The three Francis Ford Coppola movies Gary Oldman always considers his favourites
In 1992, Francis Ford Coppola cast Gary Oldman in one of his most haunting roles. Portraying Count Dracula in Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Oldman delivered a brilliant version of the gothic fictional figure and marked the beginning of a mutual respect between him and his director.
Coppola’s attention to detail when it comes to narrative filmmaking and his fearless commitment to the directing profession found its performative analogue in Oldman, who himself has proven to be one of the greatest actors of his generation, and together, the pair delivered a truly memorable version of the age-old horror tale.
Oldman had once named his five favourite movies of all time in a feature with Rotten Tomatoes, and the works of Coppola occupied three of the coveted spots. The complete list could change from day to day, said Oldman, but the three Coppola movies are “always” held close to his heart.
He began with Coppola’s legendary Vietnam War movie Apocalypse Now, released in 1979 and starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper. Based loosely on Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness, Coppola transposes the narrative from the Congo to the Vietnam War.
Sheen’s character, Captain Willard, is sent on a secret mission to assassinate Brando’s Colonel Kurtz, who is presumed to have defected amid a declining mental state. Despite its well-documented production hell, Apocalypse Now is considered one of the greatest war movies ever made, and Oldman was blown away by the “sheer grandeur of it, and the originality of it.”
Up next for Oldman was Coppola’s 1974 neo-noir mystery The Conversation, starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale and Robert Duvall. Hackman, who played a surveillance expert in the throes of dilemma after discovering his recordings reveal a possible murder, had wildly impressed Oldman, who said of his character, “I love that internal man who’s just, you know, very closed down.”
There’s evidently a deep love in Oldman for his Dracula director, and Coppola knew that Oldman would be able to bring his vision of the infamous Count to life with his dedication to the acting craft. Coppola had spoken of Oldman’s professionalism on set and his mentorship to the film’s younger actors like Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder.
Oldman simply called the director a “great storyteller” before revealing his final favourite Coppola movie. The Godfather just had to crop up at some point, and Oldman selected Part II of his epic crime trilogy, released in 1974. The film continues the story of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone as he protects his family’s business following an attempt on his life, while Coppola casts Robert De Niro as a young Vito Corleone, charting his journey from Sicily to New York City.
“I just think it’s a master class in acting, production design, directing, lighting, composition,” Oldman noted. “I think that if you were a film student, you’ve got — the way he tells the story, it’s masterful storytelling. And it never ever seems to disappoint.” Indeed, The Godfather Part II is widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made, so it’s easy to see why Oldman would include it on his list of favourites.
Oldman’s list reveals a man with a deep love for one of his directors. The films of Coppola have transcended the boundaries of the screen on which they were first experienced and have become genuine cultural artefacts in their own right, plunging themselves into the hearts and minds of countless cinema lovers, none more so than in Gary Oldman.
Gary Oldman’s favourite Francis Ford Coppola movies:
- The Conversation (1974)
- The Godfather Part II (1974)
- Apocalypse Now (1979)