James Baquet

    Although you may not know the name of Francis Ford Coppola, you certainly know his films.

    After directing a handful of forgettable films and winning an Oscar for writing the Best Original Screenplay for “Patton,” Coppola the director seems to have burst out of nowhere with the first of the three “Godfather” films (1972), which won the Oscar for Best Picture, as did “The Godfather Part II” (1974). “Part III” (1990) was nominated, but did not win.

    The saga of the Corleone family, then, put Coppola on the map. Though he subsequently directed and/or produced a number of highly praised films, nothing surpassed the popularity of that trilogy, especially the earlier two sections.

    Though not winning Best Picture or Best Director (for both of which it was nominated), many consider “Apocalypse Now” to be Coppola’s masterpiece. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest movies ever made.

    The film re-envisions the novel “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad, updating it to the Vietnam War and replacing the ivory trader, Kurtz, with a rogue, power-mad American colonel, played by Marlon Brando (who had also played the paterfamilias of the Corleone family). A battle-weary special operations captain, played by Martin Sheen, has been sent out to “eliminate” the problem — by assassinating Colonel Kurtz.

    Filming took place in the Philippines in 1976 and 1977. The production was plagued by a typhoon which ruined a number of sets; the poor condition and under-preparation of Brando; and a near-fatal heart attack striking down Martin Sheen, who struggled a quarter of a mile to reach help. He was back on the set six weeks later.

    Nevertheless, the final product is breathtaking. I saw it during its premiere run in Hollywood, and when the film ended shortly after the heart-stopping climactic scene, the theater went dark and no credits were run. A brochure with that information was handed out at the exits. We were left with mouths agape.

    Watching it again on video cannot come close to that experience. Still, it’s worth your time for an amazing story well-told.

    Vocabulary:

    Which word above means:

    1. pertaining to the climax of something

    2. greatest work done by an artist

    3. became famous suddenly

    4. “father of the family”

    5. troubled, delayed

    6. almost killing (someone)

    7. make someone famous

    8. wide open

    9. disobedient and unpredictable

    10. after that