In Morelia, Michoacán
Francis Ford Coppola, one of the most prominent figures of the generation of filmmakers who began to take over Hollywood in the 70s, with Megalopolis, his most recent film, feels a bit like what happened with Apocalypse Now or The Godfather 2, which does not They were very well received at first; However, he hopes that time will end up proving him right as it did with those films, because once again he opted to take risks, because “making art without risk is like making babies without sex.”
“I guess I feel about Megalopolis in a way something very similar to what I felt at the time about Apocalypse Now or The Godfather 2 when they said they had terrible performances, so clearly I failed in my job so that you could believe in the illusion. There is nothing on the screen but only emotion and thoughts in the audience, and if the illusion doesn’t work they will hate the film,” Francis Ford Coppola said yesterday at a press conference at the Morelia International Film Festival, where he arrived with occasion of the premiere of his most recent film.
Francis Ford Coppola pointed out that the best criticism is always that of time and it will be seen in the future if Megalopolis had an impact, because it has already happened, with The Godfather some thought “that it was the worst film ever made and that they were going to fire me ”.
Why would I make a movie as strange as Megalopolis when I’ve made movies that were previously considered great? The answer is that movies in the past were not considered great movies at the time.
“Really only a critic is important, the test of time, time will tell you if it is a great film or not,” said the director.
The iconic filmmaker is convinced that the greatest reward his new film could have, after the enormous effort he has made to make it a reality, is for it to be seen by a massive audience, but at the same time he himself questions why anyone would want to see it. a story told on the screen, because “if you are all here and we all know what the rules of cinema are today, it is because the film industry has done everything to always make the same type of films, to which they want us to be addicted and that viewers can’t stop watching, they want a movie to be like selling Coca-Cola and art is not that, art is just art and when it really is, it is free enough to take a risk,” he commented.
The winner of five Oscars defined Megalopolis as a “Roman epic” that has its relationship with current events, especially in the face of the presidential elections in the United States, in which Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are competing.
The Godfather went through a time in which those who
They thought it was the worst movie ever made and that
They were going to fire me, and luckily it was a success.
“I feel like the analogy between the Roman Senate and the American Senate is about to happen, it’s horrible to think that people don’t understand that we are on the verge of possibly repeating what Rome did and losing our Republic and that’s what the movie is about.” to say because we are a family and the important thing is not only that we are a human family, but that we are a family of geniuses because no other creature on Earth can do what we can do, because we have the ability to solve any problem,” said Francis Ford Coppola.
Therefore, when he was asked if he preferred Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, he was clear and forceful: “The people who could vote for Trump are the same people who in England voted for Brexit and who now wish they had not, because Brexit was like shooting yourself in the head. “Anyone who knows anything about elections knows that if we want to preserve our Republic, the election must be someone who understands what life really is,” he said.
Francis Ford Coppola criticized the billionaires who have supported Trump in the campaign. “You wonder why maybe there are so many millionaire people supporting Trump, like the famous man who makes Tesla, and it’s because they know he will do anything they want,” he said.
Regarding the film Megalopolis, he shared that he was inspired by the episode of the Roman historian Sallust, called the Conjuration of Catiline.
“I just took Catiline’s story and started exploring the idea of setting it in New York, which is kind of modern Rome, and because the United States was founded on the beginnings of the Roman Republic, so I started to conceive the idea of making an epic. Roman and that became Megalopolis,” he continued, explaining the true genesis of his plot about a reimagined modern United States in which the city of New Rome must change amid the conflict between Caesar Catiline, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian and idealistic future, and its opponent, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests and partisan warfare.
The film was released in theaters in the United States, grossing 12 million dollars against a budget of 120 million, which made it a box office failure, putting the filmmaker at a crossroads to be able to recover the large investment he made to be able to film such a film. how he wanted to do it.
In addition to the complication in its financial collection at the box office, Megalópolis has faced a series of negative reviews from critics and film experts who have seen it since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival to date, which which the director commented: “Why would I make a film as strange as Megalopolis when I have made films that were previously considered great? The answer is that movies in the past were not considered great movies at the time.”
Megalópolis will be released in movie theaters in Mexico on October 24 and those who see it will be able to judge the true value of the most recent work of one of the most outstanding geniuses in the history of the seventh art.
They honor him with a medal
Before the talk with fans and the media, Francis Ford Coppola was awarded the UNAM Filmoteca Medal for his contributions to cinema, a moment that will remain in the memory of those present. He received it happily and sang Agustín Lara’s bolero, “Solamente once”.
The director recognized the importance of cinema made in our country: “I hold the heritage of Mexican cinema in my hands, so I feel very grateful for it,” he said excitedly.
Oscar Awards
- Best Film: The Godfather and The Godfather II
- Best Director: The Godfather II
- Best Adapted Screenplay: The Godfather and The Godfather II
- Best Original Screenplay: Patton
- Irving Thalberg Memorial Award: for his contribution to cinema
