MEGALOPOLIS (R)
In the novel “Carrie” by Stephen King, Carrie White describes the use of her telekinetic powers as a “flex” of her mind. I thought of Carrie White quite a bit while watching Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” because that is precisely how I felt as this master of cinema’s self-funded opus unfurled its opulent splendor across the screen. To comprehend what I was being presented with, I needed to “flex.” And I’m glad I did.
Coppola is one of the greats, though it has been some time since he plied his trade in any substantive way beyond a multi-million dollar wine empire. The director of “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” was a titan of his time. His company ‘American Zoetrope’ was a foundational cog in the “New Hollywood” movement of the 1960’s and ’70s that gave birth to some of your favorite movies of all time. For decades he has fostered an idea that seemed his white whale, a film about the formation of a perfect city called ‘Megalopolis;’ a film most believed would never, or could never, get made. But, luckily for Coppola, we are in a banner era for filmmakers tackling their bucket list projects, with everyone from Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) to Kevin Costner (“Horizon: An American Saga – Part 1”) swinging for fences they previously believed untouchable. Now, bolstered by wine money and the assurance that this might be his last cinematic statement, Coppola presents his vision for the modern future through the haze of the far distant past; casting New York City as Rome on the brink of collapse, and a radical architect as the savior of a crumbling world.
Classified as ‘A Fable’ in the opening title, Coppola’s epic is best taken with the understanding that what you are witnessing is cinema in its most impressionistic form; a story told through archetypes, melodrama, and filmic techniques that call attention to themselves on purpose. I struggle to think of a movie that encompasses more of what movies can be than this one. Coppola throws his full creative weight at every moment on screen, with little care as to whether or not the audience is aware of his manipulations. Like Adam Driver’s Cesar Catalina, a mastermind architect and champion of building a modern eutopia, the writer/director seems to believe that subtlety is for suckers, and sometimes the best way to get your point across is to stab an audience in the heart with it.
Following the waning days of “New Rome,” the film details a power struggle between Driver’s idealist, a mayor struggling to maintain order (Giancarlo Esposito), and an incestuous banking family led by Jon Voight and a sniveling worm of an heir apparent played by Shia LaBeouf. This battle for the soul of “New Rome” is never coy about its relation to our reality, merely with a sheen of Roman decadence placed atop. Folks drive in cars but wear capes as formal wear, Madison Square Garden exists but hosts gladiatorial spectacles instead of the Knicks. The juxtaposition is jarring at first but as the film continues that opaque mask of antiquity allows Coppola’s earnest plea for a brighter future in a world falling into decay to shine through and lends an air of righteousness to the proceedings. By the time the climax rolled around, with Coppola’s vision laid bare in a monologue that my favorite film critic, Walter Chaw, equated to Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator,” I was hooked on the pure, vulnerable audacity of it all. Sometimes a director plastering their bare heart across the celluloid leaves a target for mockery. In this case, I would contend it offers something to which all artists should aspire. The man made me believe in his vision, even for a moment. That has to count for something.
I could describe the events of the film but you would think I was rambling or free-associating. Rest assured that each member of Coppola’s cast is locked into the maestro’s personal brand of high-minded mania, with Aubrey Plaza standing out in particular as a gold-digging gossip columnist deliciously named “Wow Platinum.” Fans of Coppola’s work will recognize his penchant for superimpositions, crossfades, and psychedelic imagery that obliterate the barrier between reality and fantasy. The filmmaking ethos is not of some young gun throwing every trick at the wall, but of an old hand delighting in the wealth of tools at his disposal. With the old masters aging and the glory days of a pre-IP Hollywood feeling further and further in the rearview, to see something this bold and unapologetic is an achievement in itself and more than worthy of our appreciation.
“Megalopolis” is a shaggy masterpiece of a movie. There are parts where voices don’t seem to line up with mouth movements, places where the limitations of this massive self-funded venture can be glanced at the fringes of the frame, and even a section where Adam Driver’s character seems to speak directly to the audience (and in its screening at Cannes, actually did). But these rough edges feel more like witness marks of a singular work of art than mistakes. Unencumbered by the voices of artless executives and unbothered by the need to return its financial investment; the film feels like a rarity in the medium, art for art’s sake. I am happy to report that the heartbeat begun nearly a half-century ago by Coppola and Co. with American Zoetrope is alive and well. Do yourself a favor, go to the theater, and see this one for yourself. Just be sure to keep an open mind, embrace the imperfections, and don’t forget to “flex.”
“Megalopolis” is playing THIS WEEK ONLY at the Prytania Theater Uptown.
THE FOG (R)
From one titan of cinema to another, “John Carpenter’s The Fog” is coming back to theaters as part of the Prytania Cinema Club’s October offerings. His follow-up to the generation-defining “Halloween”, “The Fog” follows the coastal town of Antonio Bay as it is besieged by a nightmarish blanket of fog that carries with it the long-dead souls of sailors lost at sea who seek vengeance for long-ago acts of murderous treachery. Starring Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Janet Leigh, “The Fog” is one of this writer’s favorite movies of all time, a quiet masterclass in tension and nightmare imagery with a score that should stand among Carpenter’s greatest compositions.
Witness a master at the height of his craft on the big screen in a beautiful 4K restoration and let Carpenter soundtrack your kick-off to the Halloween season proper.
You’ll be glad you did!
“The Fog” is playing at Prytania Theatres Canal Place on Sept. 29 and Oct. 2.
