Francis Ford Coppola: "Fidel, I love you."

[Year: 1]

Francis [Ford Coppola] then began work on his most daring film, "Apocalypse Now". Although George Lucas was initially slated to direct the film, Francis took over and decided to film in Cuba. He wrote a glowing letter to Fidel Castro saying "Dear Fidel, I love you.... We have the same initials. We both have beards. We both have power and want to use it for good." Despite this, he decided to film in the Phillipines when the president offered to put his army and air force at the crew's disposal.

http://www.squidoo.com/francisfordcoppola/

All you guys can learn more about the Hollywood and Fidel connection in this book (it is very biased in its vitriolic rage against Fidel and Hollywood artists).

Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant by Cuban exile-mafiosi
Humberto Fontova

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearc...895260433&itm=1 (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=0895260433&itm=1)

or you can read this article.

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page...T20021217a.html (http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200212\NAT2002 1217a.html)