Customer Reviews

Whom God Wishes to Destroy . . .: Francis Coppola and the New Hollywood

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There's a much bigger story about Francis Coppola that's hinted at in this book.

This look at Coppola chooses to focus on the 1980's, far past his early years and only glancing at his zenith in the 1970's with THE GODFATHER films and APOCALYPSE NOW. An interesting choice, but the book oddly tries to defend Coppola's films during that period, films--to be honest--that have largely been forgotten. I have never seen ONE FROM THE HEART but read all the hype and ink about it when it was released. It was a disaster. And, to me, the entire production reeked of ego: why would you spend a fortune rebuilding Las Vegas on a soundstage just to have one simple credit that no one will any attention to? FILMED AT ZOETROPE STUDIOS? If the movie doesn't work--and apparently, it didn't--then why indulge in such ungodly excesses?

The book then discusses the fiasco that was THE COTTON CLUB. It sounded like pure chaos. And Coppola gets involved in the production...and spends incredible sums of cash on as much as possible.

As the book reaches THE GODFATHER, PART III, it feels rushed and confusing. Early on, the author defends Coppola's unsuccessful 80's films but says nothing to make me reconsider my initial disappointment with them. "Maybe if the studio had marketed the film better" is not a solid, game-changing defense.

I think there's a great Hollywood story in Francis Coppola...but it's probably not what a fan would want to hear. And it's not for an author enamored with Coppola to tell.

I read this book as part of research I was doing on movies and culture. Most of the books were dry as a desert mummy and required a lot of fortitude and tenacity to read. This book, however, was composed well. Before I knew it, I had read the first three chapters. It's well-researched, thrilling to read, insightful, and probably has the best portrayal of what it takes to put together a multi-million-dollar movie - a process that remains largely hidden from the public at large. Films are too influential in our culture; it's a healthy dose of realism to know that a writer who wrote about truth, honesty and love had his/her script picked up by people who didn't possess any of those things. It's hard to hold honor over several mil - but it makes for great storytelling!

This is a true exposure of the battles that raged between studios and autuers in the 60's-70's. By using one of the most notable of the autuers of the time, Lewis, paints an indepth and at the same time entertaining look at the workings of film making.

The apparently antagonistic roles that the director and the financiers play in Hollywood is adeptly broken down by Lewis in this book. Lewis demonstrates how power, money and name interact in Hollywood and how Coppola, disregarding certain aspects of it, went up against an institution -- and failed.