Francis Ford Coppola’s commitment to being unapologetic regarding his creations is awe-inspiring. But given its double-edged nature, throughout his decades-long career, the American auteur has witnessed the highest of highs and lowest of lows, and his recent film, Megalopolis, has garnered traction for all the wrong reasons.
Coppola, who has been the recipient of five Academy wins for his contribution to the medium, scored a Razzie accolade for Worst Director and took this opportunity to call out Hollywood over its corporatization.
Francis Ford Coppola takes a dig at Hollywood’s gutless approach to cinema
Back in ’81, Francis Ford Coppola attempted to challenge the studio system with One from the Heart, which landed him in a decade-long financial turmoil. Although many hoped his $120M passion project would right the wrongs of his failed attempt at revolutionizing the producer-driven model of major studios, unfortunately, it bombed critically and commercially.
Instead of firing back at the Razzies, Coppola, who scored the Worst Director accolade, took to his IG to take a dig at the current state of cinema, in which art is relegated to mere numbers “as if it were professional wrestling”. The filmmaker further assured fans that he has no intention of following the “gutless rules” of an industry that is terrified of taking risks.
In this wreck of a world today, where ART is given scores as if it were professional wrestling, I chose to NOT follow the gutless rules laid down by an industry so terrified of risk that despite the enormous pool of young talent at its disposal, may not create pictures that will be relevant and alive 50 years from now.
Coppola isn’t wrong with his assessment of the current trend of contemporary moviemaking, especially at the helm of big studios, which prioritize profit over the artistic vision of a filmmaker.
Francis Ford Coppola is eying two more projects
Despite financing the $120M film by himself, Francis Ford Coppola has no intentions to settle down and is eyeing to create two more projects, which include a drama set in England and Distant Vision, a story about “three generations of an Italian American family like mine [Coppola].”
He added (via Rolling Stone):
One is a regular sort of movie that I’d like someone to finance and make in England, because I don’t have a big history with my wife in England. Everywhere else I go, I’m reminded of her all the time. The other is called Distant Vision, which is the story of three generations of an Italian American family like mine, but fictionalized, during which the phenomenon of television was invented
Even though Megalopolis had its fair share of flaws, Coppola does deserve ovation for his commitment to the artform, which is being pushed to the limit due to its corporatization at the mainstream level.
Megalopolis is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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