautiful people they are made out to be in the book. One scene in particular that reflected that Redford was was chosen for this part was when the Nick and Gatsby are in suits and Nick is perspiring in is utterly unsuitable manner of dress for the weather

  • Operatic Melodrama in Apocalypse Now

    2286 Words  | 5 Pages

    the 1970s explored the traditional modes of melodramatic expression in order to address the socially charged times they lived in. Filmed in the wake of the Vietnam War, Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now is a complex treatise of human morality and modern warfare that expresses itself through melodramatic conventions. Coppola contained his war movie to the personal level, in order to make larger criticisms of the Vietnam conflict. The central narrative, based on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness,

  • The Godfather

    572 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Godfather Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Based on Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather was based in the late 1940's in New York City. The story is about the Corleone family, which is headed by Vito Corleone. He had four sons. The quick to act older son is Santino, also known as Sunny. The next son is Fredo and the youngest son is Mechael which was in the military at the start of the movie and later stepped up to be the head of the family business. Finally, there is the adopted son Tom who Sunny

  • Comparing Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now

    2185 Words  | 5 Pages

    Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now Heart of Darkness, a novel by Joseph Conrad, and Apocalypse Now, a movie by Francis Ford Coppola can be compared and contrasted in many ways. By focusing on their endings and on the character of Kurtz, contrasting the meanings of the horror in each media emerges. In the novel the horror reflects Kurtz tragedy of transforming into a ruthless animal whereas in the film the horror has more of a definite meaning, reflecting the war and all the barbaric

  • Dracula's Love Story

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    the title of Francis Ford Coppola’s film adaptation of the classic novel Dracula. Coppola signified that the film would stay with the original plot and theme from the novel by putting the author’s name in the title of the film. However, even though he claims that his film is patterned after the novel, Coppola still could not help but put his own twist on the novel by sensualizing the story and adding a love story between Dracula and Mina. By adding a romantic subplot, Coppola makes the viewers feel

  • Transformation in Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    Transformation in Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now Since Francis Ford Coppola’s  Apocalypse Now was based on Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness, it is possible to draw many parallels between the two works. Both can be interpreted as metaphors for a journey through the inner self, and each has its own particular message to convey. In many ways they also appear to have similarities to Arthurian Legend, in particular the quest for the holy grail, and other allegorical journey narratives

  • Marlon Brando

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    movies in 60’s were, Mutiny On The Bounty in 1962, The Ugly American in 1967,and Reflections in a Golden Eye in 1967. (Editor, 2004) The Brando renaissance began with 1972's The Godfather. Against the objections of Paramount, director Francis Ford Coppola cast him to play the aging head of a Mafia crime family. Brando was brilliant, delivering his best performance in well over a decade. His great performance in The Godfather won him another Academy Award. (David Thomson) Brando did not appear on

  • Jane Campion's The Piano - A Metaphor for European Domination

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    myth is that of the explorer, who witnesses the raw nature and "uncivilized" culture and ideology of the native peoples and becomes himself "savage". The name "Kurtz" originated from Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness and is adopted in Francis Ford Coppola’s cinematic masterpiece Apocalypse Now. Obeyesekere’s ideas are prevalent in The Piano, a feature film involving a lov... ... middle of paper ... ...rts Obeyesekere’s arguments by having the savage element awakened, then subdued with force

  • Apocalypse Now vs Heart of Darkness

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now lacks the impact of its inspiration, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. While the basic elements of imperialism and human nature remain intact, the characters of the film bare little resemblance to their literary counterparts. The film serves as a re-interpretation of Conrad’s novella, updated from 19th-century British imperialism in the Congo to a critique of 20th-century U.S. imperialism in Southeast Asia. Coppola’s changes in setting and plot structure, however

  • Coppola's Interpretation of Dracula as a Love Story

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    publication, Dracula has maintained its ability to frighten and mesmerize readers. Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula; however, utilizes the erotic romance of the original novel in order to depict a tragic love story. The film accurately follows the general plot of the novel, yet presents the characters in a unique manner that provides for a different appreciation of the characters. Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of Stoker's novel begins with the presentation of how Dracula became

  • Light and Dark in Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness

    1681 Words  | 4 Pages

    Light and Dark in Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Marlow chooses a brighter path than his counterpart in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, Capt. Willard. The two share in the duty of searching for and discovering Kurtz, as well as taking care of his memory, but their beliefs before encountering him place the characters at opposing ends of a theme. These opposing ends are light and dark, representing good and evil. In the opening pages of Heart

  • Coppola's Adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hollywood including, Francis Ford Coppola who completed a film adaptation of Dracula in 1993. In creating his film, Coppola strived to create a film that remained true to Stoker's original creation. In fact, he insisted upon calling the movie Bram Stoker's Dracula, but in reality the movie fell well short of his lofty goals. Coppola realized the complexity of Dracula's character and hoped to combine all of the irresistible qualities that have made him legendary. Coppola however, became too attached