L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DCEMBER 8, 2016 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 7 SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY A s previously reported in the November 24, 2016 i s s u e o f L ' I t a l o - Americano, the Castro Theater in S a n F r a n c i s c o h o s t e d t h e November 15 Commonwealth Club event, a conversation with F r a n c i s F o r d C o p p o l a . O f course, Coppola's San Francisco Bay Area connections extend far beyond this one evening. Most of us know Coppola as one of the most influential direc- tors of the 20th century, writer of the screenplay and director of The Godfather, a film that is uni- versally praised as one of the greatest ever made. It won the best picture and best screenplay Oscars, subsequently followed by two successful sequels. A l t h o u g h C o p p o l a i s Michigan born, to Italian immi- g r a n t p a r e n t s , a n d r a i s e d i n Queens, New York, he is often referred to as the Godfather of San Francisco. He now resides part-time in the City where he has lived, on and off, since 1969, much of that time in the iconic North Beach neighborhood. This historically Italian district is not only where Coppola wrote the screenplay for The Godfather in Caffé Trieste, North Beach is also home to his famed bistro, Café Zoetrope, located in the historic Sentinel Building. When asked what his favorite neigh- borhood is in San Francisco he always replies, "North Beach." Coppola fondly recounted h o w a n d w h y h e w r o t e t h e screenplay for The Godfather in Caffé Trieste. Coppola started his first San Francisco film com- pany, American Zoetrope, along with George Lucas, in the late 1960s. Their goal was to estab- lish themselves as independent film makers so they decided to move to a city away from the influences of Hollywood and that city was San Francisco. The film company was and is located in this same structure today, the Sentinel Building. The Sentinel Building, also known as the Columbus Tower and Coppola's Cupola, is locat- e d a t 9 1 6 K e a r n y S t r e e t a t Columbus Avenue and is offi- cially designated San Francisco Landmark No. 33. Designed by Salfield and Kohlberg, it is a flatiron building clad in white tile and copper. Construction began prior to the 1906 earth- quake and fire and was complet- ed in 1907. It was eventually purchased by the singing group, the Kingston Trio in the late 1950s who in turn sold it to Francis Ford Coppola in the 1970s. He describes the building as "probably the most beautiful structure in San Francisco." He describes Café Zoetrope as simi- lar to the European bistros he c a m e t o l o v e ; " a n i n t i m a t e n e i g h b o r h o o d p l a c e w h e r e artists and musicians can freely associate and enjoy the bar, the wines and the simple but very g o o d m e n u . " T h e r e s t a u r a n t came about when he decided he wanted to have a bistro in the same building as the film com- pany located upstairs. When asked what his favorite movies filmed in the City are he replies, "Vertigo and Bullitt," although, Coppola did direct the 1974 film, The Conversation, which was filmed in its entirety i n t h e C i t y . H e a l s o w a s Executive Producer of the 1982 film, Hammett, based on the real-life mystery writer, Dashiell Hammett, famous for his San F r a n c i s c o b a s e d b o o k , T h e Maltese Falcon. He describes a perfect day in San Francisco as "a walk around North Beach, going into the City Lights book- store, and then to a Giants game at AT&T Park, walking there if possible. At night I'd see a show at Beach Blanket Babylon." A s t h e s t o r y g o e s , w h e n C o p p o l a w a l k e d d o w n Telegraph Hill making his way to Columbus Avenue and his office in the Sentinel Building, h e w o u l d f r e q u e n t l y c o m e across homeless individuals on the streets. This experience lead to his founding North Beach Citizens (NBC) in the spring of 2000, along with a group of resi- dents and merchants who joined together to discuss the rise of homelessness in their neighbor- hood. Rather than merely feed- ing them and sending them on their way, they envisioned a resource center that homeless and low-income residents could use as a base and a starting point to rebuild their lives and recon- nect with their community. NBC w a s b o r n i n J a n u a r y 2 0 0 1 staffed only with volunteers. Within one month, NBC was working with 50 homeless citi- zens. NBC annual fundraising dinners began 15 years ago with Coppola cooking pasta for the community in the basement of Saints Peter and Paul Church w h e r e i t i s s t i l l h e l d t o d a y . Participants enjoy a lively night out with neighbors, community leaders and notables featuring a n a u c t i o n , w i n e a n d l o c a l I t a l i a n c u i s i n e . N B C 1 6 t h A n n u a l S p r i n g F u n d r a i s e r Dinner will take place on April 23, 2017. For more information, CATHERINE ACCARDI Francis Ford Coppola's San Francisco Bay Area Connections v i s i t t h e i r w e b s i t e a t h t t p : / / www.northbeachcitizens.org/eve nts. As to why he chose Napa for his wineries he replies, "Beauty, nature and wine." He describes his Napa and Sonoma county wineries this way: "The one in Napa, Inglenook, is one of the most historically significant and beautiful wineries, not only in the region, but in the world. The one in Geyserville, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, is a wonderful, fun place to bring the family— sort of a one-of-a-kind experi- ence." Some of his Oscars are on display at the Geyserville estate. H e a l s o o w n s a l i f e s t y l e b r a n d c a l l e d F r a n c i s F o r d C o p p o l a P r e s e n t s w h i c h includes films, resorts and cafes. Coppola recently announced he w i l l o p e n a n e w r e s t a u r a n t , called Werowocomoco, at the V i r g i n i a D a r e W i n e r y i n Geyserville, featuring dining t h a t C o p p o l a s a i d w o u l d b e "inspired by the culinary tradi- tions of the earliest inhabitants of North America." Francis Ford Coppola. Photo: S. Bukley/Shutterstock Italian Community Services provid Bay Area Italian-American seniors and famili with trusted rourc to help them live healthy, independent and productive liv. We are commied to honoring and prerving the Italian language and culture, with an emphasis on the strength and suort that com om family, community, education and goodwill. Casa Coloniale John F. Fugazi 678 Green Street San Francisco, CA 94133 415 •362 •6423 www.italiancs.com . . • Translation for seniors /new immigrants • Community service coordination • Information and referrals Caffe Trieste. Photo: Catherine Accardi

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