When most cinephiles think ofFrancis Ford Coppola, they think of his miracle run in the 1970s.
Or they think of embarrassments from his for-hire period, including theRobin WilliamsweepyJack.
They might also make for good preparation ahead of this years highly anticipated (and speculated upon)Megalopolis.
It wasnt just the stink of Italian-American stereotypes that put Coppola off the picture though.
So, at Lucass urging, Coppola took the gig.
But none of those were the types of movies that Coppolareallywanted to make.
So after the solid John Grisham thrillerThe Rainmakerin 1997, he backed away from directing.
He spent part of his time thereafter returning to his previous work, offering new cuts ofThe OutsidersandApocalypse Now.
He did so in part to revitalize his Zoetrope facilities but that had less than stellar results.
Matei has devoted his life to finding the origins of human language.
He also experiences surrealistic visions that blend reality with fantasy, including that of his own glowering doppelganger.
The silliness begins with the name of the author played byVal Kilmer: Hall Baltimore.
Against his will, these elements draw Hall into a murder mystery with a connection to his book.
As different as the trio seems, they encapsulate everything great and frustrating about Coppola.
They are ambitious, uneven, and always personal.
Late Last Looks
Throughout his filmography, Coppola proves himself as a master visual storyteller.
Willards (Martin Sheen) head breaking the smoke and water before completing his bloody mission inApocalypse Now.
Even a failure likeOne From the Heartis worth watching if only for its wonderful compositions.
InYouth Without Youth, Coppola finds no interesting way of portraying the novels themes.
The final film in the trilogy,Twixt, seems to go in the exact opposite direction though.
She seems to glow, especially when standing next to the dull Baltimore.
It might be tempting to readTetros visual style as a retreat from experimentation.
When Angelo and Bennie attend a staging ofFaust, one would expect Coppola to indulge himself.
And yet, Gallo has a magnetism that makes him infinitely watchable, even as we hate him.
Its one of the most effective combinations of performer and character.
It makesTetroa thrilling watch.
However, all three movies share a deep interest in the nature of art and legacy.
Of the three,Tetromost obviously deals with artistic influence.
When Angelo abuses Miranda or berates his fellow creatives, he embodies the other legacy of his esteemed father.
It shows us how Angelo follows his father to hurt other people.
And yet,Tetrois resolutely optimistic.
Whatever their quality, this late trilogy finds Coppola looking back at his career, both worried and optimistic.
But of course they dont represent the end of his career.
That honor belongs toMegalopolis.
No sooner does Cesar allow himself to drop over the side than he screams time, stop!
freezing time and holding himself in place.
Standing back up, Cesar snaps his fingers and everything moves again.
With its heavy use of digital effects and surreal content, theMegalopolistrailer bears the hallmarks of Coppolas later work.
But as we saw withTwixt, Coppola doesnt always need or want realistic visuals.
Instead the ugliness of the imagery may be part of his larger themes.
At this point, the most we know aboutMegalopoliscomes the short trailer and a statement Coppola sent toVanity Fair.
But from the first days of writing the script, he kept everything under his name.
Grand as it sounds, Coppolas description only sets up the anxiety and disappointment that soon followed.
by the fantastic ability to stop time from flowing forward.
IfMegalopolisdoes fit in withYouth Without Youth,Tetro, andTwixt, then Coppolas final movie will have fitting company.
