>>> IF IT FEELS LIKE THE TRUMP ERA IS OUT OF A MOVIE THAT IS
PARTLY BECAUSE OF SO MANY OF
TODAY’S PERFORMERS RIPPED OFF
THE MOVIES FROM A PRESIDENT
QUOTING HIS IDEA OF TOUGH GUY
AGAINST THE PROSECUTORS AND ARE
TELLING A JUDGE THEY NEED TO
PLAY THE GODFATHER PART 2 AT
TRIAL TO PROVE STONE’S
OBSTRUCTION.
OBSTRUCTION. REMINDER OF THE ENDURING CLASSIC
THAT EARNED BEST DIRECTOR FOR
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA WHOSE MANY
ICONIC FILMS SHAPE OUR IDEAS
ABOUT CULTURE, CRIME, FOREIGN
POLICY, WITH SO MANY MEMORABLE
LINES.
LINES. >> I’M GOING TO MAKE YOU AN
OFFER YOU CAN’T REFUSE.
>> I LOVE THE SMELL OF NAPALM IN
THE MORNING.
THE MORNING. >> COPPOLA’S STARK DEPICTIONS OF
VIOLENCE, MORAL DILEMMAS AND
WHAT TODAY IS SOMETIMES CALLED
THE STRUGGLE ARE BACK IN THE
NEWS FOR PARTLY POLITICAL
REASONS "VANITY FAIR" NOTING
THIS NEW PROJECT RIGHTS A WRONG
BY RESTORING BLACK SCENES IN
STORIES TO THE COTTON CLUB.
COPPOLA’S 1984 FILM ABOUT HARLEM
WHICH HE SAYS STUDIOS RESISTED
FOR, QUOTE, TOO MANY BLACK
STORIES.
STORIES. WELL, THE NEWLY REMASTERED
RELEASE ADDS SOME OF THOSE
STORIES BACK INTO THE FINAL CUT.
YOU CAN SEE TODAY.
WHICH MAKES THIS A SPECIAL TIME
TO SIT WITH A CULTURAL LEGEND
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA DIRECTOR
OF "THE GODFATHER TRILOGY" AND
PATTON, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED.
OSCAR WINNER, AN HONOR TO HAVE
YOU HERE.
YOU HERE. THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
"THE COTTON CLUB" WHY NOW AND
WHAT’S DIFFERENT?
WHAT’S DIFFERENT? >> "COTTON CLUB" WAS MADE UNDER
VERY ADVERSE, WAR LIKE
CONDITIONS.
CONDITIONS. THERE WAS A BIG DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE PRODUCERS AND THE
FINANCIERS AND WHO HAD BROUGHT
ME ON.
ME ON. I DID HAVE FINAL CUT ALL THE
TIME BUT EVEN WHEN YOU HAVE THIS
LEGAL FINAL CUT, YOU KNOW, THE
PEOPLE WHO PUT UP THE MONEY OR
ARE ABOUT TO RELEASE IT YOU TRY
TO COLLABORATE.
TO COLLABORATE. >> PRESSURE.
>> PRESSURE. YOU FACE PRESSURE.
>> BUT YOU TRY TO COLLABORATE.
>> YOU TRY TO MEET IN THE
MIDDLE.
MIDDLE. >> IN FACT, AT ONE POINT WHEN
THEY ALL WENT TO MEET MY LAWYER
AND HE TRIED TO DEMONSTRATE IN
THE CONTRACT ON THE TABLE, THAT
I HAD THIS FINAL CUT, THEY SAID,
THEY KNOCKED THE PAPERS OFF AND
SAID, WELL NOW IT’S OFF THE
TABLE.
TABLE. SOME OF THEM WERE A LITTLE, YOU
KNOW, TOUGH KIND OF GUYS.
>> THE KIND OF GUYS YOU MIGHT
SEE IN A COPPOLA MOVIE.
>> VERY DEFINITELY.
THE MESSAGE I HAD GOTTEN
REPEATEDLY WAS THE FILM WAS TOO
LONG.
LONG. IT’S TOO MANY BLACK PEOPLE IN
IT.
IT. AND THERE’S TOO MUCH TAP
DANCING.
DANCING. WHICH IS SORT OF TRICKY BECAUSE
IT WAS ABOUT THE COTTON CLUB.
YOU START SHORTENING A FEW
MINUTES AND THEN YOU TAKE A
LITTLE MORE AND YOU SAY, WELL,
YOU KNOW, MAYBE I DON’T KNOW IF
PEOPLE DON’T LIKE THAT THERE’S
TOO MANY BLACK STORIES MAYBE THE
ONE COULD BE A LITTLE LESS.
I THOUGHT I WAS TAKING A FEW
MINUTES OUT BUT I ENDED UP
TAKING 40 MINUTES OUT.
THEN I REALLY WANTED TO PUT THEM
BACK BECAUSE I FELT THE PICTURE,
WHEN A FILM, THEY SAY A FILM IS
TOO LONG, IT MAY MEAN THEY JUST
DON’T UNDERSTAND THE STORY SO TO
THEM IT SEEMS LONG BECAUSE THEY
DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON.
>> LONG JUST MEANS THEY DON’T
GET IT.
GET IT. >> SO I FOUND THAT "THE COTTON
CLUB" WHEN I PUT THE TIME BACK
IN CAME ALIVE SUDDENLY AND WAS
BALANCED AND THE FACT THAT THERE
WAS TWO BLACK BROTHERS AND TWO
WHITE BROTHERS AND THEIR STORIES
WERE BALANCED AND MADE IT REALLY
BEAUTIFUL AND INTRICATE.
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND A MOVIE
IS AN ILLUSION THAT WHEN THE
PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT A FILM ON
THE SCREEN YOU’RE SEEING A LOT
OF SHADOWS.
OF SHADOWS. THE EMOTION IS IN THE AUDIENCE.
THE AUDIENCE IS WHAT HAS -- THE
ILLUSION IF IT WORKS THEY
RELEASE ALL THAT EMOTION.
WE FOUND THE RIGHT BALANCE AND
SUDDENLY IT CAME TO LIFE.
>> I GOT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE
BOB MUELLER PROSECUTORS BUILDING
THIS CASE AGAINST ROGER STONE
THAT RESTS PARTLY ON "THE
GODFATHER 2."
GODFATHER 2." YOU HEARD OF THIS?
>> I HEARD OF THAT.
>> WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN YOU
FIRST HEARD THAT YOU’VE GOT
PEOPLE, MAYBE WANNA-BE
GANGSTERS, AND THEY’RE LITERALLY
TRYING TO RE-ENACT THE
CONGRESSIONAL OBSTRUCTION SCENE
BECAUSE THIS IS BEING LITIGATED
AS YOU KNOW.
I WANT TO READ FROM, THESE ARE
THE PROSECUTORS WHO TOOK OVER
FOR MUELLER AND THEY SAY THIS
GODFATHER CLIP HAS TO BE PLAYED
IN ROGER STONE’S TRIAL BECAUSE
IT IS DRAMATIC, RELEVANT TO SOME
OF THE FACTS IN THE CASE, A
WITNESS IN A CONGRESSIONAL
INVESTIGATION PRESSURED TO GIVE
FALSE TESTIMONY WHICH EXPLAINS
ROGER STONE’S REFERENCES TO THIS
SCENE.
SCENE. >> WELL, I MEAN, OVER THE LAST
20 YEARS, SOME OF THE MOST
UNATTRACTIVE POLITICAL LEADERS
IN THE WORLD, FROM SADDAM
HUSSEIN AND QADDAFI AND I COULD
GO ON AND ON, THAT’S THEIR
FAVORITE MOVIE.
FAVORITE MOVIE. THERE MUST BE SOMETHING IN THIS
PIECE OF FICTION.
>> DO YOU THINK THE PROSECUTORS
ARE RIGHT?
ARE RIGHT? THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO PLAY YOUR
FILM IN THIS CASE?
>> IF IT’S RELEVANT TO THE CASE,
AND I MEAN, "GODFATHER" HAS
BECOME PART OF THE CULTURE FROM
MY POINT OF VIEW ANYONE WHO
WOULD TAKE A, STUFF FROM A
FICTIONAL GANGSTER PICTURE AND
PUT IT IN REAL LIFE, THE
BEHAVIOR IN "THE GODFATHER" IS
NOT BEHAVIOR I RECOMMEND.
I ALWAYS THOUGHT PEOPLE WHO
WOULD USE INTIMIDATION AND
VIOLENCE AND CRUELTY ARE BELOW
MY LOWEST REGARD FOR ANOTHER
HUMAN BEING.
HUMAN BEING. SO I DON’T RECOMMEND THAT KIND
OF BEHAVIOR.
OF BEHAVIOR. >> AND WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE
AS YOU SAID IN AMERICA AND
AROUND THE WORLD ARE SO
FASCINATED BY THAT THE STORY OF
FAMILY LOYALTY BUT ALSO
BRUTALITY?
BRUTALITY? >> BECAUSE THEY ARE INTERESTED
IN THE MECHANISMS OF POWER.
"THE GODFATHER" IS A KIND OF
TEXTBOOK OF SAYING ONE THING BUT
MEANING ANOTHER.
MEANING ANOTHER. YOU KNOW, IT’S METHOD OF HOW
YOUR REPUTATION OF WHAT HAPPENED
IN THE PAST YOU CAN BE VERY
FRIENDLY AND VERY NICE ABOUT,
SAYING WHAT WOULD BE THE RESULT
IF YOU DON’T GO ALONG WITH ME
BUT YOU’RE -- THE PAST SPEAKS
VERY LOUDLY.
VERY LOUDLY. SO IT’S INTIMIDATION.