When you grow up in a family with an artistic bent, alongside the man nicknamed the «Napoleon of cinema», you're bound to be more inclined to want to make films! Welcome to the Coppola family, a dynasty spanning three generations of talented artists. While some - like Nicolas Cage, nephew of Francis Ford Coppola - have preferred to change their names to forge their own reputations, Sofia Coppola has long since dug her own furrow, while retaining her family name. Portrait of Sofia Coppola.
Her acting career began when she was barely a year old, under the pseudonym «Domino», in the christening scene of the Sponsor (1972). She also appeared in the other two parts of her father's trilogy; in all, she took part in the making of eight of his films, including Outsiders (1983) and Peggy Sue got married (1986). Other directors cast him in their projects, including Tim Burton, for a supporting role in his short film Frankenweenie (1984).
Despite her disastrous performance in the supporting role she plays in The Godfather 3 (1990) - perhaps she shouldn't have replaced the ailing actress at the last minute! - which won her the Razzie Awards for Worst Supporting Actress and Worst Newcomer, Sofia Coppola continues to appear in front of the camera. On the one hand, in music videos for rock bands, Madonna and the Chemical Brothers (clip directed by her future first husband, Spike Jonze); on the other, in the cast of the first feature film and then an unusual video (Funky Squaredance Phoenix) directed by his brother, Roman Coppola, as well as in Episode I of Star Wars.
Behind the camera
After attending art school in California, she trained with Karl Lagerfeld in Paris. While she tried her hand at a variety of things - including photography for Vogue and launched her own clothing line - it was while directing a short film that she realized that it was a combination of her interests with the design, photography and music. His desire to make a film was born after reading The Virgin Suicides, Sofia Coppola adapted the novel in 1999. The soundtrack, composed by Air, won several awards. Its critical success was confirmed four years later when Lost in Translation won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, the César for Best Foreign Film and three Golden Globes. She is only the third woman to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Director, succeeding Lina Wertmüller (Pasqualino, 1977) and Jane Campion (The Piano Lesson, 1994).
At Cannes, reviews are mixed for the biographical film Marie Antoinette (2006), a new adaptation of the novel of the same name. The future Louis XVI is played by his cousin, Jason Schwartzman. His niece, Gia Coppola, works in the costume department of Somewhere (2010), which won him the Golden Lion at Venice. Shortly afterwards, he was inspired to write by an article published in Vanity Fair, revealing the actions of a gang of young people desperate to be famous. The Bling Ring was born. His latest adaptation to date, which won the Prix de la mise en scène at Cannes in 2017, is entitled Les Proies.
From film sets to platforms
A regular on film sets from an early age, Sofia Coppola has also directed music videos for several rock bands, including The Flaming Lips, The White Stripes and Phoenix (where her husband Thomas Mars is lead singer). Her taste for «independent» culture has not prevented her latest productions from being released on two famous platforms: Netflix, for her musical A Very Murray Christmas (2015) and Apple TV, for his seventh feature film currently in post-production, On the Rocks. In addition, the filmmaker recently announced her desire to direct her first series for Apple TV: an adaptation of the novel by Edith Warthon Beautiful weddings (1913).
Familiar faces
The artist has collaborated regularly with actress Kirsten Dunst (The Virgin Suicides) and Bill Murray (who formed a now-famous duo with Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation). Her cousin, Robert Carmine, she directed twice, in his short film Lick the Star (1998) and in The Virgin Suicides. Her production company, American Zoetrope, was originally co-founded by her father and George Lucas - who is no longer part of the team, allowing her and her brother to develop their own projects. She is the (co-)screenwriter of all the films she has directed.
After this brief overview, the editors invite you to (re)discover his work, with:
– The Bling Ring (2013)
– Lost in Translation (2003)
– Virgin Suicides (1999)
– Les Proies (2017)
«It seems that the greatest difficulty is finding the ending. Don't try to find it, it's already there..» Sofia Coppola
Write to the author: indra.crittin@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © Pathé
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