FROM THE PUBLISHER

Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker's Life is the first complete picture of the flawed cinematic genius who directed the Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, and other distinctive films - some wildly successful, some disastrous.. "In Francis Ford Coppola, we hear the entire story of this man's career covered in more detail than ever before: from his apprenticeship under Roger Corman to his winning a Director's Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. Along the way, we learn how he turned a pulp Mafia novel into a cinematic classic, how he almost literally killed himself during the filming of Apocalypse Now, and how he confirmed Hollywood's predictions about him, with various flops and follies along the way.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This is not an authorized biography, though it often reads like one because Schumacher systematically defends director and screenwriter Coppola against the critics who have panned his films as contrived, excessively violent or a triumph of style over substance. Still, he presents a brisk and astute portrait of one of the most influential directors of the past 30 years, adept at both operatic blockbusters (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now) and smaller personal movies (John Grisham's The Rainmaker). The inner man remains elusive, although Schumacher--biographer of Allen Ginsberg, Phil Ochs and Eric Clapton--delves deeply into such personal crises as Coppola's childhood polio, during which he recuperated by making home movies; his protracted affair with a young, unnamed screenwriter, which nearly wrecked his marriage; and the devastating impact of his son Gian-Carlo's tragic death in a boating accident in 1986. The book's real strength lies in its flavorful behind-the-scenes re-creation of the making of all of Coppola's movies. Cameos of Nicholas Cage, Marlon Brando, Winona Ryder, Fred Astaire and many other stars nearly steal the show. Schumacher tends to portray Coppola as an uncompromising visionary who waged a career-long battle to free himself from the Hollywood dream factory's constrictive commercial dictates. Yet the lingering question is why the relentlessly driven filmmaker abandoned his creative, auteuristic endeavors in favor of safer, more profitable work-for-hire films. In any case, Coppola fans will rejoice. 16 pages of photos. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Coppola made his reputation as a director by winning back-to-back Best Picture Oscars for The Godfather, Parts 1 and 2. The exuberant Coppola was like a godfather to the new American cinema movement of the 1970s. Since then, contend critics, he has not fulfilled his early promise, eclipsed by Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and others. Schumacher (There but for Fortune: A Life of Phil Ochs) has written a comprehensive review of Coppola's turbulent career with the cooperation of the director and many of his colleagues. Topics include Coppola's start directing nudie movies, his apprenticeship under B-movie mogul Roger Corman, and his friendship with George Lucas. On the personal side, Schumacher describes the involvement of Coppola's family in his films, including father Carmine, wife Eleanor (herself a gifted filmmaker), and son Gio, whose death in a boating accident devastated Coppola. Film buffs will enjoy the juicy details on the making of the Godfather films and anecdotes on the chaotic shoot of Apocalypse Now. Coppola is a larger-than-life subject, and this book deserves a large audience in public and academic libraries.--Stephen Rees, Levittown Regional Lib., PA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

The director of perhaps the finest film of the past 30 years is presented as erratic, grandiose, and mysteriously boring for so great an artist. Schumacher (Crossroads: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton, 1995, etc.) marches respectfully from Coppola's birth in Detroit (his middle name was for the automaker) to UCLA film school and through all his films and legal skirmishes. There's much here, and it should be great fun—his training with Roger Corman, his friendship with George Lucas, his run-ins with the press (including the "I pattern my life on Hitler" remark)—but it's not. For starters, there's not quite enough new stuff on the popular films, though a lot is provided on less well-received efforts. On The Godfather, details of the transformation of ponytailed Brando into Don Corleone, James Caan's prep work for the role of Sonny, and "persuasive methods of blocking production" (e.g., bomb threats) are catnip; more would have been welcome, particularly given the space granted Apocalypse Now and The Cotton Club. Quotes from actors such as Talia Shire and James Caan provide fresh air, but the many Coppola quotes are stifling. His relentless attacks on the press and the film industry, combined with his excessive optimism (or misreading) regarding reaction to his films, undercut reader interest in yet another quixotic venture (say, Tucker), no matter how visionary the director is. In addition, Schumacher's intermittently off-the-mark film analyses (viewing Peggy Sue Got Married from the male protagonist's perspective) and bland descriptions (the disastrous casting of daughter Sofia Coppola in The Godfather, Part Three is simply "one of the most controversial castingdecisions of his career") will make film-literate readers feel patronized and suspicious. Coppola emerges as a boorish genius and the book as a comprehensive but exhausting read. When it ends and the glazed eyes refocus, you're left with the unsettling realization you've just spent 500 pages on the man who directed One From the Heart. (16 pages b&w photos, not seen)