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Francis Ford Coppola on Youth Without Youth
By Fred Topel | Image property of Sony Pictures Classics.
When you make a few Godfather films, Apocalypse Now and The Conversation, it must be hard to top yourself each time out. Francis Ford Coppola doesn't think about making landmark films. They just sort of happen.
Coppola Talks Youth Without Youth
"It seems to be what everyone agrees is a landmark film after it’s made," said Coppola. "Back in those days, a lot of people said, ‘My God, you were young. You made The Godfather, you made The Conversation, you made The Godfather Part II, you made Apocalypse Now. Why did you stop?’ I didn’t stop. It’s just that at that time nobody was saying these were landmark. Godfather, sure it was a big hit in my life, but Apocalypse Now was a very controversial movie. With a controversial movie you have to wait 20 years for them to really make an opinion. Maybe Rumble Fish is a landmark film. For me, it is. Just because it’s big or makes lots of money, that doesn’t necessarily mean, although they often go together."
His latest film, Youth Without Youth may wait decades to be appreciated too. "Even a film like Youth Without Youth, which is unusual could be discussed for a few years. Maybe when I am dead they will say, ‘That was a landmark film.’ Making a landmark film is like saying, ‘I’m going to make a film that makes money.’ Once you do that, you are doomed, because you have to make films because they interest you, and you love them. You can’t make them because you may be successful at that."
Youth Without Youth
An abstract story of a man regressing in age from a lightning strike, dealing with alternate selves and translating ancient languages is almost certain to go over people's heads the first time around. "I don’t think that is true. I don’t think the story of Youth Without Youth is at all hard to follow. What's demanding is that at the same time that it tells this fable story, like a Twilight Zone. An old man is despondent, the girl he loved when he was a student who he didn’t take in his life, and he regrets it. He’s hit by lightening, he thinks he’s going to die, and he realizes that he is rejuvenated. He becomes a young man again, and also his intellectual abilities are increased. He is in Romania at the time of the beginning of World War II. He’s taken care of and the Nazi’s hear word that there is this remarkable rejuvenation, that even implies immortality, which Hitler liked. So, they begin to try to get him. I could go on, and I think everyone understands that is what the story is about."
Sound cool? You're not getting off that easy. "What is different is that at the same time that it’s telling that story, it is also ruminating about the meaning of life. I think that is the job of literature. I think that the audiences you speak of can enjoy the film, if they just want to go for the ride of the story. He realizes that the electrical bolt of the lightening has split him into more than one personality. In other words, it’s true that the story starts to take interesting levels that most stories don’t choose to go there. But that’s the Eliade story. I would rather that we all read books that we all find fascinating. Why do films have to be a subject matter less fascinating than books can be is basically the question. You may disagree. I don’t think that it has to be deciphered. I didn't want to make a movie that the audience the first time through wouldn’t enjoy but I also knew that I was making a film that was more adult than what's made [today]."
Youth Without Youth opens to theaters December 14th.
For the trailer adn more movie info, go to Youth Without Youth Movie Page.
Fred Topel
Sources: Image property of Sony Pictures Classics.
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