MOVIE OF THE WEEK #3

Although Francis Ford Coppola is best known for his mythic 'Godfather' movies and 'Apocalypse Now', I find I now have an almost equal love for two of his smaller movies.

Having already written about 'Rumble Fish' (1983) in a previous article 'Matt Dillon And The Melancholy Of Youth' (07/03/22) a film that continues to fascinate on numerous levels, today, I'd like to talk briefly about 'Tucker: The Man And His Dreams' (1988) a film that could be equally autobiographical in what it tells us about Coppola as his more famous works.  

Originally the movie was set to star Marlon Brando in the title role with music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green which would have been interesting to say the least, though in its final form, Coppola delivered a near-perfect comedy-drama with strong casting from top to bottom.

Jeff Bridges, playing the role of inventor, Preston Tucker, invokes a charm and spirit of an idea of America that has almost become extinct; that of the happy-go-lucky entrepreneur who believes in limitless possibilities when it comes to man-made creativity and innovation.  

Inspired to design the 'car of the future', what starts off as a romantic possibility soon becomes a dream that the American public wholeheartedly buys into forcing Tucker to create the reality of the car he's so far only designed a speculative mock poster for.  

Where things begin to get tricky for Tucker is when he faces increasing hostile animosity from the big three automakers - General Motors, Ford and Chrysler for daring to break into their elite circle and their tight iron grip on the car industry. In this sense, 'Tucker' is a David vs Goliath story and one where the giant(s) in question are not afraid to completely obliterate their young challenger from making any further headway into their industry threatening the very notion of the American dream.

And whether it be car design or movie making, there are obvious parallels to be drawn between Coppola's own difficulties with film productions in his past and Tucker's challenges to break into the world of car manufacturing. Both men are driven by the same obsessive desire to bring something new and exciting to the world and both men almost risk losing everything in the process.