Francis Ford Coppola’s beautiful tribute to Robin Williams for Jack’s 30th birthday

Thirty years after the film’s release, the director reveals previously unseen images from the shoot which recall the actor’s unique energy in front of a camera.

There are films that remain associated with an actor more than with their critical reception.

Released in 1996, Jack is one of those works intimately linked to the personality of Robin Williams, capable of mixing his incredible comic energy and deep melancholy. To mark the film’s 30th anniversary, Francis Ford Coppola has shared never-before-seen footage from rehearsals, offering a rare glimpse of the actor improvising on set.

Posted on American Zoetrope’s social media channels, the video shows Robin Williams alongside Adam Zolotin, who played his best friend Louis in the film. The two actors improvise, laugh, hold hands and even launch into an improvised song, illustrating the very special atmosphere that reigned around the shoot.

The director also gave a fond memory of this experience, explaining that he had “Loved doing Jack” and describing the film as “imaginative and unusual”.

If he recognizes that his central idea was reminiscent of that of big by Penny Marshall, he believes that Jack has its own emotion, notably thanks to its conclusion which he describes as “very touching”.

In the film, Robin Williams plays Jack Powell, a child suffering from a rare disease that causes him to age four times faster than normal. At only 10 years old, he has the body of an adult, but retains the mind and emotions of a child. A situation which forces him to face primary school and the eyes of others.

Francis Ford Coppola returned to this rehearsal scene, explaining that Williams played “a 10 year old boy in the body of a 40 year old man”while Louis’ character helps him overcome his fears by advising him to pretend to be the school principal to avoid trouble with his mother. A sequence which was constructed thanks to the improvisations of the two actors.

Also worn by Diane Lane, Brian Kerwin, Jennifer Lopez and Fran Drescher, Jack did not convince all the critics when it was released, some reproaching it for its proximity to big. But over the years the film has retained a special attachment to the public.

Robin Williams passed away in 2014 at the age of 63.