The Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia

Welsh (coauthor, Literature into Film) and Gene D. Phillips and Rodney F. Hill (coauthors, The Encyclopedia of Stanley Kubrick) have compiled a definitive reference on the actors, characters, movies, programs, influences, and other significant elements impacting the work of Francis Ford Coppola. Figure profiles offer individual biographical details and an examination of professional trajectories. Movie-related entries provide fabulous, little-known backstories. Each entry is signed and followed by bibliographic references....Essential for Coppola enthusiasts and film studies collections. * Library Journal *
This encyclopedia focuses on the entire career of Francis Ford Coppola, whether a screenwriter, producer, director, or even vintner. Entries are arranged alphabetically, and those for films (including Coppola’s early low-budget thrillers and the films directed by his daughter, Sofia) contain boxes listing production details and credits. Though the majority of the entries cover individuals (actors, writers, cinematographers, and more) and films, others cover influences, nonfilm projects, and a variety of additional topics, among them American Zoetrope (Coppola’s studio), Cannes International Film Festival, and The Old Guard (the U.S. Army ceremonial unit honored in the film Gardens of Stone). Also here are entries such as Coppola, criticism, and controversy and Coppola on adaptation. Most entries conclude with a list of references. Illustrations consist of some black-and-white stills. Combining ready-reference information with the kind of commentary that would be useful for film students and serious fans, this volume is recommended for large public libraries or academic libraries that support cinema classes. * Booklist *
Welsh and Phillips (independent scholars) and Hill (Georgia Gwinett College) offer an exhaustive A-Z compendium of information about Francis Ford Coppola, a major figure in American cinema and director of The Godfather, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, and many other films. The book describes Coppola as a "visionary auteur" and presents his career as one of extremes—from the fabulous successes of the 1970s to the bitter disappointments of the 1980s, as he struggled and compromised with the Hollywood system. Entries for each film include full credits, a plot summary, highlights of the production history and critical reception, and references for further reading. Additional entries are devoted to Coppola's professional associates, actors, those he mentored, and diverse influences in his life. This unique volume will be necessary reading for anyone studying Coppola's films and American filmmaking of the mid to late 20th century. Contributors are knowledgeable specialists—writers or teachers with credentials in film and media. Phillips previously wrote Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola (CH, Sep'04, 42-0202), and he and Hill edited Francis Ford Coppola: Interviews (2004). An excellent selected bibliography, general index, and photographs of scenes from the films enhance the volume's value to students. Summing Up: Essential. Medium to large film collections in public and academic libraries; lower-level undergraduates and above, and general readers. * CHOICE *
Welsh and company do create not just a fresh look at Coppola, but a fresh approach to the encyclopedia as an information delivery system, for it does more than simply supply facts about the director…. Readers will find the book both enlightening and entertaining…. The entries in the encyclopedia look to capture both the 'larger-than-life filmmaker and entrepreneur' as well as the person 'who can be incredibly kind, forgiving and generous,' while simultaneously shedding light on Coppola's standing as an 'anti-establishment maverick' who serves as a central figure in Twentieth Century film. * Screening The Past *
The volume is a celebration of the man, and the enthusiasm of the editors....Cineastes and any college or university library that supports film, or even oenologists, should consider this an essential purchase. * s *
To tell the story of Francis Ford Coppola’s career is to not only sketch out a broad history of American mainstream film production over the past half-century, but also the role of the director within it. The book performs admirably in this respect, with entries on individual films providing excellent detail on their often embattled and convoluted production processes, and the battles fought by Coppola to maintain a degree of personal control over his work. . . . The Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia has clearly been approached with passion and the result is a lively, informative tome which reveals much about not only Francis Ford Coppola himself, but the American film industry as a whole. * Journal of American Studies of Turkey *