I'll never forget that moment in Hearts of Darkness when Coppola is explaining to his crew how he wants the French compound dinner scene set up all the way down to the exact temperature of the wine in each glass. Kind of amusing his level of obsessive detail amidst a shooting nightmare. And then the entire sequence was cut anyway!

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

That scene in Hearts of Darkness is fascinating. The willingness to toss out a scene that required so much effort to film in the first perfectly exemplifies the delicious insanity of the filmmaking process.

Absolutely love the passion and research you put into your director series. I have learned so much and have also experienced a range of new films that I would never have watched nor even knew existed. Thank You, James for your stellar videos, your love of film is contagious. xx

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Many thanks, Nicole! Anytime these filmography videos help film enthusiasts discover a few more obscure classics, that puts a giant smile on my face.

@robynmitchell9563

2 ай бұрын

I agree, some that come to mind, thanks to Wrong Reel, are McCabe and Mrs Miller, The Wild Bunch, The Gunfighter & Topkapi.

This is an incredible video, James. Not only is your passion and knowledge of Coppola's cinema evident from how adeptly you speak about his movies, but you're also able to objectively and clearly talk about the strengths and weaknesses of his entire filmography. Few people can do both, especially so skillfully. Marvelously done!

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Many thanks, Mr. Arminio! All those late night drunken debates about his movies back in college have finally paid off.

Thank you for the effort you put into these videos, Coppola is worth a video this long! The Conversation, highly highly re-watchable.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

100& agree. Each time I revisit The Conversation, I fall under its spell all over again.

This is a worthy use of time and research, Coppola has earned it -- and let's not underestimate the golden tones of "Tucker," a movie in which every frame looks like the most beautiful sunset ever caught on film.

@lovecraft7676

2 ай бұрын

Vittorio Storaro shot the hell out of Tucker.

EPIC video. I didn't realise how few FFC films I'd actually seen.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Enjoy the ride as you dig into his filmography! I'm slowly but surely getting more and more fired up for 'Megalopolis'.

Woke up this morning, saw this and thought, “today is a good day.” 🎉

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Well you just made my day. I love making this kind of content and making it is even more satisfying when it connects with folks who share my interests.

“The mind of man is capable of anything.” ― Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness A ranking worthy of a true Auteur. Cheers.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Great quote. I read Heart of Darkness in high school and then again in college but I am long overdue in revisiting the book. Also 'Lord Jim' has been gathering dust on my bookshelf for a long time.

Amazing video as always! Ashamed to admit I've only seen The Godfather Trilogy but will catch up eventually. Would love to see more videos like this in the future. Keep it up!

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Many thanks! I'd love it if I could videos like this full time.

Great video essay! Thanks! I got hungry just LISTENING to Clemenza making tomato sauce in 'The Godfather'.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

I wish I could have included more of that but after about ten seconds the copyright police tend to grab me by the shoulder.

This was a great video, James, watched every minute of it, and you did right by Francis Ford Coppola.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Thanks, Fred! It was a real labor of love going over the highs and lows of his one-of-a-kind filmography.

Francis Ford Coppola executive produced one of my favorite films of all time Tough Guys Don't Dance, so for that alone I must tip my hat to the man.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Holy smokes! I love Norman Mailer. Definitely going to hunt that one down.

@edwardmckenzie6988

2 ай бұрын

@@geekinwithJamesHancock Dayyyyyummmmm you are in for a treat!!!!

As someone who has only seen like 5 of his movies, I really appreciate this video

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! I hope I excited your curiosity about a few of these movies.

This is one of my favorites of your catalog ranking espisodes. Excellent work!

@geekinwithJamesHancock

Ай бұрын

Many thanks! These are my favorite videos to make. Eagerly looking forward to discussing Coppola some more once Megalopolis gets unleashed on the world.

Love this ep from start to finish - kudos!

@lovecraft7676

2 ай бұрын

Many thanks! Would love to do a lot more videos like this in the future.

Appreciate the effort of putting this together. Great rundown with a lot of passion and curiosity and clear reverence and respect for one of the best to ever do it!

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Ty sir! It was a genuine pleasure singing Coppola's praises and I look forward to discussing his work off and on the rest of the year.

Wow... nice work. Fantastic watch. Thanks for the effort.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Many thanks for checking it out! Definitely itching to do a lot more videos like this in the future.

Spectacular review of the filmography of one of the great American film directors, James. I have to say that after seeing the first images of Megalopolis they have not caught my attention. It's as if the Coppola of the 70s and 80s has faded. Not only him, the latest works of greats like Scorsese, Allen or Polanski seem lazy, disjointed and in some cases out of time. I've really wanted to revisit The Conversation, one of those movies I saw a long time ago and have most likely seen once or twice, so I think I'm at the right time to go back to it and watch it with new eyes. I really miss those films, their magnificent casts, scripts, music, photography. It is the existence of these films that keeps my interest in cinema alive today. Current cinema is far from interesting to me. Nothing like continuing to discover ancient gems made in lost times where magic, chance and perseverance created masterful combinations, not only masterpieces but great films.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Thanks, Mario! This was video was a genuine labor of love. I think you'll be absolutely spellbound revisiting The Conversation. As far as Megalopolis goes, if it is better than Jack, then I can live it. Dying to see it.

Thank you for this.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

The thanks goes to you for listening to me stutter and ramble about my admiration for FFC!

You mentioned discovering new talent with the S.E. Hinton adaptations, and that was true for more than the actors. Coppola asked Stewart Copeland (drummer for The Police) to do the soundtrack for Rumble Fish. Copeland talks very openly - and gratefully - about Coppola giving him the chance to go in a direction that he never dreamed of going (film/television music composing). Film scoring, opera, collaborations with other epic band members from the 70's and 80's. The list of Copeland's accomplishments goes on and on, and continues today, and all because Coppola gave him that chance.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Good call and thanks for the heads up! I was totally oblivious about Copeland's role on the flick.

@bethsheetz2271

2 ай бұрын

@@geekinwithJamesHancock I appreciate that you didn't care for the musical choices in Rumble Fish. I'm a massive fan of The Police and its individual members. Stewart Copeland said he knew less-than-zero about film scoring when Coppola reached out to him (hot off the end of The Police). In retrospect, SC wasn't happy with what he did on Rumble Fish and learned from his mistakes. Check out the score for the mid-to-late 80's television show The Equalizer to experience where Copeland was happy - and so was everyone else.

What Coppola achieved in the 70's is simply unbelievable. My top 5 Coppola movies: 5. Rumble Fish 4. The Conversation 3. The Godfather: Part II 2. The Godfather 1. Apocalypse Now Let's hope Megalopolis will be the biggest comeback in cinema history.

@JasonOrtiz-ye1do

2 ай бұрын

C'mon... where's Captain EO? You know how much you loved that movie!😂

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

@@JasonOrtiz-ye1do Just saw it for the first time. In spite of living through the Eighties, I always forget just how strange that decade could be.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Agreed. He's one of the main architects behind making the Seventies into a true golden age of great movies.

@JasonOrtiz-ye1do

2 ай бұрын

@@geekinwithJamesHancock Ahh....the 80s. A decade truly "CO" -piloted by "CAINE."

Thank you! This was a brilliant retrospective 👏 My Top 5: 5) Dracula 4) Conversation 3) Godfather Part II 2) Godfather 1) APOCALYPSE NOW! 🎞📽🎬

@lovecraft7676

2 ай бұрын

Nice! Looks like we have very similar taste in Coppola’s work.

Bravo! Nicely done.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Many thanks! I haven't done nearly as many filmography videos as I should, but the goal is to crank out a lot more of this kind of content in the future.

@SEAKPhotog

2 ай бұрын

@geekinwithJamesHancock That'd be very cool. I always learn something new and find movies I haven't seen that sound worthwhile. Your efforts are appreciated!

Great job here James. Have you seen the series from a few years ago The Offer? Its about the making of the godfather its a brilliant show.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

I hear that Matthew Goode is astonishing as Robert Evans, but I much prefer to listen to the audiobook 'The Kid Stays In the Picture' where I can hear about the making of 'The Godfather' in his own words. I think I'm a little too attached and a little too psycho to watch a dramatized version.

After seeing this last night, I fired up The Conversation today for the first time. Enjoyed it. Then I put on Captain EO which I haven't seen since the 80s at Disney. I'm confused yet hopeful.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Captain Eo is definitely one of those experiences I wish I had had at age 10 instead of 47.

Well this should make my first 2 hours of work a little better. I think JLo in Jack is what seeded my immense interest in latinas. So much so I married and had two daughters with one.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Very nice! She definitely prevented me to turning off the movie in protest.

Wow, I just watched The Godfather for the second time after only seeing it as a teenage girl. Also, my husband's first watch. Apocalypse Now still holds the number one spot for me. While I was spellbound throughout and heartbroken by the end of The Godfather. Apocalypse Now really brought me into the heart of darkness in a way that is just more impactful for me. Plus, I'm a sucker for a psychedelic movie. I agree about the expanded version. Not only because of the reasons you described, but the time spent at the house added nothing to the film imo other than what felt like a good bit of runtime.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

I am very jealous of your hubby getting to enjoy The Godfather for the first time. And high five to you as a fellow lover of the theatrical cut of Apocalypse Now!

Question, what do you think of Patton? Francis Ford Coppola wrote the script and won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay

@lovecraft7676

2 ай бұрын

Great script and definitely saved him from getting fired on The Godfather when he won an Oscar a few weeks into the shoot.

James, that's an excellent video! I've learnt so much more about Coppola and realise how many of his movies I haven't seen. Can't disagree with your top 4, even if I would have a different order. Glad you've ranked The Conversation so high. I saw it for the second time recently and got so much more from it ... time for a third viewing methinks. Completely agree with you on Apocalypse Now Redux; I rewatched that yesterday and both the 2nd bunny sequence and the French plantation sequence are best left on the cutting room floor. Actually, the latter makes some interesting points, but the acting isn't the best and ... clean sheets in AN? ... I don’t think so! Have you read Notes on the Making of Apocalypse Now by Eleanor Coppola? A companion piece to Hearts of Darkness but with enough added detail to make it worthwhile. Anyway ... keep up the good work ...Onwards and Upwards!

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

I have not read Notes on the Making of Apocalypse Now but it sounds right up my alley. Many thanks for the kind words about the video and right back at you, "Onwards and upwards!"

To add to your comments about Citizen Kane. I showed my wife the movie a few years ago and I said this is the film that many consider the greatest movie ever made. She saw it and was like “it is like every other movie I’ve ever seen!” that’s absolutely right you can see the best movies from the 1930s and then look at the best movies from the 1950s and the dividing line is Citizen Kane, I don’t think it’s the greatest movie ever made but I don’t think anybody could say it’s not the most important or influential film ever made.

Great summary James, and I agree with most of your rankings. It's funny re Dracula as I have a lot of the same feelings about that movie....I loved it at the time and watched it multiple times around it's release in theatres/on-video, however, I gotta say that I really can't watch it now due to the really horrendous over-acting. Not only is Reeves absolutely brutally inept/mis-cast, both Hopkins AND Oldman seemingly take turns in trying to see who can go more over the top. Honestly, there are just too many cringe-worthy scenes to mention for all three actors. It is unfortunate, as there is so much to like with the film. I get why Coppola cast them all as they were all red-hot at the time and were guaranteed to sell tickets (and did obviously) but shame on Coppola for not reigning them in and providing more control over their performances.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Dracula is definitely one of the most wildly, uneven successful horror films that I've ever seen. It's such a mess in so many ways, but I never tire of the intoxicating eroticism underlying so much of the flick. Thanks for taking the time to check out my video!

Let’s have a conversation about The Conversation.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

Lol, always a good idea.

1. The Godfather II 2. The Godfather 3. Apocalypse Now 4. The Conversation 5. The Outsiders 6. The Godfather Part 3 7. Bram Stokers Dracula Need to rewatch the others.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

Ай бұрын

All excellent choices

my fave coppollas are: Apocalypse Now One From the Heart The Terror The Conversation

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

I'm a recent convert to One From the Heart. Teri Garr is such an angel.

I strongly disagree with the statement that "Apocalypse Now" has no ending. Not only does it have an ending, it's also a satisfying one, in fact a logical conclusion, a destination towards which the whole film was moving (or rather being sucked into). It's not the chaotic production or the improvisations that count but what's on the screen.

One question never answered in Godfather lore: why was Hyman Roth willing to pay the amount of $4 million, in particular, for him to be able to piss without it hurting? Would another million have been a dealbreaker such that Roth would be willing to spend the rest of his days with a painful pisser? Or would he seek to make a deal?

I always appreciated the 'extra footage included' feature and thought it's another privileged glimpse into the director's mind. But when you mentioned the plantation scene in AN Redux i agreed.It was a distraction and did take away from the flow of the movie. The bunnies scene I cannot disparage because, well they're bunnies and I'm a healthy het male.My Number 1# is A Now(not redux).

When are you doing Wrong Reel?

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

After WR666, I decided to take a hiatus from the audio only format and focus on videos where I earn more ad revenue. But if I ever find a briefcase full of cash in a taxicab, Wrong Reel will make its triumphant return.

Best director oat. The godfather 2 is the best film ever made. Al's. Performance is the greatest oat.

@lovecraft7676

2 ай бұрын

I spent many happy hours back in college watching Part II on repeat.

It was a work for hire, and he took over the dance direction himself after he fired the choreographer, but Petula is a nice singer, though most musicals were big and bloated in the late 1960s. Blame "The Sound of Music". And as I am sure you know "Tucker" started out as a musical, Leonard Bernstein and Adolph Green and Betty Comden started writing songs for it, but that idea was dropped pretty early on.

I agree with James aged 20-40. That said I'm 36! Coppola did miraculous work on The Godfather but the basic arc is too mainstream and formulaic for my personal taste, although at the same time that is the success of the film, a wonderful blockbuster experience. But let's be honest the Puzo book is total trash, unreadable and embarrasing, a total slog to get through. Definetely not one to read in a cafe or on the train in righful fear of rightful public shaming. Coppola manages to take such awful material and turn it into operatic entertainment. Part II expands on this and offers a far more intelligent emotional gut punch. Also as iconic as Brando is it's nowhere near his best work, the nuance and subetely that made him brilliant is all gone by this point despite some of his excellent work done in the doldrums of his career in the '60s. Cimino's The Sicilian proves how much work Coppola put into adapting Puzo, The Sicilian is unwatchably bad. Coppola may have done some stinkers but they are never anything other than interesting (maybe Jack aside) it takes a genius to offer such highs and such lows. I don't hold much hope for Megaopolis considering his latest workbut there's no doubt I'm rather curious, it may be another flawed masterpiece but if it's a car crash it will be one you won't be able to avert your eyes from.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

It's hilarious hearing FFC in his commentary track discussing some of the sleazier elements of the book. I don't them mind as much but I'm blown away by FFC's ability to identify the spine of the story that he wanted to tell, and then extract it, polish it, and make it shine. Brilliant screenwriter.

You totally ignored the fact that Mickey Rourke was in Rumble Fish he played Matt Dillon's older brother The Motorcycle Boy you didn't talk about him acting or anything. If I didn't know Rumble Fish I wouldn't know that Mickey Rourke was in this film... I was hoping you say something about Mickey Rourke but you didn't even say his name when saying the actors names. Damn.

@tjk3430

2 ай бұрын

#15 The Rainmaker, #7 Rumblefish, he mentions Mickey Rourke in both.

@travisgray8376

2 ай бұрын

​@@tjk3430he didn't mention Rourke when talking about Rumble Fish

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

I did mention Rourke at the 01:03:41 mark but the reason I didn't elaborate more on his role is that I don't like his performance in this. I love him in Diner, Angel Heart, the Pope of Greenwich Village, and many more but there's something about his whispering in this that keeps me at arm's length.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

@@tjk3430 Ty sir! I do tend to stutter and mumble when I get too excited so sometimes I slur my way through names. My grandfather used to call me "Mumbles" and didn't mean it as a complement, lol.

@geekinwithJamesHancock

2 ай бұрын

@@travisgray8376 I did mention Rourke at the 01:03:41 mark