Cannes (France): Francis Ford Coppola on Thursday premiered his self-financed opus Megalopolis at the Cannes Film Festival, unveiling a wildly ambitious passion project the 85-year-old director has been pondering for decades. This star-studded ensemble cast marks Coppola's return to the Croisette, where he previously premiered both Apocalypse Now (1979) and The Conversation (1974), winning the prestigious Palme d'Or for each film. No debut this year was awaited with more curiosity in Cannes than Megalopolis, which Coppola poured $120 million of his own money into after selling off a portion of his wine estate.
Not unlike Coppola’s Apocalypse Now some 45 years ago, Megalopolis arrived trailed by rumours of production turmoil and doubt over its potential appeal. Coppola was accompanied by the film's actors, Adam Driver, Shia LaBeouf, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, Grace Van der Waal, Chloe Fineman, and Giancarlo Esposito, who walked the red carpet at the Grand Theatre Lumiere. He looked graceful in a black suit.
Wearing a straw hat and holding a cane, Coppola walked the Cannes carpet Thursday, often clinging to the arm of his granddaughter, Romy Coppola Mars, while the soundtrack to The Godfather played over festival loudspeakers. After the screening, the Cannes audience stood in a lengthy ovation for Coppola and the film. The director eventually took the microphone to emphasize his movie's ultimate meaning.
“We are one human family and that's who we should pledge our allegiance to,” Coppola told the crowd. He added that Esperanza is “the most beautiful word in the English language” because it means hope. Megalopolis is a Roman Epic story set in a fictitious modern America. Cesar Catilina (Driver), a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opponent, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo that perpetuates greed, special interests, and partisan warfare, clash.
Socialite Julia Cicero (Emmanuel), the mayor's daughter, is torn between them, her love for Cesar dividing her allegiance and compelling her to find what she feels mankind deserves. Megalopolis is dedicated to Eleanor Coppola, the director’s wife who died last month. (With agency inputs)
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