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The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story
The New York Times bestselling author of Fifth Avenue, Five A.M. and The Big Goodbye returns with the definitive account of Academy Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-long dream to reinvent American filmmaking, if not the entire world, through his production company American Zoetrope. Francis Ford Coppola is one of the great American dreamers, and his most magnificent dream is American Zoetrope, the production company he founded in San Francisco years before his gargantuan success, when he was only thirty. Through Zoetrope’s experimental, communal utopia, Coppola attempted to reimagine the entire pursuit of moviemaking. Now, more than fifty years later, despite myriad setbacks, the visionary filmmaker’s dream persists, most notably in the production of his decades in the making film and the culmination of his utopian ideals, Megalopolis. Granted total and unprecedented access to Coppola’s archives, conducting hundreds of interviews with the artist and those who have worked closely with him, Sam Wasson weaves together an extraordinary portrait. Here is Coppola, charming, brilliant, given to seeing life and art in terms of family and community, but also plagued by restlessness, recklessness and a desire to operate perpetually at the extremes. As Wasson makes clear, the story of Zoetrope is also the story of Coppola’s wife, Eleanor Coppola, and their children, and of personal lives inseparable from artistic passion. It is a story that charts the divergent paths of Coppola and his co-founder and onetime apprentice, George Lucas, and of their very different visions of art and commerce. And it is a story inextricably bound up in the making of one of the greatest, quixotic masterpieces ever attempted, Apocalypse Now , and of what Coppola found in the jungles of the Philippines when he walked the razor’s edge. That story, already the stuff of legend, has never been fully told, until this extraordinary book.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published November 28, 2023
179 people are currently reading
3508 people want to read
About the author
Sam Wasson
9 books205 followersSAM WASSON is the author of the New York Times bestseller Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M .: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman and two works of film criticism. He is a visiting professor of film at Wesleyan University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
November 21, 2023
This biography focuses on three specific films, rather than a sweeping view of the director's career. The emphasis is on Apocalypse Now, One from the Heart, and the upcoming Megalopolis, with very little on The Godfather movies. The sections on Apocalypse Now will feel familiar if you have read Eleanor Coppola's book Notes or seen the documentary Hearts of Darkness. The rest is a fascinating look at a filmmaker's obsession with his craft and how it conflicts with the way Hollywood has changed in recent decades. You get torn between rooting for him to succeed and tearing your hair out at his seeming blindness to the way his business works. Pay special attention to the memo he sends to the people who work for him during the filming of Apocalypse Now (pages 184-187). Despite his flaws, you can't help but root for the guy because of the role he's played in cinema since the 1970s.
January 18, 2024
Wikipedia about Coppola and the three films are more interesting. Style here is maddening. Didn't want to commit to a true oral history or a biography and fails at both. Still enjoyed learning just a bizarre way of giving the info.
January 5, 2024
The Path to Paradise is part Coppola biography, part examination of Zoetrope Studios, part full immersion into Apocalypse Now, part dreamscape, part madness. It's all wonderful. If you have any interest in cinema, it's a must read.
January 19, 2024
Great insight on Coppola and the making of two films, but the structure of the telling doesn't always work. Feels like another editing pass was needed, with lines, anecdotes and even paragraphs that almost seem to fit in, but don't really make any sense, along with more typos than you'd expect. Obviously a tough decision on what to spend time on, but I both didn't get enough information about some projects while spending too much time on the circuitous manic behavior, maybe? Not totally sure what didn't work for me.
If you're going to not spend much time on the Godfather's or The Conversation because they're so well covered, well, how do you justify 60% of the book being about Apocalypse Now? Gene Hackman is mentioned twice, on consecutive pages; I want more! Also would have liked a much more substantial Megalopolis coda, with the film finally arriving this year.
If you're going to not spend much time on the Godfather's or The Conversation because they're so well covered, well, how do you justify 60% of the book being about Apocalypse Now? Gene Hackman is mentioned twice, on consecutive pages; I want more! Also would have liked a much more substantial Megalopolis coda, with the film finally arriving this year.
May 2, 2025
Sam Wasson is one of the most acclaimed contemporary film historians, labeled by the New York Times’ Janet Maslin as “one of the great chroniclers of Hollywood lore.” His books such as Fosse and Hollywood: An Oral History show his skill in crafting unconventional biographies and documenting the history of American cinema as seen from the perspective of the creators. In his latest work, The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story, Wasson explores certain pivotal points in the career of the renowned filmmaker, delivering his most mature and well-rounded treatise on the auteur who created some of the most iconic movies in the history of the medium. Coppola is a unique case as a director as the level of his engagement with his films remains unmatched by any of his peers. Coppola not only lived for his films but also lived in and through them, in a constant process of inventing and reinventing himself both as an artist and as a human being through practicing his art. Wasson writes that Coppola’s career is “a colossal, lifelong project of experimental self-creation few filmmakers can afford – emotionally, financially – and none but he has undertaken” (4). . . . “Creating the experience. The experience that re-creates the self. The re-created self that creates the work” (4). These were the main phases in Coppola’s filmmaking process, and they constituted the foundation on which the aspirational project of Zoetrope was established.
Zoetrope, a composite word of Greek etymology (ζωή+τρόπος) that translates as “way of life,” was the most apt name for the San Francisco-based film production company co-founded by Coppola in 1969. However, Zoetrope also produced films made by other eminent directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Akira Kurosawa, Wim Wenders, and George Lucas – a close friend of Coppola’s who is frequently mentioned by Wasson as he always has something of interest to contribute to the book’s narrative. Coppola’s career ran in parallel course with Zoetrope’s ascent and decline, and it was there that the American director invested not only money but also his vision regarding the future of cinema and how films should be made. There were times when Zoetrope’s headquarters were bustling with energy and enthusiasm, assembling the young and aspiring filmmakers of San Francisco with each of them contributing their bit in the formation and expansion of the newfound venture; and other times of frustration and failure. The stories of Coppola and Zoetrope collide, and that is one of the unifying themes in Wasson’s book.
Coppola has mostly worked on his own terms, as far as possible from the mainstream American film industry, which to his way of thinking opted for profits at the expense of (his) creative ideas. The principal goal of Zoetrope was to provide Coppola and other more artistically ambitious filmmakers with an opportunity to “make personal films outside the system” (340). He wanted the company not only to exist but to thrive in order to bankroll independent projects. Coppola’s Zoetrope crusaded for a utopia, advocating for “a sort of communal filmmaking fantasia, with ideas and technical innovations (and ideas for technical innovations) flowing forth faster than anyone could register” (Vognar), Wasson’s book focuses on Zoetrope as a groundbreaking invention that would restore the power and resources to the hands of the artists, overcoming the pernicious influence exerted by the big studios.
To draw a fleshed-out portrait of Coppola’s larger-than-life personality, Wasson concentrates on a selected few of the director’s films, most prominently his magnum opus Apocalypse Now (1979), which Wasson describes as “the paragon of Zoetrope-style filmmaking”(4); the 1982 romantic musical One from the Heart, the costly flop that ruined Coppola financially and ended the Zoetrope enterprise; and his dream project that remained in the making for over 40 years, the majestic Megalopolis, which is at this writing in the post-production stage starring Adam Driver, Shia LaBeouf, and Nathalie Emmanuel. Wasson conveys Coppola’s life journey from the chaos and panic that reigned on set during the Apocalypse Now shootings to the serenity and sense of fulfilment experienced by Coppola at the age of 84 as he achieved the lifelong dream of directing Megalopolis. The trail proved to be rough, and there were times that Coppola found himself on the brink of despair, for either artistic or money-related issues that too often challenged his ability to finish his films in the way he desired. The whole experiment of Zoetrope possessed a kind of “infernal” quality, and it is not by chance that Wasson begins the book (and titles it, in part) with an epigram from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy: “The path to paradise begins in hell.” To breathe life into films of such magnitude as Coppola’s, the creator is obliged to pass through a series of dire obstacles and soul-tormenting predicaments that will eventually, and after much pain, lead to the path of glory. Wasson describes Coppola as a man for whom panic was the standard state of mind, always prone to unhealthy doses of debilitating self-criticism and doubt. “Coppola,” he writes, “was a regular in the whirlpool of loss and rediscovery, conviction and uncertainty, ecstasy and despair” (11). However, these mood fluctuations are indicative of the director’s brilliance, especially if we consider the wise words of the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa: “To think is to have doubts, and doubts are the antechamber of dissent.” Self-doubt is consistent with Coppola’s rebellious, critical stance toward the norms of the film industry, a sine qua non condition for all artistic innovators.
For its better part, The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story centers around the incidents that took place in the Philippines during the shooting of Apocalypse Now. Film critic Robbie Collin writes that “the Apocalypse Now shoot was a mad anecdote machine” (Collin, The Telegraph), and Wasson corroborates this with a multitude of facts. The author feeds the reader an immense quantity of minutiae and tall tales to the point of exhaustion. However, their function is to highlight the director’s adventurous spirit and volatile temperament that manifested itself in various ways while he galvanized the story that was meant to provide a commentary on the Vietnam War, one of the most traumatic events for America in the twentieth century. Coppola was conscious of the subject’s breadth, thus he never pretended to give definitive answers to open questions: “You can’t tell Vietnam, Vietnam has a trillion faces. No one face of Vietnam will resound to the true Vietnam, it’s not possible to do” (53). According to Coppola, the film’s message was that people should face themselves unflinchingly, even in the face of the atrocities of war: “We can’t be afraid of our true nature, because our true nature is all we’ve got” (52), the director declared.
Coppola had to guide and instruct Marlon Brando to help him determine the essence of his character, the mentally unstable Colonel Kurtz, and did the same with Martin Sheen, who played the soldier Willard. Sheen was pushed to the edge by Coppola, who didn’t hesitate to provide the actor with narcotics to get him closer to the story’s mood. A member of the crew remarked: “Francis did a dangerous and terrible thing. He assumed the role of a psychiatrist and did a kind of brainwashing on a man who was much too sensitive” (41), while the actor’s brother, Joe, concluded: “Martin paid a lot of penance for this film” (42). There is also mention of the infamous mirror scene that was shot in a hotel room and during which Sheen really cut himself in the hand, eventually suffering a nervous breakdown.
The book describes in detail how Coppola threatened to destroy the whole set, the extreme weather conditions that made even cocaine melt (!), the tension between Coppola and his wife, Eleanor, the relationships with his collaborators, and more. He considered those closest to him on set to be his extended family. Dean Tavoularis, Fred Roos, Gray Frederickson, and Vittorio Storaro, all working with Coppola in more than one film, are frequently quoted by Wasson, shedding light on lesser-known aspects of Coppola’s character. It should be noted that, despite his dubious methods, Coppola was not tyrannical towards his crew, adopting a more paternal stance as Wasson emphasizes.
Wife Eleanor later created, along with George Hickenlooper and Fax Bahr, the 1991 documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, which was based on her own behind-the-scenes footage shot in the Philippines. Previously, in 1979, she authored a memoir under the title Notes on the Making of Apocalypse Now that provided a comprehensive account of the production’s hardships. Readers who are acquainted with the documentary or the memoir will experience a feeling of déjà vu reading Wasson’s chronicle, though he mentions several facts and stories that have never been published until now. The author dives deep into Coppola’s archives and conducted several interviews with his subject in order to expand the scope of his book that remains focused throughout on Coppola’s creative genius, his vision for Zoetrope, but also his fatal flaws that were responsible for some painful career choices.
Wasson also explores One from the Heart and its devastating financial fallout for Coppola, who saw his hopes of making Zoetrope a Paramount-like production studio turn to dust after the release of that movie. After a streak of masterpieces that he shot during the 1970s (The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part 2, Apocalypse Now), Coppola felt like doing something completely different and attempted to revive the American technicolor musicals of the 1940s and ’50s adding a modern spin. However, what he found most challenging story-wise was the question of “how to convey love visually, in cinematic terms?” (212), and that was the main reason why he agreed to direct One from the Heart, though his exorbitant fee of $3 million certainly played a critical role too. The film was not entirely devoid of artistic merit with the story focusing on two youngsters who realize their feelings toward one another after breaking up, in other words it was about “lovers drawn apart by their fantasies, reunited by deeper acceptance and love” (212). The simplistic moral lesson and the unrelatable characters were the main reasons that for the film’s poor reception and complete commercial failure. One from the Heart grossed $389,249 on its first weekend in 41 theaters, with a total gross of $636,796, against a $26 million budget. Coppola was forced to close the Los Angeles Zoetrope studios and sell several of his assets as a result.
The book concludes with Wasson visiting Coppola on the set of Megalopolis in Atlanta, to witness firsthand the filmmaker living his long-awaited dream. During the shooting, Coppola exuded an air not of authority but rather of genuine artistic fulfilment. He was giving instructions to Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel for a kissing scene. Wasson leaves the reader with the image of Coppola being serene and satisfied, thus providing the best denouement in a book that avoids the pitfall of glamorizing its subject, providing a vivacious and authentic portrait of a legendary visual artist. Talking about his approach to the book’s subject, Wasson said that it is “not always flattering, but it finally is admiring,” while adding, “The human errors are all of ours, but none of us, or very few of us, lay claim to this kind of talent or ambition” (Vognar, 2023). Coppola’s erratic disposition, the source of his monumental masterpieces, proved to be a double-edged sword as it led to controversial decisions that hurt both himself as a director and Zoetrope. His intensity benefitted him artistically but compromised the cool head needed on the business side of his films. The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story is a necessary addition to the bookshelves of all those interested in film and media studies; the volume of information in the book in no way diminishes its entertainment value over the course of 400 pages.
Zoetrope, a composite word of Greek etymology (ζωή+τρόπος) that translates as “way of life,” was the most apt name for the San Francisco-based film production company co-founded by Coppola in 1969. However, Zoetrope also produced films made by other eminent directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Akira Kurosawa, Wim Wenders, and George Lucas – a close friend of Coppola’s who is frequently mentioned by Wasson as he always has something of interest to contribute to the book’s narrative. Coppola’s career ran in parallel course with Zoetrope’s ascent and decline, and it was there that the American director invested not only money but also his vision regarding the future of cinema and how films should be made. There were times when Zoetrope’s headquarters were bustling with energy and enthusiasm, assembling the young and aspiring filmmakers of San Francisco with each of them contributing their bit in the formation and expansion of the newfound venture; and other times of frustration and failure. The stories of Coppola and Zoetrope collide, and that is one of the unifying themes in Wasson’s book.
Coppola has mostly worked on his own terms, as far as possible from the mainstream American film industry, which to his way of thinking opted for profits at the expense of (his) creative ideas. The principal goal of Zoetrope was to provide Coppola and other more artistically ambitious filmmakers with an opportunity to “make personal films outside the system” (340). He wanted the company not only to exist but to thrive in order to bankroll independent projects. Coppola’s Zoetrope crusaded for a utopia, advocating for “a sort of communal filmmaking fantasia, with ideas and technical innovations (and ideas for technical innovations) flowing forth faster than anyone could register” (Vognar), Wasson’s book focuses on Zoetrope as a groundbreaking invention that would restore the power and resources to the hands of the artists, overcoming the pernicious influence exerted by the big studios.
To draw a fleshed-out portrait of Coppola’s larger-than-life personality, Wasson concentrates on a selected few of the director’s films, most prominently his magnum opus Apocalypse Now (1979), which Wasson describes as “the paragon of Zoetrope-style filmmaking”(4); the 1982 romantic musical One from the Heart, the costly flop that ruined Coppola financially and ended the Zoetrope enterprise; and his dream project that remained in the making for over 40 years, the majestic Megalopolis, which is at this writing in the post-production stage starring Adam Driver, Shia LaBeouf, and Nathalie Emmanuel. Wasson conveys Coppola’s life journey from the chaos and panic that reigned on set during the Apocalypse Now shootings to the serenity and sense of fulfilment experienced by Coppola at the age of 84 as he achieved the lifelong dream of directing Megalopolis. The trail proved to be rough, and there were times that Coppola found himself on the brink of despair, for either artistic or money-related issues that too often challenged his ability to finish his films in the way he desired. The whole experiment of Zoetrope possessed a kind of “infernal” quality, and it is not by chance that Wasson begins the book (and titles it, in part) with an epigram from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy: “The path to paradise begins in hell.” To breathe life into films of such magnitude as Coppola’s, the creator is obliged to pass through a series of dire obstacles and soul-tormenting predicaments that will eventually, and after much pain, lead to the path of glory. Wasson describes Coppola as a man for whom panic was the standard state of mind, always prone to unhealthy doses of debilitating self-criticism and doubt. “Coppola,” he writes, “was a regular in the whirlpool of loss and rediscovery, conviction and uncertainty, ecstasy and despair” (11). However, these mood fluctuations are indicative of the director’s brilliance, especially if we consider the wise words of the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa: “To think is to have doubts, and doubts are the antechamber of dissent.” Self-doubt is consistent with Coppola’s rebellious, critical stance toward the norms of the film industry, a sine qua non condition for all artistic innovators.
For its better part, The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story centers around the incidents that took place in the Philippines during the shooting of Apocalypse Now. Film critic Robbie Collin writes that “the Apocalypse Now shoot was a mad anecdote machine” (Collin, The Telegraph), and Wasson corroborates this with a multitude of facts. The author feeds the reader an immense quantity of minutiae and tall tales to the point of exhaustion. However, their function is to highlight the director’s adventurous spirit and volatile temperament that manifested itself in various ways while he galvanized the story that was meant to provide a commentary on the Vietnam War, one of the most traumatic events for America in the twentieth century. Coppola was conscious of the subject’s breadth, thus he never pretended to give definitive answers to open questions: “You can’t tell Vietnam, Vietnam has a trillion faces. No one face of Vietnam will resound to the true Vietnam, it’s not possible to do” (53). According to Coppola, the film’s message was that people should face themselves unflinchingly, even in the face of the atrocities of war: “We can’t be afraid of our true nature, because our true nature is all we’ve got” (52), the director declared.
Coppola had to guide and instruct Marlon Brando to help him determine the essence of his character, the mentally unstable Colonel Kurtz, and did the same with Martin Sheen, who played the soldier Willard. Sheen was pushed to the edge by Coppola, who didn’t hesitate to provide the actor with narcotics to get him closer to the story’s mood. A member of the crew remarked: “Francis did a dangerous and terrible thing. He assumed the role of a psychiatrist and did a kind of brainwashing on a man who was much too sensitive” (41), while the actor’s brother, Joe, concluded: “Martin paid a lot of penance for this film” (42). There is also mention of the infamous mirror scene that was shot in a hotel room and during which Sheen really cut himself in the hand, eventually suffering a nervous breakdown.
The book describes in detail how Coppola threatened to destroy the whole set, the extreme weather conditions that made even cocaine melt (!), the tension between Coppola and his wife, Eleanor, the relationships with his collaborators, and more. He considered those closest to him on set to be his extended family. Dean Tavoularis, Fred Roos, Gray Frederickson, and Vittorio Storaro, all working with Coppola in more than one film, are frequently quoted by Wasson, shedding light on lesser-known aspects of Coppola’s character. It should be noted that, despite his dubious methods, Coppola was not tyrannical towards his crew, adopting a more paternal stance as Wasson emphasizes.
Wife Eleanor later created, along with George Hickenlooper and Fax Bahr, the 1991 documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, which was based on her own behind-the-scenes footage shot in the Philippines. Previously, in 1979, she authored a memoir under the title Notes on the Making of Apocalypse Now that provided a comprehensive account of the production’s hardships. Readers who are acquainted with the documentary or the memoir will experience a feeling of déjà vu reading Wasson’s chronicle, though he mentions several facts and stories that have never been published until now. The author dives deep into Coppola’s archives and conducted several interviews with his subject in order to expand the scope of his book that remains focused throughout on Coppola’s creative genius, his vision for Zoetrope, but also his fatal flaws that were responsible for some painful career choices.
Wasson also explores One from the Heart and its devastating financial fallout for Coppola, who saw his hopes of making Zoetrope a Paramount-like production studio turn to dust after the release of that movie. After a streak of masterpieces that he shot during the 1970s (The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part 2, Apocalypse Now), Coppola felt like doing something completely different and attempted to revive the American technicolor musicals of the 1940s and ’50s adding a modern spin. However, what he found most challenging story-wise was the question of “how to convey love visually, in cinematic terms?” (212), and that was the main reason why he agreed to direct One from the Heart, though his exorbitant fee of $3 million certainly played a critical role too. The film was not entirely devoid of artistic merit with the story focusing on two youngsters who realize their feelings toward one another after breaking up, in other words it was about “lovers drawn apart by their fantasies, reunited by deeper acceptance and love” (212). The simplistic moral lesson and the unrelatable characters were the main reasons that for the film’s poor reception and complete commercial failure. One from the Heart grossed $389,249 on its first weekend in 41 theaters, with a total gross of $636,796, against a $26 million budget. Coppola was forced to close the Los Angeles Zoetrope studios and sell several of his assets as a result.
The book concludes with Wasson visiting Coppola on the set of Megalopolis in Atlanta, to witness firsthand the filmmaker living his long-awaited dream. During the shooting, Coppola exuded an air not of authority but rather of genuine artistic fulfilment. He was giving instructions to Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel for a kissing scene. Wasson leaves the reader with the image of Coppola being serene and satisfied, thus providing the best denouement in a book that avoids the pitfall of glamorizing its subject, providing a vivacious and authentic portrait of a legendary visual artist. Talking about his approach to the book’s subject, Wasson said that it is “not always flattering, but it finally is admiring,” while adding, “The human errors are all of ours, but none of us, or very few of us, lay claim to this kind of talent or ambition” (Vognar, 2023). Coppola’s erratic disposition, the source of his monumental masterpieces, proved to be a double-edged sword as it led to controversial decisions that hurt both himself as a director and Zoetrope. His intensity benefitted him artistically but compromised the cool head needed on the business side of his films. The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story is a necessary addition to the bookshelves of all those interested in film and media studies; the volume of information in the book in no way diminishes its entertainment value over the course of 400 pages.
April 26, 2024
“Zoetrope's Louise Ledeen found her attention turning from Kinski, dancing on air, to Gene Kelly, standing below. She didn't think he knew she was watching him, which is probably why he did, when no one was supposed to be looking, what he quietly did next: step off a low curb and give that kick from ‘Singin’ in the Rain’. This is another world, she thought.”
Wish this was just chronological. Inconsistent jumping around the time periods didn’t make this as captivating as it could have been. Maybe a metaphor for Coppola’s career?
Wish this was just chronological. Inconsistent jumping around the time periods didn’t make this as captivating as it could have been. Maybe a metaphor for Coppola’s career?
Read
February 8, 2024Not sure how much I enjoyed the stream of consciousness writing style that Wasson employs here, although in fairness it might be the proper way to examine Francis Coppola. The content proves to be a fascinating look at certain parts of the famed director’s career. Some great stories of Coppola’s time at Hofstra too! Overall, it’s an incredible portrait of a visionary artist.
Read
February 16, 2024Wasson is so clearly bowled over by the miracle of what Zoetrope was for this brief 1-2 year period that the entire project lacks some of the objectivity that makes The Big Goodbye such a masterpiece in reporting and retrospective, but with that story about Gene Kelly, can you blame him?
April 4, 2024
As he did in his IMPROV NATION book, Wasson tries to write in a way that reflects his subject in some way. IMPROV NATION was done in this jazzy ad lib manner to mirror improv and this book is a lot of run on sentences and stream of consciousness to mirror Francis Ford Coppola's mania while directing APOCALYPSE NOW. This is a story of his mad quest to have his own studio and his Don Quixote like manner in fighting the corporate structure of Hollywood. Though Wasson was allowed to have free rein with archives and interviews with Coppola's permission, this book, in my mind, doesn't reflect that well on the director and he seems to be a bit of a mad man and scary gambler. Each film he creates is a part of him and his life and state of mind at the time of process. Interesting information on Coppola's friendship with George Lucas. Their differences in personality and process and judgment are startling.
February 6, 2024
Well told biography of one of my favorite filmmakers, Francis Ford Coppola. I find that slice of life biographies are often much more effective than ones that attempt to tell an entire history - usually, it's a couple moments that reveal who we truly are.
June 30, 2025
My goat is washed 🐶 💔
March 17, 2024
I loved loved loved this book. Wasson’s writing is hypnotic and the Zoetrope story is, as I think Coppola would want, mind expanding and somewhat hallucinatory.
February 9, 2024
A classic 3 star read - interesting story, with a weird choice of prose/story-telling
April 1, 2024
I listened to this book but the mispronunciations were maddening- Frederic Forrest, Carroll Ballard, Wim Wenders, moviola, nagra, KEM, Marcia Lucas, LAX, Gio, sometimes even Coppola. The worst one was Warner Bros. It’s pronounced Warner Brothers. The narrator was fine otherwise. They needed someone to check his work though.
Most of the book was about Apocalypse Now and One From The Heart. I didn’t mind because I love both films but it was weird that other films were glossed over.
Most of the book was about Apocalypse Now and One From The Heart. I didn’t mind because I love both films but it was weird that other films were glossed over.
February 10, 2024
Sort of breathlessly written, in a way that becomes aggravating in places.
Lots of good info here (it’s basically worth the price of admission for FFC’s incendiary telex to his wife while making Apocalypse Now) and my letterboxd watchlist is groaning under the weight of newly added titles, but it’s also weirdly thin in places (including barely a paragraph—and a confusing one at that—about the abrupt financial changes that essentially triggered the downfall of American Zoetrope) and (perhaps paradoxically) probably a bit too long.
Worth reading for sure, but I was expecting a little bit more.
Lots of good info here (it’s basically worth the price of admission for FFC’s incendiary telex to his wife while making Apocalypse Now) and my letterboxd watchlist is groaning under the weight of newly added titles, but it’s also weirdly thin in places (including barely a paragraph—and a confusing one at that—about the abrupt financial changes that essentially triggered the downfall of American Zoetrope) and (perhaps paradoxically) probably a bit too long.
Worth reading for sure, but I was expecting a little bit more.
January 15, 2024
Notes of megalomania and a bitter mouth feel.
June 23, 2024
Much, much more essential than any traditional biography of Francis Ford Coppola could be. I found myself not only reappreciating his seminal works, but expanding my admiration for them even as they seemed less unapproachable and more, well, human. And I better understood just how grand an artist Coppola is and the paradoxical relationship between genius and capital. (Was it ever else?)
As if I wasn’t already anticipating Megalopolis…
As if I wasn’t already anticipating Megalopolis…
June 15, 2024
An interesting primer for Megalopolis, a movie I hope we will someday actually get to see. I want to rewatch Godfather now, and revisit Apocalypse.
August 21, 2025
Reżyser "Ojca Chrzestnego" i "Czasu Apokalipsy" w perspektywie daleko odbiegającej od klasycznej biografii. Jeśli chcesz się dowiedzieć o kulisach powstawania "Czasu Apokalipsy" jest tego naprawdę sporo, ale autor skupia się też na produkcji "Tym od serca" ukazując finansowe zmagania Coppoli jak i jego możnaby uznać dziwactwa. O "Ojcu Chrzestnym" jest tu szczątkowo, ale biorąc pod uwagę jak małoważny był to dla niego film, który robił dla pieniędzy a dopiero potem dodał do niego swoje własne emocje i energię. Niewątpliwie najciekawszą częścią powieści jest burzliwa historia American Zoetrope. Buntowników, przedstawicieli kina niezależnego i artystycznego, hipisów, narkomanów i wybitnie utalentowanych ludzi, którzy walczyli ze studyjnym systemem Hollywood stwarzając swoim aktorom, pracownikom a nawet praktykantom wspaniałe warunki do pracy twórczej. Dopóki oczywiście nie zabrakło pieniędzy. Mniej interesująca była zbyt przeciągnięta historia jego rodziny i dowiadujęmy się o Eleanor więcej niż o Marcii Lucas w biografii Lucasa, a to ona miała większy wpływ na jego twórczość. Autor poleciał w stronę "za każdym wielkim człowiekiem stoi jego żona" i o ile jest to w sumie prawda i sama perspektywa Eleanor jest ważna a nawet informacje o jej twórczości to mogło być jej jednak mniej. Jest chaotycznie i niechronologicznie, a utor wyławia sobie filmy, które akurat go ciekawią przez co sporo dostaje tylko jedno zdanie, ale jest to sprawnie napisana książka, która z biegiem nabiera rozpędu i jest wciągająca.
February 18, 2024
Pretty interesting take on Coppola and how his approach to filmmaking, and artistic expression in general, was built on a combination of altruism and megalomania. The black sheep of the family, Coppola had a deep well of hurt to contend with. But other than a bad habit of cheating on his long-suffering wife Eleanor (the true hero of the story), he wasn’t a malicious person. And his personality and family dynamic were key in fleshing out Michael Corleone, Harry Caul, and even Benjamin Willard. The book wanders a bit, but does a good job of establishing how 'Apocalypse Now' destroyed Coppola psychically, but it was 'One From the Heart' that ruined him financially – until he got back on his feet, which he always seems to do.
February 18, 2024
Really glad I read this because it colors a lot about Zoetrope Studios, and I kept wanting to pick it back up. But this took so long to finish, and wasn’t always enjoyable. I found the chaotic writing style so annoying and hard to follow. Without having read any other FFC biography, I could never predict what topic was coming next or how deeply in the weeds it would go. Sometimes this fully works. Coppola’s manic, scattered energy and sprint through names, places, and debts is captured well. Conversations and memories are saved that would probably get lost to time otherwise. When it doesn’t work, I was either bored or rolling my eyes at overwritten passages, and the love fest for Coppola even when he was hurting other people in his life.
July 1, 2024
Excellent, but exhausting. So much detail here. Apocalypse Now is the anchor for the many flashbacks to come back to, but once that era ended, the 80’s made for tedious reading. Coppola as genius plays well, but there are many unlikable Coppola characteristics too. I didn’t know about all of his infidelity and his ego/mental health struggles didn’t always put him in the best light. Coppola’s early years and the 70’s was fascinating. Maybe the best winning streak of all time with the Godfathers and Apocalypse?
February 10, 2024
Many books have been written about Coppola and, especially, Apocalypse Now, but none is quite like this. Sam Wasson is one of the great chroniclers of Hollywood history, and his access to Coppola and his deep bench of files leads to a revelatory reading experience. Coppola was and remains a unique artist and an extraordinary showman who had, at once, the best and worst creative impulses. He’s a man tormented by an unwavering imagination who consistently put all on the line for the sake of art. I can’t recommend this book highly enough to anyone who loves moviemaking, cares about the artistic process, and the sacrifices that come with honoring your God-given talent. A stellar piece of work.
July 27, 2024
I learned a lot about the biz and Coppola himself. I want to watch Apocalypse Now and Hearts of Darkness!
The writing is not economical. It’s long. It’s wordy. It says the same thing multiple ways. It’s robust without differentiation. It’s circling. It’s expansive in word count and narrow in scope.
I can’t help but be most moved that Coppola succeeded without his father’s support and Sofia was given permission to dream even after her dad had experienced failure.
The writing is not economical. It’s long. It’s wordy. It says the same thing multiple ways. It’s robust without differentiation. It’s circling. It’s expansive in word count and narrow in scope.
I can’t help but be most moved that Coppola succeeded without his father’s support and Sofia was given permission to dream even after her dad had experienced failure.
January 29, 2024
Wasson is this generation’s best writer of Hollywood’s last great generation. A tremendous account of Francis Ford Coppola, a complicated genius and terrible studio head.
Recommended for anyone who cares a damn about movies.
Recommended for anyone who cares a damn about movies.
February 14, 2024
I can’t decide if it’s a miracle or inevitable that FFC made Apocalypse Now and the Godfather films. What this book makes clear is that the dude is a genius, and completely unsuited to the administrative part of being a director.
Maybe it’s a miracle that any big production gets made, or that anyone can juggle all the strings that an auteur must in order to make a masterpiece.
You could say that Coppola got lucky, and maybe so, but he got lucky three plus times, and that’s a testament to talent and charisma that resulted in iconic movies, followed by decades of relative obscurity.
What will Megalopolis be? I can’t wait to find out.
Maybe it’s a miracle that any big production gets made, or that anyone can juggle all the strings that an auteur must in order to make a masterpiece.
You could say that Coppola got lucky, and maybe so, but he got lucky three plus times, and that’s a testament to talent and charisma that resulted in iconic movies, followed by decades of relative obscurity.
What will Megalopolis be? I can’t wait to find out.
June 30, 2024
Coppola at his best tends towards the operatic and the tragedy of his doomed Zoetrope Studio is no exception. Like the Beatles, who started their own record label in the hopes of wresting power from the suits, Coppola intended Zoetrope to be a cinematographic Eden, a community where artists could collaborate on cutting edge projects without an eye on the bottom line. And, like the Beatles, Coppola’s idealistic dream collapsed into a heap of financial ruin.
September 13, 2024
There’s points in here where it’s a fine average book but that’s because the subject is interesting. It is extremely bland and resembles more of a Wikipedia article than an author having a voice on the topic.
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February 29, 2024Structure was really weird and all over the place. Learned some things here and there but ultimately wasn't a super fun reading experience.
March 4, 2024
I love Coppola so much and I’m desperate to go to the Megalopolis premiere if it’s going to be in the U.S.
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