The Life and Career of Francis Ford Coppola: From The Godfather to Megalopolis

Francis Ford Coppola is a legendary American filmmaker whose career has spanned decades and brought audiences some of the most iconic and beloved movies of all time. He was born on April 7, 1939, in Queens, New York, to Carmine Coppola, a composer, and Maria Coppola. Coppola's interest in filmmaking dates back to his childhood when he was confined to his room due to contracting polio at the age of eight. He found solace in inventing gadgets and became a tinkerer.

After graduating from UCLA Film School, he co-founded American Zoetrope with his friend and fellow filmmaker, George Lucas. His breakthrough came with the release of The Godfather in 1972, which he directed, produced, and co-wrote. This was followed by the critically acclaimed The Godfather: Part II and other successful films such as The Conversation and Apocalypse Now. Throughout his career, Coppola has won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture for The Godfather: Part II and Best Director for The Godfather.

Despite his impressive filmography, Coppola has faced challenges in recent years in securing distribution for his films. An example is the futuristic drama, Megalopolis, which even with Coppola's credentials, distributors found "no way to position" the film. In an interview with Empire, Coppola acknowledged his past successes but still found it challenging to find distribution for his film.

"I realize that I've made a mark and some people think I'm a very important film director," he said. "I've certainly made a handful of films that are going to be around for a while." This has not stopped him from continuing to create films, such as Youth Without Youth, which was released in 2007, and Tetro, which was released in 2009. Both films were met with mixed reviews.

Coppola's recent attempt to distribute his film, Megalopolis, is just one example of the challenges filmmakers face in today's market. This underscores the importance of having a strong marketing strategy and a clear positioning for a film, even for acclaimed and influential directors like Coppola.

His other films include Dementia 13 (1963), You're a Big Boy Now (1966), Finian's Rainbow (1968), The Rain People (1969), The Cotton Club (1984), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), and more.

Here are all of Coppola's movies, ranked from worst to best using Rotten Tomatoes' critical approval scores. All rankings are out of his 39 directed films.

#22. Jack (1996) Score: 17%

#21. Twixt (2011) Score: 30%

#20. Youth Without Youth (2007) Score: 33%

#19. Gardens of Stone (1987) Score: 44%

#18. One from the Heart (1982) Score: 51%

#17. Finian's Rainbow (1968) Score: 53%

#16. The Godfather Part III (1990) Score: 66%

#15. Dementia 13 (1963) Score: 69%

#14. The Outsiders (1983) Score: 70%

#13. Tetro (2009) Score: 72%

#12. Rumble Fish (1983) Score: 73%

#11. The Cotton Club (1984) Score: 76%

#10. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) Score: 78%

#9. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) Score: 80%

#8. The Rainmaker (1997) Score: 82%

#7. Youth Without Youth (2007) Score: 83%

#6. The Conversation (1974) Score: 85%

#5. Apocalypse Now (1979) Score: 87%

#4. The Godfather: Part II (1974) Score: 88%

#3. The Godfather (1972) Score: 90%

#2. One from the Heart (1982) Score: 92%

#1. The Godfather: Part III (1990) Score: 96%

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