Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ Receives 7-Minute Standing Ovation Alongside Boos
Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, US Director Francis Ford Coppola, Romy Croquet Mars and Adam Driver attend the premiere of 'Megalopolis' during the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France, 16 May 2024. EFE/EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER.
"Megalopolis" was perhaps the most anticipated film at the Cannes Film Festival. However, when a strenuously forced 7-minute applause and boos rang out after its world premiere on Thursday, the overall consensus by the majority is ‘poor,’ due to controversial scenes and unorthodox filmmaking.
Coppola is no stranger to controversy. The director faced similar reactions in 1979 with ‘Apocalypse Now,’ which went on to win the Cannes top prize Palme d'Or.
Coppola dedicated ‘Megalopolis’ to ‘hope’ and ‘family’ — “Thank you all so much. It is so impossible to find words to tell you how I feel. But they were not the only family because all of these wonderful actors and folks were all my family. As Cesar [Driver’s character in the film] says, we’re all one family. You’re all my cousins. We are one. We are the human family. As you see at the end, that’s who we should pledge our allegiance to: our entire family and to this beautiful home, Earth, that we have. That is my wish. That it’s the children who are going to inherit this beautiful world from us. The most important word we have is the most beautiful word in any language: ‘esperanza.’ Hope. And that’s what I dedicate this to.”
Francis Ford Coppola at Cannes 2024 (AP image).
‘Megalopolis’ dumfounded fans and critics alike, with many crude and unexpected moments. There was even a moment during the film where Adam Driver’s character was being interviewed by the press, and in the actual Grand Théâtre Lumière, a man walked on stage to speak the dialogue to Driver’s character on-screen, exchanging in a back-and-forth. For this scene, the auditorium lights turned on, startling some members of the audience.
The morning after its premiere, discussion about Coppola's 40+ year passion project showed no sign of slowing down. During Friday’s press conference for the film, discussions between journalists urged answers of why key creative talent quit or were fired during production, while the latest news about Coppola making unwanted advances towards actresses on-set sparked controversial chatter. Coppola was not forced to address these questions.
Controversy surrounded the film prior to its Cannes premiere, as its expense and reportedly mixed responses to early screenings made it difficult to secure wide distribution. However, Le Pacte has acquired the French distribution rights to the film and Goodfellas has signed on to handle international sales.
‘Megalopolis’ synopsis: An accident destroys a decaying metropolis called New Rome. Cesar Catilina, an idealist architect with the power to control time, aims to rebuild it as a sustainable utopia, while his opposition, corrupt Mayor Franklyn Cicero, remains committed to a regressive status quo. Torn between them is Franklyn's socialite daughter, Julia, who, tired of the influence she inherited, searches for her life's meaning.
