Francis Ford Coppola Photo: Wikicommons
Francis Ford Coppola is one of Hollywood's pre-eminent directors, producers and screenwriters.
His first directorial success was Finian's Rainbow in 1968, and he was propelled to the top tier of directors with The Godfather in 1972, which was based on the novel by Mario Puzo.
Coppola was given his first nomination for Best Director because of the movie, and it also won Best Picture. The sequel, The Godfather Part II (1974) was equally well received.
In 1979, Coppola produced another masterpiece, the Vietnam War drama Apocalypse Now, starring Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando and based on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.
A 'Final Cut' of the movie, considered one of the greatest ever made, has been released in time for its 40th anniversary, and will play at the upcoming New Zealand International Film Festival, details here.
Screenshot of Apocalypse Now Photo: NZIFF
