At the 50th AFI Life Achievement Awards ceremony on Saturday, Hollywood iconsSteven Spielbergand George Lucas united to honorFrancis Ford Coppola, presenting him with the accolade. Spielberg and Coppola met in 1967, and in 1971 Coppola screened Spielberg’sDuelat his home. Lucas was present, and that marked the beginning of Spielberg’s relationships with both filmmakers. That same year, Coppola produced Lucas' first directorial project,THX 1138. Spielberg lauded Coppola as “a warrior for independent artists” and someone “fearless in how open you are to ideas, opinions and inspiration.”
Reflecting on Coppola’s impressive filmography, Spielberg fondly recalled watching an early cut ofApocalypse Now, along with other filmmakers (via Variety):
“When the film ended, you asked us to tell you what we saw, how we felt. You invited all of us in, so one by one, we told you where we were lost and where we were found, and I sat there in awe, learning that leaving yourself open and searching was, in fact, your superpower.”
Francis Ford Coppola Battled to Save One of the Most Iconic Lines in ‘The Godfather’
One of Michael Corleone’s most important lines was almost scrubbed from the gangster classic.
The evening’s highest praise was reserved for Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece,The Godfather. The iconic film, starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and James Caan, centered on the Corleone family’s powerful Mafia dynasty. It racked up accolades and acclaim and is overwhelmingly considered one of the best movies ever.
“‘The Godfather,’ for me, is the greatest American film ever made. Many artists can and do take a bow from their work on a page, on a canvas, on a screen, but our applause for you Francis, is from a different kind of audience. When we’re young, it’s our parents we want to make proud, and then it’s our friends, and then it’s our colleagues, and finally, it’s our peers, but you, sir, are peerless.” Spielberg said, “You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film, and in so doing, you’ve inspired a generation of storytellers who want to make you proud of their work, proud of our work, and I always want to make you proud of my work.”
Francis Ford Coppola’s Career: From ‘Patton’ to ‘Megalopolis’
Francis Ford Coppola’s acclaimed career spans over six decades. His early work includesPatton(1970), which he co-wrote with Edmund H. North and earned him his first Academy Award. Following the success of directing the Best Picture Oscar winner,The Godfather, Coppola went on to direct a diverse range of films, includingThe Conversation, The Godfather Part II(which made him the first director to win the Academy Award for Best Director for a sequel),Apocalypse Now, One from the Heart, The Outsiders, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, andRumble Fish, a filmhe is personally most proud to have made.
Coppola most recently directed his years in the making passion project,Megalopolis. While the film was met with largely negative reviews, critics praised Coppola’s ambition and vision. It is largely considered a failure (from its box office numbers to reception) but only seems to further highlight Coppola’s artistic fearlessness. Coppola recently announced thathe will be turningMegalopolisinto a comictitledMegalopolis: An Original Graphic Novel.
Source:Variety
The Godfather
