With just five feature films under her belt, Coppola may seem outgunned by the other subjects in the Great Filmmakers series ke Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, and Kathryn Bigelow t she is nevertheless a great choice, widening the scope to illustrate how not all films need explosions to succeed. The book is refreshingly nonhagiographic, admitting up front that her father, legendary director Francis Ford Coppola, opened countless doors for her, and that her early acting career, especially in her dad's The Godfather: Part III, was savaged by critics. Coppola headed instead for a career in fashion and music videos before circling back to cinema with her debut, The Virgin Suicides, and then her Oscar-winning Lost in Translation. Gold balances personal background with strong, fleet synopses of not only the films but also the pervading themes. Special two-page interludes further the focus on her use of music in films, her "reference book" of favorite images, and more. The exhaustive closing filmography includes her acting, writing, and producing projects.