Francis Ford Coppola on Thursday will premiere at the a film on which he has risked everything, one that鈥檚 arriving clouded by rumors of production turmoil. Sound familiar?
On Thursday, Coppola鈥檚 will make its much-awaited premiere. Other films are debuting in Cannes with more fanfare and hype, but none has quite the curiosity of 鈥淢egalopolis,鈥� the first film by the 85-year-old filmmaker in 13 years. Coppola put $120 million of his own money into it.
Forty-five years ago, something very similar played out when Coppola was toiling over the edit for 鈥淎pocalypse Now.鈥� The movie鈥檚 infamous Philippines production, which would be documented by , was already legend. The originally planned release in December 1977 had come and gone. Coppola had, himself, poured some $16 million into the $31 million budget for his Vietnam-set telling of Joseph Conrad鈥檚 鈥淗eart of Darkness.鈥�
鈥淚 was terrified. For one thing, I was on the hook for the whole budget personally 鈥� that鈥檚 why I came to own it,鈥� 鈥淚n addition, in those days interest was over 25, 27%. So it looked as though, especially given the controversy and all the bogus articles being written about a movie that no one knew anything about but were predicting it was 鈥榯he heralded mess鈥� of that year, it looked as though I was never going to get out of the jeopardy I was in. I had kids, I was young. I had no family fortune behind me. I was scared stiff.鈥�
Gilles Jacob, delegate general of Cannes, traveled to visit Coppola, hoping he could coax him into returning to the festival where the director鈥檚 鈥淭he Conversation鈥� had won the Palme d鈥橭r in 1974. In his book, 鈥淐itizen Cannes: The Man Behind the Cannes Film Festival,鈥� Jacob recounted finding Coppola in the editing suite 鈥渂eset by financial woes and struggling with 20 miles of film.鈥�
By springtime 1979, Coppola had assembled an edit he screened in Los Angeles 鈥� much as he recently did 鈥淢egalopolis.鈥� When Jacob got wind of the screening, he threw himself into securing it for that year鈥檚 Cannes.
鈥淎lready considered an event even before it had been shown, 鈥楢pocalypse Now鈥� would be the festival鈥檚 crowning glory,鈥� Jacob wrote. He added: 鈥淯ltimately I knew it was Cannes鈥� setting 鈥� more than a match for his own megalomania 鈥� that would convince him to come.鈥�
But Coppola wasn鈥檛 so sure. The film was unfinished, didn鈥檛 have credits yet and he still was unsure about the ending. But after some back-and-forth and debate about whether 鈥淎pocalypse Now鈥� would screen in or out of competition, it was decided: It would screen as a 鈥渨ork in progress鈥� 鈥� in competition.
At the premiere in Cannes, Coppola carried his daughter, Sofia, then 8, on his shoulders. The response to the film wasn鈥檛 immediately overwhelming.
鈥溾�橝pocalypse Now,鈥� one of the most ballyhooed movies of the decade, got only a polite response at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday,鈥� wrote the Herald Tribune.
At the press conference, Coppola was defensive about the bad press the film received and the attention given to its budget.
鈥淲hy is it that I, the first one to make a film about Vietnam, a film about morality, am so criticized when you can spend that much about a gorilla or a little jerk who flies around in the sky?鈥� .
But 鈥淎pocalypse Now鈥� would ultimately go down as one of Cannes鈥� most mythologized premieres. The president of the jury that year, French author Francoise Sagan, preferred another entry about war: 鈥淭he Tin Drum,鈥� Volker Schlondorff鈥檚 adaptation of the G眉nter Grass novel. The jury, split between the two, gave the Palme d鈥橭r to both.
鈥淢egalopolis,鈥� too, will be premiering in competition on Thursday.
The day after the 1978 Cannes closing ceremony, Jacob recalled running into Coppola at the Carlton Hotel, just as he was leaving.
鈥淎 big, black limousine was about to drive off. The back door opened and Francis got out,鈥� Jacob wrote. 鈥淗e came up to me, held out his hand and, as he removed a big cigar from between his teeth, said, 鈥業 only received half a Palme d鈥橭r.鈥欌��
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