Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola has been hospitalized in Rome, as fans around the world worry.
The 86-year-old director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now was taken to Policlinico Tor Vergata, a public hospital in Rome, on Tuesday morning. The Oscar-winning director was due to have a long-scheduled heart-related surgery, but just before he could be operated on, Coppola experienced a slight cardiac arrhythmia and was put on medical observation.
Coppola, an Italian-American of Italian descent and regular visitor to Italy, had just completed a six-city promotional tour of the U.S. for his long-time pet project Megalopolis. His visit to Italy was not for pleasure alone, aside from presenting at the Magna Graecia Film Festival in Calabria mid-July, where he presented Megalopolis, he also shopped around for shooting locations for a new project to start production this fall.
Francis Ford Coppola’s surprise hospitalization in Rome is a shock, particularly after how much energy he showed just weeks ago during his interactions with fans and colleagues in Italy. He was in a good mood at the Calabria event, expressing hopeful words with the audience. “Young people say the world is a disaster, but I reply that there is no problem man can’t solve,” he said, with the kind of grand vision that has defined his career.
Coppola’s new movie Megalopolis has been a costly, ambitious venture, touted to have cost $120 million, much funded by the sale of his own private vineyards. His sci-fi epic, which features Adam Driver, has been met with a divided response since its release. Some complimented it on its scope, but critics such as The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw were less than convinced, dubbing it “bloated, boring and bafflingly shallow.”
Nonetheless, Coppola, being the iconoclast that he is, is not bothered by criticism. Talking openly during the festival, he asserted that his life has been all about doing whatever he pleased. “There are many people, when they die, they say: ‘Oh, I wish I had done this, I wish I had done that’.”. But when I pass away, I’m going to say: ‘I’ve got to do this and I’ve got to see my daughter win an Oscar and I’ve got to make wine and I’ve got to make every movie I wanted to make’,” he said to the audience.
The death of his wife Eleanor a year ago has also left him burdened, but still he moves forward. “And I’m going to be so busy thinking of all the things that I’ve got to do that when I die, I won’t notice it,” he added, a moment that was as poetic as it was heartbreaking.
While his current health condition has caused understandable concern, it’s worth noting that the procedure was planned in advance, and the arrhythmia, though serious, was mild. As of now, no official statement has been made about his discharge or recovery timeline.
Coppola has been a force to be reckoned with in filmmaking for decades, having won five Oscars and rewriting film history with ventures that inspire generations. From shaking up Hollywood in the 1970s to risking his own fortune on personal ventures now, his fire hasn’t faded.
Fans and contemporaries alike are praying for an easy recovery. One thing is certain, Francis Ford Coppola doesn’t know how to take it easy, not even at 86 years old. His visit to Rome might have gone off course, but if history is any indication, then he’ll recover with a new tale to tell and another movie to direct.
Jamie Wells has a knack for getting the inside scoop on Hollywood’s biggest stars and up-and-coming talent. With a sharp eye for industry trends and an ear for viral moments, Jamie covers everything from red-carpet events to behind-the-scenes drama in movies, TV, and celebrity culture.
