Filmmaker and screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola is one of the leading names in the era of New Hollywood filmmaking. The New Hollywood movement saw the rise of a new generation of filmmakers and was prominent around the 60s and 70s. Notable New Hollywood filmmakers include the likes of Mel Brooks, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Ridley Scott.
The octogenarian, born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 7, 1939, is a five-time Academy Awards winner. Interestingly, three of those wins have been for his screenplays. Over the years, besides his work as a director and producer, Francis Ford Coppola has built a reputation with his award-winning screenplays. Here are the 5 best Francis Ford Coppola’s screenplays in film.
The Godfather Films
Francis Ford Coppola may have made his feature film screenplay and directorial debut in 1963, but his 1972 co-written screenplay and directed film, The Godfather, gave him recognition. The Godfather was adapted from Mario Puzo‘s 1969 crime novel. Paramount Pictures learned about the novel in 1967 while Puzo was still writing. Desperate for money and against the advice of his agent, Puzo agreed to sell the book’s rights to Paramount Pictures for $12,500, with an offering of $80,000 if the novel were ever adapted into a film. With the novel’s popularity after publication, Paramount Pictures intended to hire a director of Italian descent. However, Coppola was far from being the studio’s first choice to direct the film. Until then, he was relatively unknown, with his last film, The Rain People (1969), not critically or commercially successful.
With the likes of Sergio Leone, Peter Yates, Arthur Penn, and Otto Preminger being offered the role of director and all declining, the studio chose Coppola because he’ll accept a lower sum and budget. Although Coppola didn’t immediately accept to do it, he accepted a $125,000 pay and six percent of the film’s gross rentals when he did. Coppola worked closely with Mario Puzo to write The Godfather‘s screenplay. The Godfather became the highest-grossing film of 1972, grossing $250–291 million on a $6–7.2 million budget. Puzo began writing the script for the sequel, The Godfather Part II (1974), during post-production of The Godfather (1972). Coppola didn’t want to direct the sequel and reached out to Martin Scorsese, but Paramount Pictures refused and insisted Coppola would be re-hired.
Coppola did not want to do a trilogy, believing the film was meant to be only two films. The studio spent over a decade hiring screenwriters and directors, but none could produce something worthwhile. Coppola was later convinced to return (especially with his financial situation at the time) with a $6 million pay and share of the film’s profit. Coppola later filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy during the production of The Godfather Part III (1990). Both screenplays for The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974) were nominated and won for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards. Similarly, he won nominations for both films at the Writers Guild of America Awards. All three film screenplays were nominated at the Golden Globe Awards, but he only won for The Godfather (1972).
The Conversation (1974)
Francis Ford Coppola wrote, directed, and produced the Gene Hackman-led cast of the mystery thriller film The Conversation (1974). The film was popular for its use of wiretapping and surveillance, especially because it was released around the time of the Watergate scandal. Coppola has always maintained it was all coincidental, as he had completed the film’s screenplay in the mid-60s. The Conversation was critically acclaimed and was a financial success for Paramount Pictures, grossing $ 4.4 million on a $1.6 million budget.
The Library of Congress selected The Conversation for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1995. Released in the same year as The Godfather II (1974), Coppola also received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay but in the Best Original Screenplay category. Coppola received similar nominations at the Golden Globe Awards, British Academy Film Awards, and Writers Guild of America Awards. However, the film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Francis Ford Coppola returned with another classic with the epic war film Apocalypse Now (1979). Film audiences of the late 70s and classic movie viewers have the Robert Duvall phrase, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” etched into their memory. Coppola worked on the movie’s screenplay alongside John Milius. However, it was Milius, while working as an assistant for Coppola during the production of The Rain People (1969), who had the idea for an epic war film. With The Godfather and The Conversation out of the way and George Lucas unable to direct Apocalypse Now, Coppola (who was supposed to be a producer) took on the director role.
After granting Milius creative control to write whatever scene comes to mind, 10 drafts and over a thousand pages later, Coppola collaborated to trim it down substantially. Apocalypse Now (1979) is still regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, grossing $100–150 million on a $31 million budget. It was preserved in the National Film Registry in 2000. Francis Ford Coppola was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. The screenplay also received a similar nomination at the Golden Globe Awards and Writers Guild of America Awards.
The Outsiders (1983)
The Outsiders is a coming-of-age crime drama that starred notable names like Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, and Tom Cruise. The film’s screenplay was adapted from S. E. Hinton‘s 1967 coming-of-age novel. At that point in his life, Francis Ford Coppola had no interest in working on a teen movie. Coppola was compelled to take the project after Lone Star Elementary School’s librarian, Jo Ellen Misakian, wrote him a letter. Attached to the brief, compelling letter was a 15-page signed petition by the school’s students. This led Coppola to read the book and adapt a screenplay. The Outsiders, produced by Coppola and George Lucas’ production company Zoetrope Studios, received positive reviews. The Outsiders has also developed a cult following.
The Rainmaker (1997)
Five of American novelist John Grisham‘s novels had been adapted to film before Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rainmaker (1997). Coppola was drawn to read one of Grisham’s books (The Rainmaker) and bought one at the airport before a flight. The novel had kept him hooked; he reportedly finished reading the entire novel during the flight. Afterward, Coppola was certain he, too, would do an adaptation of a Grisham’s novel. Coppola worked on the legal drama screenplay with Michael Douglas, Fred Fuchs, and Steven Reuther as producers. The Rainmaker (1997) had a star-studded cast that included Matt Damon, Jon Voight, Claire Danes, Mickey Rourke, and Danny DeVito. For the screenplay, Francis Ford Coppola and John Grisham received a nomination for a USC Scripter Award.
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