The Outsiders - 1982

The Outsiders, 1982 Giclee Print
9 in. x 12 in.

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Director Francis Coppola's adaptation of the popular S.E. Hinton novel about the price of rebellious youth is notable chiefly for the stunning cast of young actors who went on to rich and varied careers. In supporting roles, the film features the likes of Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, and Tom Waits, among others.

The story centers on two rival gangs in the early 1960s Midwest, and the violent turf wars that escalate and tragically claim young lives. C. Thomas Howell plays the central character who yearns to prove himself and be accepted by his older brothers' gang, while at the same time finding his first love and dreaming of a life beyond his dead end existence. Geared toward the teenage crowd, the film nonetheless features some fine direction from Coppola in a story that evokes memories of the classic coming-of-age films of the 1950s.

The Godfather - 1972

The Godfather Framed Art Print
18 in. x 22 in.
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The superb, three-part gangster saga was inaugurated with this film from Italian-American director Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather (1972). The first two parts of the lush and grand saga are among the most celebrated, landmark films of all time. Many film reviewers consider the second part equal or superior to the original, although the first part was a tremendous critical and commercial success - and the highest grossing film of its time. This mythic, tragic film contributed to a resurgence in the American film industry, after a decade of competition from cinema abroad.

One of the original "Movie Brats" who had not had a hit after seven films, director Coppola collaborated on the epic film's screenplay with Mario Puzo who had written a best-selling novel of the same name about a Mafia dynasty (the Corleones). The Godfather catapulted Francis Ford Coppola to directorial superstardom, and popularized the following euphemistic phrase (of brutal coercion): "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."

The almost three hour, R-rated saga film (for violence and graphic language) won three Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor (Marlon Brando refused to accept the award) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola). The other seven nominations included three for Best Supporting Actor (James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Al Pacino), Best Director, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Costume Design.

Gangster films are one of the oldest of film genres (starring Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart), emerging as an influential force in the early 1930s (e.g., Little Caesar (1930), Public Enemy (1931), and Scarface (1932)). This gangster film re-invented the gangster genre, elevating the classic Hollywood gangster film to a higher level by portraying the gangster figure as a tragic hero. [With the disappearance of the Production Code, retribution for the gangster's crimes was not an automatic requirement.] The rich and enthralling film is characterized by superb acting and deep character studies, beautiful photography and choreography, authentic recreation of the period, a bittersweet romantic sub-plot, a rich score by Nino Rota, and superbly-staged portrayals of gangster violence. Its grim, dark passages and bright exterior scenes are all part of the beautiful cinematography by Gordon Willis.

Apocalypse Now - 1979

Marlon Brando Photo
8 in. x 10 in.
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Apocalypse Now (1979) is the leading producer / visually beautiful film director Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece of avant-garde with surrealistic and symbolic sequence describing the confusion, violence, fear, and nightmarish madness of war Vietnam. Coppola had already become a noted producer / director, following its two profitable and critically acclaimed films The Godfather (1972 and 1974) - The epic story of a mafia-style patriarch and his successor. This provocative film did for the Vietnam War genre what The Godfather did for the gangster film.

After waiting three to four years for the notorious film (which has other films winning the Vietnam War to the forefront of the previous year - The Deer Hunter (1978) and Coming Home (1978)), the film was budgeted at $ 12 - 13 million of something an extravagant, indulgent epic in the making that has cost nearly $ 31 million - with much of the film shot on location in the Philippines. Delays and high-profile disasters in the making strenuous (designed for approximately 17 weeks, but found a lasting approximately 34 weeks), as well as extramarital affairs, a great director and suicide, drug and other forms of madness, were mainly due to a typhoon rain, (named Olga) and a star-debilitating, a near-fatal heart attack for the star Martin Sheen.