Francis Ford Coppola

[therewillbeblus]

Some listings say 129 minutes and 139 minutes, but this article suggests it will be around the same runtime of 88 minutes just with a different edit. It also seems like a bunch of adult film actors(?!) who weren't in the first film are listed in this one- so I have no idea what to expect. Hope we hear more concrete news soon.

[knives]

I wonder if it’s a variation of the live shows he did. The original concept was having hundreds of Twixt possibilities.

[beamish14]

I wonder if it’s a variation of the live shows he did. The original concept was having hundreds of Twixt possibilities.

Yep. The audience was going to be able to vote on how it progressed, I thought, sort of like the Bob Gale-directed curio Mr. Payback

[domino harvey]

I caught up with You’re a Big Boy Now and thought it was incredible and better than every film it was clearly influenced by or a contemporary of— if THIS was the voice of youth touchstone film and not the Graduate, the world would make so much more sense. Wild invention at every turn, incredible footage of New York City, off the wall acting choices by slumming big names that somehow all work (and I’ve seen sooooo many bad variations of this kind of element alone that I can appreciate how big of an accomplishment that is), and an authentically youthful outlook all contribute to a product of pure entertainment.

Two additional notes:
01 This film might be responsible for the worst, most clueless collection of Letterboxd reviews I have ever witnessed. Now I know where Yahoo News commenters went
02 Rip Torn in “Daddy” makeup looks like Bruce McCulloch

[TechnicolorAcid]

01 This film might be responsible for the worst, most clueless collection of Letterboxd reviews I have ever witnessed. Now I know where Yahoo News commenters went

I understand your statement but if I may, I raise the Saturday Night Fever Letterboxd page.

[The Curious Sofa]

I'm not sure I ever saw the 2003 rerelease, so I watched the Reprise cut of One From the Heart last night and for the most part, it doesn't improve the film. Reducing the couple's arguments in the first act doesn't change the fundamental problem of the film: even if we accept that they represent Hollywood archetypes of average schmos, Hank and Frannie aren't very interesting or likable characters, and therefore it's hard to root for them getting back together. Frederic Forrest and Teri Garr were good character actors, but they don't elevate the material, and being a homage to classic Hollywood, maybe this could have done with movie stars in the leads. The new cut creates some awkward transitions and continuity errors, such as a dissolve from one scene to the next which it then cuts away from. Frannie's new perm, a plot point, now comes and goes because a scene before she got the perm has been moved to later in the film. I also miss an early montage sequence that follows Hank's introduction in a scene with Harry Dean Stanton's Moe (also gone), which features a brief cameo by Tom Waits. Considering that the Reprise cut doesn't make Hank and Frannie any more sympathetic, it was better to lean into their confrontations, which makes you understand why they would hook up with other people so quickly. On the other hand, the Reprise cut adds what probably is the most spectacularly beautiful shot in the film: a bird's eye view of the junkyard landscape at dawn, just before Hank and Leila wake up, in a most magical use of matte paintings and special effects.

Despite my reservations, I've always been a fan of the film. I saw it several times in the cinema when it came out and it was my introduction to Tom Waits, the soundtrack being one of my most played albums at the time. I had not watched One From the Heart for at least a couple of decades. If anything, my appreciation of it as an audiovisual experience, and its use of old-school matte paintings and pre-CGI effects, has only increased. Coppola tries to create his own Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans here, two lovers experiencing the city as their romantic playground, with the cities in both films rendered via huge, forced-perspective sets and the use of elaborate scene transitions and special effects. In terms of style, Coppola succeeds spectacularly, even if his film is nowhere near as emotionally resonant as Murnau's, in part because Murnau uses his city (and all its temptations), to get his couple back together, while Coppola's neon dreamscape keeps them apart.

Two things I'd forgotten: while the Tom Waits/Crystal Gale duets and songs are continuous throughout the first act, they are gone from the second. I suppose it makes sense, as the film separates its two leads, but the score is the emotional thread that makes these characters work to some extent. It gives us a glimpse into their inner lives via a novel musical conceit, Coppola's attempt to reinvent the musical for a generation less used to having characters suddenly burst into song to pour out their hearts. The other thing I didn't remember is that Coppola doesn't shy away from showing the studio's ceiling (covered in black drapes), revealing his huge Las Vegas sets to be just that. Somehow it only makes the sets even more impressive, in a breaking of the fourth wall, it draws attention to the artificiality of the film.

I still haven't upgraded to 4K, so I watched the German Blu-ray and it looks spectacular, one reason why my appreciation for the film's audiovisual appeal has only increased. The film now starts with a trigger warning regarding "historical attitudes" (brief nudity? smoking?), reminding me that I had just turned into an adult when depticting such savagery was still permissible.

I also rewatched all three Godfather films a month ago, including for the first time the recut third film and that too didn't feel improved. I preferred the orignal ending, bringing everything full circle.

[aox]

I also rewatched all three Godfather films a month ago, including for the first time the recut third film and that too didn't feel improved. I preferred the orignal ending, bringing everything full circle.

I still haven't watched the new cut either because in my mind, though the film has problems, the third-act opera sequence and the ending were perfect. I felt that the last 45 minutes were the only few times III felt kin to the first two films. Of all the scenes to revisit

SpoilerShow

(Michael's death in 1997 alone in a chair)

, that struck me as an odd choice to attempt to augment.

[The Curious Sofa]

The film has its moments, even if it's a huge comedown after Part II, but then that's one of the greatest films ever made. I think the intention was to slightly put Part III at a remove from the other two films with the new cut, two of its three major changes are dropping the Lake Tahoe opening, which ties directly into Part II and

SpoilerShow

Michael's Death, which mirrors Vito Corleone's.

I read reviews which made claims for the movie being massively improved when it premiered but if anything, it feels slightly diminished and doesn't address any of its major problems.

[Roger Ryan]

The film has its moments, even if it's a huge comedown after Part II, but then that's one of the greatest films ever made. I think the intention was to slightly put Part III at a remove from the other two films with the new cut, two of its three major changes are dropping the Lake Tahoe opening, which ties directly into Part II and

SpoilerShow

Michael's Death, which mirrors Vito Corleone's.

I read reviews which made claims for the movie being massively improved when it premiered but if anything, it feels slightly diminished and doesn't address any of its major problems.

It may not address any of the major problems, but it does address three or four minor ones which frustrated me for years (one is, indeed, that Arte Johnson/"Laugh In" conclusion). That Coppola recognized the same issues and "fixed" them with his re-edit of Part III was satisfying enough that I now consider the re-edit to be the better version of the film. By the way, the third act opera sequence is virtually untouched (as far as I can tell), so no need to worry that Coppola ruined what was working in the original film (only my opinion, of course).

[Roscoe]

I'm not sure I ever saw the 2003 rerelease, so I watched the Reprise cut of One From the Heart last night and for the most part, it doesn't improve the film.

Agreed about REPRISE. I'm not sure exactly how many versions have existed of this film, all the way back to the original general release version (which I swear included a scene at the dinner table between Franny and Hank where they each reveal they've spent half of their combined savings -- him on buying the house from Moe, and her in buying the tickets to Bora Bora, culminating in that rather dreadful line of Hank's "trust me honey I know best"). In a classic example of Fixing What Isn't Broken, Coppola's re-ordering the chronology of the break up and reshuffling the scenes adds nothing except confusion over exactly how many days this story is supposed to unfold over, and Franny's now you see it now you don't perm. Are they suddenly flashbacks, or is it Franny/Hank describing the fight and break up to Kazan and Stanton? It's just unnecessary.

I have the UK 4K, and it is a gorgeous transfer, and I'm very glad that it includes the previous cut also in a 4K, mercifully minus Coppola's chronological tampering. Of all the Coppola ReCuts, this one solves the fewest problems of the original product.

[aox]

The film has its moments, even if it's a huge comedown after Part II, but then that's one of the greatest films ever made. I think the intention was to slightly put Part III at a remove from the other two films with the new cut, two of its three major changes are dropping the Lake Tahoe opening, which ties directly into Part II and

SpoilerShow

Michael's Death, which mirrors Vito Corleone's.

I read reviews which made claims for the movie being massively improved when it premiered but if anything, it feels slightly diminished and doesn't address any of its major problems.

That's so strange to me Coppola would want to distance from 1 and 2. Michael's meeting with the Pope was the original opening scene (now in the middle of the movie). I believe this was edited and included as a deleted scene.

SpoilerShow

It was a perfect mirror of the first film's opening with a local denizen asking for a revenge favor with part II opening with the meeting with the Senator.

Just own it. Then after the Pope's meeting, it went on to the 1979 Party sequence that actually opened the film. This of course is another mirror of the first two films.

EDIT: here it is

[Roger Ryan]

The film has its moments, even if it's a huge comedown after Part II, but then that's one of the greatest films ever made. I think the intention was to slightly put Part III at a remove from the other two films with the new cut, two of its three major changes are dropping the Lake Tahoe opening, which ties directly into Part II and

SpoilerShow

Michael's Death, which mirrors Vito Corleone's.

I read reviews which made claims for the movie being massively improved when it premiered but if anything, it feels slightly diminished and doesn't address any of its major problems.

That's so strange to me Coppola would want to distance from 1 and 2. Michael's meeting with the Pope was the original opening scene (now in the middle of the movie). I believe this was edited and included as a deleted scene.

SpoilerShow

It was a perfect mirror of the first film's opening with a local denizen asking for a revenge favor with part II opening with the meeting with the Senator.

Just own it. Then after the Pope's meeting, it went on to the 1979 Party sequence that actually opened the film. This of course is another mirror of the first two films.

EDIT: here it is

Coppola's recent re-edit of Godfather III, The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, does use the meeting with the archbishop (not the Pope, actually) as the opening scene - it's one of the changes that I think improves the film.

[The Curious Sofa]

That's the third of the three major changes I referred to. I've only seen the film twice, once at its initial release and then a month ago, though watched the first 45 minutes and then I skimmed through my BD of the theatrical cut after watching the Coda cut for comparison (I recently upgraded my box set)

On my first watch, I felt mildly defensive about Part III after it kept getting trashed, as it's not the massive turkey it's often made out to be. But my recent rewatch, as part of my Godfather triple feature diminished the film in my eyes, it suffers when watched directly after the first two and no re-edit can change that.

I'm not as invested in it as I am in the changes to One From the Heart, because for all its flaws, that's a movie I genuinely love. Unfortunately, that's also the last Francis Ford Coppola film I can say that about. I didn't care for the first Joker movie but reports that the sequel supposedly is a homage to One From the Heart have me intrigued.

[aox]

Coppola's recent re-edit of Godfather III, The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, does use the meeting with the archbishop (not the Pope, actually) as the opening scene - it's one of the changes that I think improves the film.

Thanks for the correction. D'uh on my part.

Now, that is a change I can get behind. I still like the original opera sequence and ending though.

[Der Ungrund]

I'm not as invested in it as I am in the changes to One From the Heart, because for all its flaws, that's a movie I genuinely love. Unfortunately, that's also the last Francis Ford Coppola film I can say that about. I didn't care for the first Joker movie but reports that the sequel supposedly is a homage to One From the Heart have me intrigued.

There's a lot wrong with Bram Stroker's Dracula, but holy shit is it a gorgeous movie to look at, and I kind of love it, wonky, over the top, performances and all. I only recently saw One From the Heart for the first time, and it reminds me very much of Dracula in terms of its dogged adherence to unnecessary practical effects/sets and its general excess. It was also apparently a huge influence on the art design and approach to practical effects in Poor Things.

[therewillbeblus]

What's the best version of Dementia 13 out there on blu? Looks like there are a bunch of film-pairings, cuts, and rereleases

[domino harvey]

The Vestron Blu is the official version of Coppola’s cut (with the release prologue included as an extra), and Coppola contributes a commentary and intro. I just picked up a copy new with slip from eBay for like $10 recently, and I enjoyed the film for what it is (a very clear directive from Corman to ripoff Psycho)

[therewillbeblus]

Cool, thanks!

[domino harvey]

Caught up with the Rainmaker via Paramount Japan's affordable Blu-ray (available direct from Amazon.com for ~$17 btw) and found it one of the better Grisham adaptations (which, yeah, you'd hope so with this pedigree, but still). Allegedly this isn't for hire work because it originated from Coppola himself, but it is clearly made in a fashion to be as palatable to the masses as possible.

The casting does a LOT of legwork here-- obviously he is deeply ingrained as a comic figure already by Taxi and now It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but primarily this film is a great reminder of what a treasure Danny DeVito is, and this part seems literally backwards engineered to play to his strengths. Kinda sad the film didn't go anywhere awards-wise because this is Oscar material for a comic actor who is vastly underrated for his singular screen presence. Beyond that, Damon is a little too green in the lead and Danes, through no fault of her own, is given nothing to do (and her unlikely storyline should have been excised in toto), but the supporting cast is terrific-- Mickey Rourke (who makes the most of every second of his meagre part), Danny Glover, Jon Voight, Roy Scheider, Virginia Madsen, Mary Kay Place, and an unrecognizable Teresa Wright all shine here.

But an underdog movie like this (Damon's even named Rudy!) is always kinda tedious because, like, what is the jury going to do, side with the Evil Insurance Company? I wish the film had more moments like Damon's playful solution to the other side bugging his office. This sequence hints at a much more interesting approach to the material-- why not have Damon just take after Rourke and DeVito and fully get into the mud to win his case? Wouldn't that be so much more interesting than sanctimonious melodrama?

[therewillbeblus]

I caught up with this recently too and felt about the same. DeVito is terrific but I wanted more of him - and yes, less of that curious Danes sideplot, which ends in such a dark way that can't possibly be immediately brushed off in a weird, inattentive tonal imbalance, but somehow is anyways. I loved Damon's trick on Voight but it was one and done and back to humdrum courtroom "thriller" fluff. I really wanted to like this movie - surely hampered by its source - though Coppola makes a serviceable effort. Rourke is underused, but the way in which he returns and the reveal of his assets (or, rather, him having any at all) is one of the film's few distinctive quirks. It's a shame because with more control, Coppola surely would've made the film full of them.

[domino harvey]

Did you notice the odd, completely unaddressed character detail of the dying son?

SpoilerShow

That he’s apparently a ventriloquist, replete with a dummy dressed identically to him?

Maybe there’s a weirder alternate cut of this material we’ll get from Coppola when he retires

[therewillbeblus]

Ha, no that's great! I also wonder if he let Voight out of the cage a bit more too in other scenes or alternate takes, solely based on how he's handled in Megalopolis