What saved your vineyard?
new filmmaker in their career, which is what we did
Well, a couple of friends did come to my aid. After
with one another.
Star Wars came out, George Lucas, who was like my kid brother, said he would buy my Napa property
There’s a brilliant documentary, Hearts of
and hold it for 10 years and allow me to buy it back
Darkness, about the making of that film. Your
at the same price, which was the most generous
wife Eleanor co-directed it and appears in
thing a person could do for me.
it, and her belief in your artistic vision was
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
It turned out that Apocalypse didn’t get into
unwavering. How important has that been to
financial trouble after all. It opened respectably and
leading this risk-taking maverick movie life?
then it never stopped. What happened is that the
I’ve been married 56 years, and although there
audience kept going and going and going, and, over
probably wasn’t one year where we didn’t talk about
differently, but the first time, they all said it was
time, we began to realize that the picture was going
getting divorced—which any honest marriage would
too long, and I was this scared kid. Now, often
to actually make its money back. On the strength of
admit—the truth of the matter was she witnessed,
when a movie is too long, taking out time doesn’t
the Cannes award, it did very well in France and in
by my side, some pretty extraordinary things. When
necessary help, and sometimes putting more back
other countries. So what saved me in the end was
I was in Hollywood pursuing my original career to try
makes it feel less long to the audience because
the picture itself.
to be a screenwriter I didn’t have any connections,
they understand it better. But I was scared, so I said,
no family who were in the movie business then. I
“We’d better shorten it,” and we did it as much as
This was gracious of George Lucas, but I heard
had no money whatsoever. Whatever happened to
we knew how to when everyone said it was really
that when the Universal hierarchy hated
me started from zero, and she was married to me
weird. “It’s not like those big war movies,” they said.
American Graffiti, wasn’t it you who offered to
at that time. She shared the astonishment that
I said, “But the Vietnam War wasn’t like those kind
buy them out?
I actually was making progress as a professional
of previous World War II movies.” Whereas war
I was astonished; we previewed the picture
screenwriter at first, and ultimately as a filmmaker.
films usually had a New York sensibility—there was
and Universal had an executive there who said,
always a guy from Brooklyn, or Nick Conti played a
“We’re very worried and we want some changes.”
What was the biggest disagreement you had
G.I.—Vietnam was a Californian war. It was surfers
I remember what I said to him, and this is pretty
with her as you bet on yourself at such high
and drugs and rock’n’roll and The Doors.
verbatim. I said, “You ought to get on your knees
financial risk?
and thank this young man for what he did for your
That was never a point of conflict. She never
Vietnam War, but it took so long to cut that Deer
studio.” Furthermore, I offered to buy it from them
wavered in her support of me and my career. I was
Hunter came out before us.
for what it cost, which was $700,000 dollars. I
very lucky. At one time we did go into bankruptcy,
had just made The Godfather, so I could borrow
but it was, ironically, not over Apocalypse Now. It
Did coming out second in the marketplace,
$700,000. Of course, they didn’t accept my offer. I
was One from the Heart, where we once again did
after The Deer Hunter, help or hurt you?
wish they had.
a workout with the bank—it was determined that
Honestly, I don’t know the answer to that question.
I had to pay them back some $25 million. George
The Deer Hunter not only came out but won the
You just celebrated your 80th birthday, and
again offered real help in the way I discussed. But I
Oscar, and, of course, I was the one who presented
George and Marty Scorsese were there. This
made the deal with the bank and I did 10 pictures
it to Michael Cimino. I liked Michael Cimino very
support group—and we need to throw Steven
in 10 or 12 years that paid off the debt. With Bram
much and I was happy for him, but I didn’t know
Spielberg in there as well—what did they mean
Stoker’s Dracula I think we even were in excess of
what awaited me because my film didn’t come
to you?
what I had owed because that film was financially
out for another year. The film that won at the
We really admired each other, but more than
successful. So I went to my wife and said, “You’ve
Oscars our year was Kramer vs. Kramer, which was
that we liked each other. They were all younger
been such a supportive wife. I’ve managed to put
wonderful in that it introduced Meryl Streep, but it
than me, so I was the first one who actually had a
together $10 million. Here it is. Buy an annuity so
was a more conventional movie.
professional career. It was a screenwriting career,
that you never will have to go through this thing
but I was working for the studios and they were still,
where they’re closing the grocery store accounts.”
That must have been awkward: you were
some of them, in film school. George was five years
See, I never had corporations protecting me, any of
presenting because you’d won the previous
younger and Marty is about the same. Steven’s even
that stuff. She said, “Thank you, it’s been rough, but
year for The Godfather, not knowing if following
younger still. They were students. Marty had already
I really appreciate that you have done this.”
that staggering movie was going to hurt yours.
Apocalypse was the first movie to tackle the
Was it a mixed feeling for you?
made Who’s That Knocking at My Door, but he was A generous gesture.
Well, it got further complicated by the fact that,
Then, a week later, I learned that I could buy the
before I gave the award, I improvised a little
for one another. Maybe it’s because I had come
other half of the Inglenook Winery estate. I went
statement that was ridiculed at the time. I said
from theater, where you’re a company, and that
to her and I said, “Give me back that money,” and I
the cinema was going to be changed completely
means a certain social togetherness. You go to
bought that. But that turned out to be one of the
by a new technology that would involve digital
rehearsals and have coffee together. One thing
better investments I ever made in my life. To be
and satellites and electronics, which would
I had contributed to that group was my theater
honest with you, I made more money in the wine
forever change the face of the cinema. People
tradition, which meant that we were all friends and
business than I did in the film business. But I made
were laughing and saying, “What is he smoking?”
we were all a group and helped one another. Those
it with money that I had earned in the film business.
Everything that I said in that statement came true.
also teaching at NYU. There was a real friendship; a mutual respect
filmmakers went on to do the same. I mean, Steven
Now it is used as my prescience, but the truth is I
Spielberg mentored and sponsored three to five
You recut and re-released Apocalypse Now
was very embarrassed by that off-the-cuff thing I
filmmakers in his extraordinary career. The tradition
once before. Why have you done it again?
just threw in.
of American filmmakers was to pick an associate,
So what happened with Apocalypse is, they said
or someone they thought was talented, and help a
it was too long. Now that I’m 80, I see a lot of this
I remember Ali MacGraw was the co-presenter and she was looking at me with an astonished look D E A D L I N E .C O M / AWA R D S L I N E
31