SCFZ

Polling the films of director Francis Ford Coppola

The rules:

- your list can include no more than half of the Coppola films you've seen, up to a maximum of 5. So if you've seen seven of his films, for example, you can list only a top 3. It's only if you've seen ten or more of his films than you can list the maximum of five.

- i'll assume ballots are ranked unless you tell me otherwise. unranked ballots are fine.

- deadline for ballots: next Tuesday, in seven days, whatever day that is

- if anyone is watching films for these polls, then i'll extend the deadline three days, if someone requests an extension

- next poll: whoever posts the first ballot in this thread is free to nominate the director we poll next, unless you've nominated in this round already (everyone should get a chance). Already nominated this round: wba, greg x, ofrene, greennui, evelyn, bure, mesnalty, umbugbene, roscoe, st gloede, brian d

umbugbene created an index on letterboxd of all of our previous polls here: letterboxd.com/umbugbene/list/index-of-all-scfz-director-polls/

one rule for nominees: at least 3 scfzers need to have seen 10+ of a nominee's films, or at least 4 scfzers need to have seen at least 8 of the nom's films, so if it isn't clear if that will be the case, we'll confirm that's true before moving forward

if 24 hours pass after a poll opens, and no one eligible to nominate has posted a ballot, then i'll nominate someone, and then we'll start over, and everyone will be able to nominate again

The Conversation
Dementia 13
Apocalypse Now
The Godfather II
The Godfather


seen 14, the appearance of the godfather etc on my ballot is not an indication of how much i like those films but of how much i dislike most other coppola films i've seen. i've probably given more 1-star ratings on letterboxd to coppola movies than to movies of any other well-known director.

01. The Godfather (1972)
02. Dracula (1992)
03. The Conversation (1974)
04. Captain EO (1986)

Coppola seen: 8

The Conversation
Apocalypse Now
bram stoker’s dracula

Seen 12 :
1. The Godfather (1972)
2. Apocalypse Now (1979)
3. The Godfather Part II (1974)
4. The Conversation (1974)
5. The Godfather Part III (1990)
Difficult to believe same director has created "Godfather" and Jack (1996).

Seen 10

The Godfather
The Godfather: Part II
The Conversation
Rumble Fish
Tucker: The Man and His Dream

Absolute worst: Captain EO

seen 7

bram stoker’s dracula
the conversation
apocalypse now

1. Rumble Fish
2. Tetro
3. One from the Heart
4. Twixt
5. The Outsiders

1. THE GODFATHER II
2. THE GODFATHER
3. APOCALYPSE NOW
4. THE CONVERSATION
5. B. STOKER'S DRACULA

And when I list APOCALYPSE NOW, I mean the Original Release Cut of APOCALYPSE NOW, not the unfortunate REDUX version. I'm seeing that new Final Cut thing of APOCALYPSE NOW this week, we'll see. The top 4 are pretty well in stone, that fifth place spot might change. And it might not. COTTON CLUB? Hmmmm. If only he'd hired an actor instead of Richard Gere.

Absolute worst -- yeah, CAPTAIN EO is an embarrassment to the art of the cinema, but it's a theme park attraction, no more, I wouldn't even count it as a film. I was far more appalled by the horrific nightmare known as LIFE WITHOUT ZOE.

Roscoe wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13, 2019 12:58 pm
Absolute worst -- yeah, CAPTAIN EO is an embarrassment to the art of the cinema, but it's a theme park attraction, no more, I wouldn't even count it as a film. I was far more appalled by the horrific nightmare known as LIFE WITHOUT ZOE.

Nah, it's one of the great 3D films.

Seen 20

1. The Conversation

youth without youth
apocalypse now
the godfather: part II
twixt

Seen 6 - dislike all, so no votes here, though there are assuredly things to appreciate about his high-production-values 70s films.

wba wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13, 2019 1:19 pm

Roscoe wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13, 2019 12:58 pm
Absolute worst -- yeah, CAPTAIN EO is an embarrassment to the art of the cinema, but it's a theme park attraction, no more, I wouldn't even count it as a film. I was far more appalled by the horrific nightmare known as LIFE WITHOUT ZOE.

Nah, it's one of the great 3D films.

We saw it at trip to Disney World (don't judge) a few years back -- the 3D has not stood the test of time. Like at all. More like COMIN' AT YA! than DIAL M FOR MURDER. Cheap cheesy and bad, and all in the very worst ways. Audiences were audibly grumbling on the way out.

The Conversation
The Rain People
Gardens of Stone
Peggy Sue Got Married
Apocalypse Now

Such a weird director, or alternatively weird and mundane director. He sometimes gets excellent performances, sometimes totally forgettable ones, and the occasional what the heck was that. He's had overblown image laden spectacles and drab workman like studio work. His themes sometimes come across as deeply personal, if still cliched, and sometimes "big", if still cliched, and sometimes miraculously not all that cliched. One would almost think Coppola had always been more a small studio of directors than one guy in someways, but then when you step back a bit, the totality of the work somehow does start to feel more like it does make sense as one guy trying whatever might work that could read as "important", with some occasional success.

Seen 5

The Godfather
Dracula

The Conversation

It's been a long time since I've seen it, but from what I remember, it's a near perfect film.

the rain people
rumble fish
dracula
tetro
the godfather

*seen eleven

Only one other person voted for One From the Heart so far? I think anyone who enjoys his ambitious and artistic side, which this was the first true example of, will love it.

Anyhow, seen 19:

One From the Heart
The Godfather, Part II
The Godfather
The Conversation
Youth Without Youth

one from the heart
bram stoker's dracula
youth without youth
tetro
peggy sue got married

hard to explain just how gorgeous that restoration print of one from the heart really is

seen 8

The Godfather, Part 2
The Conversation
Apocalypse Now
The Godfather

haven't found much interest except for famous 70s stuff (still need to see One From the Heart, though)

Seen 6

Godfather
Godfather 2
Apocalypse now

Oh, so glad we got this going, and that I happened to check in to SCFZ after some time away on this poll.

1. Twixt
2. Rumble Fish
3. Apocalypse Now
4. Tetro
5. Peggy Sue Got Married

p.s. well, i think he's rather wonderful - one of the best, even - and have a rather major blindspot in one from the heart..

See it! nrh is right: It is almost impossible to describe just how beautiful it is.

Meh, beautiful, in a way, it is, (I saw it on the big screen back in the day), but not a lot there beyond the usual cliches of yearning. Frederick Forrest has virtually no screen presence at all and Nastassja Kinski is used, as she almost always is, as a largely blank figure of male projection. It's about on par with movies like Moon in the Gutter or Saawariya for what it's worth, at least in my book.

Roscoe wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13, 2019 3:16 pm

wba wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13, 2019 1:19 pm

Roscoe wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13, 2019 12:58 pm
Absolute worst -- yeah, CAPTAIN EO is an embarrassment to the art of the cinema, but it's a theme park attraction, no more, I wouldn't even count it as a film. I was far more appalled by the horrific nightmare known as LIFE WITHOUT ZOE.

Nah, it's one of the great 3D films.

We saw it at trip to Disney World (don't judge) a few years back -- the 3D has not stood the test of time. Like at all. More like COMIN' AT YA! than DIAL M FOR MURDER. Cheap cheesy and bad, and all in the very worst ways. Audiences were audibly grumbling on the way out.

Yeah, I also saw it at Disney World (in Paris), and I thought it has a wonderful use of 3D. As I think COMIN AT YA is a masterpiece and has maybe the best use of 3D I know, I guess we'll have to disagree on that one.

wba wrote: ↑Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:40 am Yeah, I also saw (CAPTAIN EO at Disney World (in Paris), and I thought it has a wonderful use of 3D. As I think COMIN AT YA is a masterpiece and has maybe the best use of 3D I know, I guess we'll have to disagree on that one.

Maybe they had a better print at Disney Paris. It just looked like shit in Orlando. Folks were audibly unimpressed, heard to say, "they got rid of HONEY I SHRUNK THE AUDIENCE for this?" Looks like we'll have to disagree about CAY, yeah.

Seen 14.

1. The Godfather
2. Dracula
3. The Conversation
4. The Godfather: Part II
5. Apocalypse Now

Worst: Jack

kanafani wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13, 2019 11:16 am The Conversation
Apocalypse Now
bram stoker’s dracula

kanafani, you can pick our next director if you want!