There’s Francis Ford Coppola, daughter Sofia Coppola and Coppola wines. Now Francis’ wife Eleanor’s first film, “Paris Can Wait,” played at Tribeca and opens in theaters Friday. Eleanor just had her 81st birthday. So why’s she doing this?
“Awhile back, a gentleman said he’s driving from Cannes to Paris. Seven hours. But it took two days. I always thought this romantic story should be a movie.
“I directed it. I’ve never directed anything. I also wrote the screenplay. I’d never written one. I had some visual sensibility but wasn’t finding it anywhere else. Looking for a director and funding, I took a year’s writing course. Sounds absurd, but finally Francis said I should direct this. Even Sofia told a mom who’s just supposed to be a mom, ‘Mom, you should make this.’
“The point being, what can I lose? It won’t start or end any career for me. At my age, I have freedom so — OK — I’ll try it. Terrified I wouldn’t get funding, I hit a wall. This was six years of trying.
“It was like cooking. Great ingredients, but the cake didn’t rise. It rained. Things got in my way. I worried. Francis sent a dialogue coach who told me, ‘Too much dialogue. An actor can’t say all that.’ A script consultant who knew the craft helped me.”
It’s in English, but filmed all in France. Besides Alec Baldwin and Diane Lane, it’s French actors, French words, French crew. But she lives in California, not France.
Handsome Eleanor, good blouse, neat jewelry, coiffed white hair, perfect makeup, married 54 years — “And I don’t speak French. I had some difficulties with French actors struggling in English. But the story’s about France. It’s no Academy Award film. It’s an enjoyable, entertaining one.”
And the family’s opinion?
“Francis had seen the dailies. He encouraged me.”
The romance film relives a true adventure. So . . . might Mama maybe be Lane’s character?
Wonder of the world
OK, so we got us a new movie time Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot. Israeli, 32, swordswinging, butt-kicking etc., etc., and blaah blaah.
So qué pasa with wife, mother, now 65, TV’s stunning original Wonder Woman of the ’70s, Lynda Carter? Former Miss World America, former Miss USA, cabaret singer, she’s worked these years traveling and drumbeating how to combat IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).
Prez priming
His Supremeness the President of the United States of America, His Excellency Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, His Worship Leader of the Free World — praise the Lord — is gathering the team. Briefings. Crash course on Israel.
Netanyahu, who favors Trump, also is figuring a few more shekels might drop from Washington into Jerusalem.
Bits & pieces
The new Greenwich Steakhouse. HBO’s “Game of Thrones” lover Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, needing all his strength, inhaled a 48-ounce porterhouse . . .
The new album “With a Twist.” Jazz starlet Bria Skonberg dropped the first single — Björk’s “It’s Oh So Quiet”. . .
The new movie, Paramount’s “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.” Its LA opening actually got blessed with the actual presence of actual former US VP Al Gore.
Notice: If asked where you are from, you might reply “New Hampshire” or “New Canaan” or “New Jersey” — fine. But . . . if you’re from here, you’d answer “N’York.”
Never the full word “New.” Always “N” slurs into the “Y” and the answer becomes “N’York.” I don’t know why. I don’t care either. It won’t lessen my taxes. I’m just sharing my knowledge . . .
Only in N’York, kids, only in N’York.