Across the 1970s, legendary director Francis Ford Coppola completed the kind of run that even today, filmmakers could only dream of matching in terms of scope, ambition and accomplishment. From 1972 to 1979, a seemingly non-stop Coppola delivered “The Godfather,” “The Conversation,” “The Godfather Part II,” and “Apocalypse Now,” with each of the films making a distinct mark on cinematic history. And while he could’ve easily folded up the director’s chair after that, Coppola kept pushing himself.
And that’s part of the reason why the filmmaker is as revered as he is today, with his undeniable skill and desire to continually find new creative avenues, a source of inspiration, even if the results didn’t always match his top shelf work (a peak that would be hard for anyone to hit). And to celebrate the director’s 75th birthday today, below is his appearance on “Inside The Actor’s Studio” in 2001. As per usual with James Lipton‘s show, the director reflects on his personal and professional life, and it’s a great opportunity to dive in one-on-one with the filmmaker.
So, help Francis blow out the candles on another year and watch below.