"When did cinema not become art?" Ford Coppola and cast defend 'Megalopolis'

Record ID: 1843694

  • Title: "When did cinema not become art?" Ford Coppola and cast defend 'Megalopolis'
  • Date: 24th September 2024
  • Summary: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA (SEPTEMBER 9, 2024) (Reuters) (SOUNDBITE) (English) WRITER, DIRECTOR, FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA, SAYING: "You know, we're so used to seeing movies that are like other movies because they're financed that way. You know, you see a movie, but, you know it's going to be like Spider-Man or, you know it's going to be like, you know, whatever it's going to be
  • Embargoed: 8th October 2024 10:52
  • Keywords: Adam Driver Film Francis Ford Coppola Future Giancarlo Esposito Megalopolis
  • Location: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA; CANNES, FRANCE; UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS
  • City: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA; CANNES, FRANCE; UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Film,North America
  • Reuters ID: LVA003518318092024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: After featuring at prominent film festivals, legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola's $120 million self-funded passion project 'Megalopolis' is finally going to be viewable by audiences as it releases in U.S. cinemas on September 27.
    Based on the Roman historic coup d'etat the Catilinarian Conspiracy, the film follows Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina, an architect-scientist with a vision for the future, who can also stop time.
    While Catilina's vision goes against that of New Rome's mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), Cicero's daughter Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel) crosses allegiances and falls in love with Catilina.
    When 'Megalopolis' premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, many critics were unimpressed by the film but some found it entertaining.
    Entertainment news outlet Vulture summarized the general reception with the headline "Megalopolis is a work of absolute madness," while The Hollywood Reporter's quick take described it as "a folly that's not without a certain fascination."
    Coppola, speaking to Reuters from the Toronto Film Festival, believes that these critics have become too accustomed to a certain type of filmmaking narrative.
    We're so used to seeing movies that are like other movies because they're financed that way. You know, you see a movie, but, you know it's going to be like Spider-Man or, you know it's going to be like, you know, whatever it's going to be like. But it's not a one-off movie, it's always something that's already proven that it will make money. It's like a potato chip that you know is habit forming and 'Megalopolis' is new," he said.
    The idea for the film came to Coppola in the 1980s. He first tried to make the film in the 90s but the events of September 11 stalled his production.
    After almost giving up on the project in 2007 due to a lack of support, Coppola decided to follow through on it after turning 80, followed by the pandemic, which involved selling a piece of his wine business to self-finance the film's production.
    The film's central narrative of creating something new echoes the filmmaker's own struggles to bring 'Megalopolis' to life.
    Asked if the film was an allegory for his journey, Coppola replied, "All my films are. When I was young and made 'The Godfather', I had to be like Michael because I had no power and I had to be very Machiavellian. When I made 'Apocalypse Now', I was in an absurd situation with helicopters and millions of dollars every week that I was paying for, so I had to become a megalomaniac like Kurtz. You know, I have always become the characters in my movies just to survive."
    In defense of the film, Driver said that the film can't be critiqued on the first viewing as there are too many ideas to absorb in one go.
    "I think it does have legs and I think it is something that you want to return to and can return to and mine something else out of it. And it, you know, has a place in people's minds as being one of a kind, which I don't think a lot of films can say that, you know," he said.
    (Production: Rollo Ross)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register