Peter Bart: Coppola’s Utopian Epic Stirs Debate At Cannes While Former Partner George Lucas Quietly Sets His Own Pricey, Futuristic Surprise
deadline.comThe Megalopolis parties and debates last week generously fed Cannes’ appetite for media buzz. Fest-goers were reminded that Francis Coppola’s journey had been a thrill ride for those who witnessed it, invested in it or were impacted by its turmoil.
The auteur was trailed all week by fans and family, many having survived the melodramatic ordeals of One from the Heart, the operatic intrigues of Apocalypse Now and finally the utopian fever dream titled Megalopolis, which he financed by putting $120 million of his own money on the line.
All represented a defiant challenge to the pre-algorithmic definitions of risk and reward. But one long-term participant in the Coppola drama was a non-presence in Cannes last week — though he is receiving an honorary Palme d’Or on Saturday.
He’s George Lucas, the billionaire nerd from Modesto who in former years contributed a discipline and order to their company’s (Zoetrope) unruly landscape. RELATED: Says “I’m Not Interested” In A Streaming Deal For ‘Megalopolis’: “I Tried Not To Adhere To The Rules” – Cannes Studio But as Cannes honored Coppola this week, Lucas was on a different mission — celebrating his 80th birthday at his Skywalker Ranch.
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