Dear, Sweet Francis

Last spring, a friend invited me to a screening of a documentary about legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the man behind The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. I expected Coppola—who was present for the screening—to be a larger-than-life figure, so when they introduced him, we were shocked that the man sitting right across the aisle from us rose and walked toward the front. The storied director looked like someone's grandfather—he was sweet, unassuming and completely polite. He was so proud of his newest film, Youth Without Youth, but in a really unpretentious way. He explained how he had wanted to make this film his whole life and that he had been miserable during the filming of his most famous movies but he had actually enjoyed making this movie. The documentary shown that night, shot by his wife, showed him joyfully interacting with Youth Without Youth star Tim Roth and lovingly creating shots for the film. The result is a gorgeous piece of cinema that serves as a valentine to the agelessness of love and a testament to the passion of its celebrated director. See it as part of the Magnolia at the Modern series at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St. The film shows at 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8.50. Visit themodern.org/magnolia.html.
Jan. 11-13, 2008