20 Movies That Francis Ford Coppola Highly Recommends You Watch: “Appreciation To The Pictures That Inspired Me”

Francis Ford Coppola reveals a list of 20 movies that he highly recommends you watch and show “appreciation to the pictures that inspired” him. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Coppola has directed movies such as The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now. Over a decade after his last film, the 85-year-old director’s latest movie is Megalopolis, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and is already fiercely divisive ahead of its theatrical release on September 27.

Ahead of Megalopolis‘ theatrical release, Francis Ford Coppola joined Letterboxd and created a list of 20 movies that he highly recommends. While not complete by any means, the list is simply 20 movies that he enjoys, have inspired him, and would recommend to any fan of cinema or aspiring filmmaker. Check out his list below:

• French Cancan (1955)
• The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
• The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)
• Shanghai Express (1932)
• The Awful Truth (1937)
• The Ladies Man (1961)
• The Burmese Harp (1956)
• Tokyo Story (1953)
• The Last Laugh (1924)
• The Blue Angel (1930)
• Splendor in the Grass (1961)
• Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
• Empire of the Sun (1987)
• Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
• The Joyless Street (1925)
• A Place in the Sun (1951)
• The King of Comedy (1982)
• After Hours (1985)
• Ashes and Diamonds (1958)
• Invitation to the Dance (1956)

Breaking Down Francis Ford Coppola’s Recommended Movies

& How They Inspired His Own Work

Coppola’s list of his recommended movies encompass a wide range of genres, periods, and styles, showcasing his eclectic taste and deep appreciation for cinema. His choices range from classic Hollywood, European arthouse, and Asian cinema, from musicals like French Cancan and Invitation to the Dance to deeply emotional dramas like Tokyo Story and Splendor in the Grass. Overall, Coppola’s recommended movies reflect his deep reverence for various cinematic styles and the history of the medium itself.

While Coppola’s list includes many classics from the 1920s to the 1960s, it also features two of Martin Scorsese’s lesser-appreciated movies from earlier in his career, The King of Comedy and After Hours. While there are many classic filmmakers on his list, Scorsese is Coppola’s contemporary, both coming up during the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s. Other repeat directors on his list include the Austrian filmmaker Josef von Sternberg (Shanghai Express and The Blue Angel) and the German director F.W. Murnau (The Last Laugh and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans).

Rather than just movies he would recommend, Coppola has curated a list of films that have inspired his own work. For instance, the psychological depth of Ashes and Diamonds and Akira Kurosawa’s The Bad Sleep Well relate to the complex character studies found in The Godfather movies. The surreal and atmospheric qualities of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love and Scorsese’s After Hours can be seen in Coppola’s own experiments with mood, particularly Apocalypse Now. The visual elegance of Sunrise and The Last Laugh are also echoed in Coppola‘s own visual style, contributing to the iconic imagery in his movies.

Source: Francis Ford Coppola/Letterboxd