Francis Ford Coppola‘s filmography is filled with iconic masterpieces, like The Godfather Trilogy, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now. While cinephiles and fans of the director are likely familiar with his 1983 film Rumble Fish, it’s not what most of us would identify with Coppola. That’s why it might come as a surprise to some that it’s the project Coppola’s most proud of making. With his decades-in-the-making passion project Megalopolis now in theaters, Coppola took over the film’s X/formerly Twitter account for an AMA (Ask Me Anything). User CY98 asked the filmmaker:
“Out of all the films that you’ve made, which one would you say you are the most proud of having made, or which one do you feel best captures your ideas of film as an art form?”
Coppola responded:
“That’s like asking someone with 7 kids, who’s the best? I love them all, but if scratched deeper I might say RUMBLEFISH.”
Rumble Fish is a stylish coming-of-age film based on S.E. Hinton’s 1975 novel of the same name. It stars Matt Dillon as Rusty James, a young gang leader in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is searching for meaning and identity in the wake of his older brother’s disappearance. Despite its commercial failure at the box office, the film was praised for its visual style and performances – the talented cast includes Mickey Rourke, Vincent Spano, Nicolas Cage, Diane Lane, Chris Penn, Dennis Hopper, and Diana Scarwid.
The film followed another S.E. Hinton adaptation that Coppola helmed, The Outsiders. Both were released in 1983 and presented similarities: coming-of-age stories that explored brotherhood and loyalty. But Rumble Fish was more stylized and experimental. Shot in black and white, it was the grittier version of Coppola’s Hinton adaptations. In Film Frenzy‘s review of the film, Matt Brunson nails the comparison between the two films, writing:
“If The Outsiders was S.E. Hinton for the masses, then Rumble Fish was seemingly designed with the art-house crowd in mind.”
Francis Ford Coppola Feels Most Connected to A Megalopolis Character
During his AMA session on X, Coppola was also asked: “What character of yours do you feel the closet connection with?” His response was Cesar Catilina, the central character in Megalopolis. Given that Coppola has been working to get his sci-fi epic on the screen since the 1980s, and that he funded the project himself, that answer isn’t exactly a shock. According to the film’s logline, Cesar Catilina is “a brilliant artist in favor of a utopian future.” In the film, the character is portrayed by Adam Driver, who leads the film alongside Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza and Shia LaBeouf.
Despite its stunning visuals and ambitious scope, Megalopolis has failed to impress audiences and critics, alike (reports of inappropriate on-set behavior haven’t helped the film, either). Critics find fault with the film’s hard-to-follow plot and pacing, but others commend Coppola’s passion project as a visually striking and thought-provoking experience. Even if the director’s latest film is not up to par with his best projects, it’s still a testament to the filmmaker’s fearless style.
Megalopolis is now in theaters.
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