TCM Honors Francis Ford Coppola with Handprint and Footprint Ceremony #TCMFF #TCMFFSP

Francis Ford Coppola Immortalized at Imprint Ceremony…

I was thrilled to be able to cover the Francis Ford Coppola Handprint and Footprint Ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman’s) on April 29th as part of the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival. TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz hosted the event honoring the legendary film-maker, which marked the 6th consecutive year that TCM featured an imprint ceremony during the Film Festival (previous honorees were Peter O’Toole in 2011, Kim Novak in 2012, Jane Fonda in 2013, Jerry Lewis in 2014 and Christopher Plummer in 2015).

A clean slab of cement awaits Francis Ford Coppola in the forecourt of the legendary TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman’s Chinese Theater) … (photo: 2016 Classic Movie Hub)

Coppola is no doubt considered a Hollywood icon. With a career spanning over 50 years and five Oscars to his name, he is known for directing such epic classics as The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now (1979). Renowned for his generosity with other filmmakers, he has served as a fierce promoter and mentor to others, championing the work of directors George Lucas, John Milius and Sofia Coppola and actors Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Harrison Ford, James Caan and Diane Lane.

Ben Mankiewicz hosts the event providing an overview of Coppola’s career (photo: 2016 Classic Movie Hub)

The event kicked off with Ben Mankiewicz providing an overview of Coppola’s film career and accomplishments, after which he introduced Coppola’s son, director Roman Coppola…

Roman Coppola introduces his father (photo: 2016 Classic Movie Hub)

Roman Coppola warmly introduced his father, talking about what it was like growing up in his famous family. “We did live a life that was filled with the unknown and adventure…and that’s a great way to live a life so I’m very proud to have that experience.”

He explained why he felt his father’s work is so distinctive, saying that “every film has its own style which evokes the theme of the film. So with Apocalypse it’s a psychedelic film, with Godfather it’s very classic, with Dracula it’s a gothic style…”

He went on to say that his dad had a love of actors and deep respect for their interpretations, and that, once cast, he “knows that they are truly the expert now in that role.”

About directing, he added “My dad always values the importance, when you’re directing a scene, to be right by the camera so that the performer is really performing for you as the director. So that’s a little advice especially now in the days of video monitors when people are far away.”

And, most importantly, Roman talked about a very special lesson learned…. “when you’re making a pasta sauce, unless it has meat, there’s no garlic…” 🙂

So, now, without any further adieu, Francis Ford Coppola graciously accepts the honor and leaves his handprints and footprints in the forecourt of the world-famous theatre…