Francis Coppola had ambitions to take on the major studios and failed.
His experience lead him to make the film of Preston Tucker who wanted to make better and safer cars after World War 2 and failed as the big boys of the motor industry flexed their muscles and crushed the little guy with big ideas.
The film was a hit with the critics but failed to gain much headway with the public. It is beautifully filmed like a homage to those Preston Sturges films and the colourful Douglas Sirk films.
It has a wonderful zippy script and a mesmerising performance from Jeff Bridges who should had got an Oscar nomination.
Bridges brings a lot of pizzazz to a guy with big ideas and a big drive. He is ably supported by Martin Landau, Joan Allen, Frederic Forrest and even his own father, Lloyd Bridges turns up as a sinister politician.
It is heartbreaking to see such dream and ambitions crushed by government and big industry and it's a theme revisited by Martin Scorsese when he later made The Aviator, the biopic about Howard Hughes, a character who also features in this film.
This is surely one of Coppola's most underrated film's and one of Bridges best performances.
His experience lead him to make the film of Preston Tucker who wanted to make better and safer cars after World War 2 and failed as the big boys of the motor industry flexed their muscles and crushed the little guy with big ideas.
The film was a hit with the critics but failed to gain much headway with the public. It is beautifully filmed like a homage to those Preston Sturges films and the colourful Douglas Sirk films.
It has a wonderful zippy script and a mesmerising performance from Jeff Bridges who should had got an Oscar nomination.
Bridges brings a lot of pizzazz to a guy with big ideas and a big drive. He is ably supported by Martin Landau, Joan Allen, Frederic Forrest and even his own father, Lloyd Bridges turns up as a sinister politician.
It is heartbreaking to see such dream and ambitions crushed by government and big industry and it's a theme revisited by Martin Scorsese when he later made The Aviator, the biopic about Howard Hughes, a character who also features in this film.
This is surely one of Coppola's most underrated film's and one of Bridges best performances.