These Francis Ford Coppola films have aged as well as his wine

The Oscar-winning director-producer-screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola is considered one of the greatest living directors. Since his passion project, megalopolis, hit theaters earlier this fall, the time is ripe to explore the films that made Coppola a legend.

Francis Ford Coppola made his directorial debut with the 1963 black-and-white sci-fi horror film Dementia 13. He went on to define the New Hollywood era with landmark films such as The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, The Outsidersand Rumble fish. Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula considered a gothic masterpiece, which many find superior to the 1931 classic starring Bela Lugosi.

Coppola sold part of his vineyard to help finance the production of the sci-fi drama Megalopolis starring Adam Driver. To celebrate his lifetime of work, watch the best films from this iconic director.

Dementia 13 (1963)

Francis Ford Coppola made his directorial debut with Dementia 13a black-and-white horror film produced by Roger Corman and starring William Campbell. Set in a secluded Irish castle, Dementia 13 is about a scheming widow who gets caught up in a series of mysterious murders while trying to cover up her husband’s death.

Critics praised Coppola’s interesting camerawork and shocking ending, but criticized his screenplay, which some say felt rushed. Yet Coppola’s practice here of creating a convincing gothic atmosphere helped him decades later when he was making Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The Godfather (1972)

Coppola’s epic crime The Godfather is based on Mario Puzo’s novel. The film follows the Corleone crime family led by Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) and his son Michael’s (Al Pacino) rise to mafia boss between 1945 and 1955.

The Godfather is considered one of the greatest films ever made and has had an incalculable influence on pop culture to this day, despite being over half a century old. There would be no films such as Goodfellas or shows such as The sopranos without the Corleone trilogy that began with the godfather, which won three Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Conversation (1974)

Between the first two Godfather installment, Francis Ford Coppola wrote and directed the mystery thriller the conversation, with Gene Hackman, John Cazale and a pre-Star Wars Harrison Ford. Hackman plays a wiretapping expert whose recordings reveal a possible murder.

The conversation rarely enters conversations about Coppola’s filmography because it was Coppola’s next film after the godfather, and they just couldn’t escape the long shadow of the landmark film. The critically acclaimed neo-noir The conversation creates a level of suspense and paranoia that is hard to pull off, even today.

The conversation was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

The Godfather Part II (1974)

The second part of The Godfather the trilogy features two parallel stories: a prequel featuring a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) establishing the family business in New York City and a follow-up to The Godfather following Michael (Al Pacino) as the new don in the Corleone crime family.

When people argue about the inferiority of sequels like the characters did in the meta slasher Scream 2, The Godfather Part II always comes up as a remarkable sequel that is even better than the original. Not only did it become the first sequel to win a Best Picture Oscar, Coppola also won Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for the Italian-American epic.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Coppola’s Vietnam War epic Apocalypse now follows Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) who travels from South Vietnam to Cambodia on a mission to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who is accused of murder and has gone insane.

Although it received mixed reviews at the time of its release, Apocalypse now is now considered a masterpiece and one of the best films about the Vietnam War. The iconic scene of flying helicopters in at the dawn of a napalm strike has influenced countless other filmmakers in films as diverse as King: Skull Island and The Exorcist III.

Apocalypse now won two Oscars: Best Picture and Best Sound.

The Outsiders (1983)

Set in 1965, coming-of-age drama The outsiders focuses on two rival gangs: the Socs and the Greasers. Coppola casts a number of up-and-coming young stars for his youth classic, including Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio and Rob Lowe.

Andrew McCarthy’s documentary Brats generated quite a bit of buzz this year, and several actors considered part of the 1980s Brat Pack got their big breaks in The outsiders. Coppola’s film adaptation of the 1967 novel of the same name by SE Hinton developed a cult following and spawned a 1990 television sequel series and a 2023 stage musical.

Rumble Fish (1983)

Speaking of author SE Hinton, Francis Ford Coppola adapted yet another of the author’s books, the 1975 Rumble fishthe same year Coppola adapted The outsiders. Rumble fish stars Mickey Rourke as a former gang leader called Motorcycle Boy who tries to live a more peaceful life and Matt Dillon as his younger brother who strives to be like the old Motorcycle Boy.

Rumble fish was shot on stark black-and-white film, giving it an almost German Expressionist feel. When asked an interview about which of her father’s films is her favorite, quoted Sofia Coppola Rumble fishand said she loved that it was “an art film about teenagers.”

Although it was too avant-garde to become a box office hit in the early MTV era, Rumble fish is worth revisiting now to see how Coppola had the courage to make a boldly original film, unlike the other films of its time.

The Cotton Club (1984)

Set in the titular Harlem jazz venue in the 1930s, The Cotton Club stars Richard Gere as a musician who associates with gangsters to advance his career. When he falls for a kingpin’s girlfriend (Diane Lane), the musician’s sour tone incites gang violence.

The Cotton Club was nominated for two Oscars and its soundtrack won a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band. The film bombed at the box office, but years later Coppola found one Betamax copy of The Cotton Club with 25 minutes of extra footage. The director spent $500,000 of his own money to restore the footage and release it The Cotton Club: Encorenow available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

The fantasy comedy-drama Peggy Sue got married stars Kathleen Turner as a soon-to-be-divorced woman who is magically transported back to her senior prom in 1960. Nicolas Cage stars as Charlie, Peggy Sue’s high school boyfriend turned estranged husband.

Peggy Sue got married targets nostalgic baby boomers trying to navigate the 1980s while struggling to hold on to their roots. A refreshing departure from the violence and heavy atmosphere of most of Coppola’s oeuvre, Peggy Sue got married received three Oscar nominations and did well at the ticket office.

The Godfather Part III (1990)

The last chapter of The Godfather the trilogy follows Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in 1979 as he tries to legitimize his businesses and cement his legacy for his children, including his daughter, Mary (Sofia Coppola).

Critics criticized Francis Ford Coppola for casting his daughter, Sofia, in the critical role of Mary Corleone after Winona Ryder had to drop out. Although Sofia’s amateurish performance prevented The Godfather Part III from reaching the heights of its predecessors, the film successfully concludes the story of Michael Corleone and was still nominated for seven Oscars.

Francis Ford Coppola released a recut version with the title The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone in 2020 it won over more critics than the original theatrical release.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 gothic horror masterpiece merges the legend of Vlad the Impaler with Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The film stars Gary Oldman as Dracula, Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, Winona Ryder as Mina Murray and Anthony Hopkins as the vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing.

Although more of a reinterpretation of the 1931s Dracula starring Bela Lugosi than an outright remake, Bram Stoker’s Dracula introduced a new generation to the classic vampire story. The haunting scene where Lucy the Vampire (Sadie Frost) descending into a crypt with a child on her is one of the most beautiful gothic moments captured on film in history. Coppola also deserves credit for insisting on using old-school special effects and ingenious camera tricks instead of CGI.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula won several Oscars, including Best Costume Design and Best Makeup.

The Rainmaker (1997)

In this legal drama based on the John Grisham novel of the same name, Matt Damon plays a rookie lawyer who takes on the case of a terminally ill man who is denied coverage by a terrifyingly powerful insurance company.

Critics praised Francis Ford Coppola for directing one of the best John Grisham adaptations with The rainmaker. After the film’s release, Coppola said that he kind of retired from being a professional director and instead turned his attention to making low-budget, small films that were often self-financed.

Tetro (2009)

In the international co-production Tetroteenager Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich) travels to Argentina to find his long-estranged brother, Tetro (Vincent Gallo). Discouraged to find Tetro self-destructive and no longer a writer, Bennie decides to risk everything by completing one of Tetro’s plays and submitting it for acceptance into a literary prize.

Critics praised Francis Ford Coppola for stylishly directing another operatic family drama and for introducing the world to the talents of Ehrenreich, who made his impressive film debut in Tetro. Coppola made only one other film, Twixtin between Tetro and the 2024s Megalopolis.