Francis Ford Coppola and The Godfather (1972)

Francis Ford Coppola Born in Detroit, MI. Named after Henry Ford and born in Henry Ford Hospital. Grew up in NYC.

One of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers The Godfather escalated his fame and won him his second Academy Award. Part II was even more acclaimed -- first sequal to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Trademarks Often casts his own family. Watch for his style: Color and lighting use of music editing style storytelling techniques subject matter

The Godfather A: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall Based on a novel by Mario Puzo. Set in Post WWII New York.

Awards AA for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay #2 on AFI list, #2 on IMDB Greatly respected by critics and continuously listed as one of the best films ever made. Was the highest grossing film ever until Jaws surpassed it in 1975

The Godfather Unique in that it presents the mafia as a response to a corrupt society rather than simply as pointlessly violent thugs. Coppola didn’t want to make it - concerned about depicting Italian Americans in a poor light (Jersey Shore) but changed his mind after deciding to make the film a metaphor for American capitalism. (Watch for that…)

Gore Film company kept complaining that the film wasn’t violent enough… so Coppola had to add a few scenes to appease them Severed horse head was a real head. Animal rights groups flipped out, but Coppola defended that it came from a dog food company, that they didn’t kill it for the film.

Cast Family Sofia Coppola, Francis’s daughter, played the infant son of Michael Francis’s sister played the part of Connie.

ORANGE RHYMING DICTIONARY (J2B!) Oranges (as well as the color orange) used symbolically in the film What will always happen after Orange is a dominant in the shot?!