When Lionsgate released the second trailer for Francis Ford Coppola‘s epic film “Megalopolis” on Wednesday morning, it began with a litany of pans of his past work from several renowned critics.
“Megalopolis,” which premiered at Cannes, was dismissed by many critics as indulgent and muddled.
The new trailer aims to position Coppola’s latest film, as a work of art that will age well, much like its predecessors from the famed director.
The problem, and it’s a pretty massive one, is these quotes don’t actually appear in any of the cited reviews.
“Even if you’re one of those people who don’t like critics, we hardly deserve to have words put in our mouths.
Then again, the trivial scandal of all this is that the whole ‘Megalopolis’ trailer is built on a false narrative,” Gleiberman says of the trailer’s quotes.
Regarding that film, it now sounds kind.” Some of the critics cited in the trailer really did hate Coppola’s early works.
Reed, for instance, called “Apocalypse Now” a “gumbo of pretentious twaddle.” As for “Megalopolis,” it may indeed be worthy of critical reassessment.
Following a string of criticism from a number of well-known critics, Lionsgate unveiled the second trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s epic film “Megalopolis” on Wednesday morning.
The New Yorker’s Pauline Kael and Village Voice’s Andrew Sarris are quoted in the trailer as saying that “The Godfather” is “diminished by its artsiness” and “sloppy self-indulgent,” respectively. Similarly, quotes from critics like Roger Ebert, John Simon, Stanley Kauffmann, Vincent Canby, and Rex Reed flash across the screen, criticizing Coppola’s work on masterpieces like “Apocalypse Now” harshly. The premise of these films held up over time, but their initial reception did not. Many critics criticized “Megalopolis,” which had its Cannes premiere, for being overly complex and indulgent. Similar to the renowned director’s earlier films, the new trailer attempts to present Coppola’s most recent picture as a timeless piece of art.
Though the trailer’s argument has a fairly large flaw, it’s an interesting point nonetheless. The issue, which is rather significant, is that none of the cited reviews really contain these quotations. None of the phrases appear in the online versions of the stories, as noted by Vulture and confirmed by Variety. Right now, it’s unclear from which source any of the quotations are taken. Ebert actually took a quote from his 1989 review of “Batman” to refer to “Dracula” as a “triumph of style over substance.”. “.
When he reviewed “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” for Entertainment Weekly in 1992—where he was employed at the time of the film’s release—Garcia of Variety is falsely quoted as describing the picture as “a beautiful mess” and emphasizing its “absurdity.”.
We scarcely deserve to have words forced into our mouths, even if you’re among those who detest critics. However, Gleiberman notes of the quotes in the trailer, “The small scandal of all this is that the entire ‘Megalopolis’ trailer is built on a false narrative.”. “‘The Godfather’ was adored by critics. And despite being controversial, “Apocalypse Now” garnered a great deal of important critical support. Regarding my previous statement that “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” was “a beautiful mess,” I only wish I had said it! It sounds nice now. “.
Some of the reviewers mentioned in the teaser actually thought highly of Coppola’s early productions. For example, Reed described “Apocalypse Now” as a “gumbo of pretentious twaddle.”. “.
It might be worthwhile to reevaluate “Megalopolis” from a critical standpoint. The movie received a poor review from Variety’s Peter Debruge, who said that the “legendary director constructs a deeply personal, but sloppy allegory on his relationship to art.” He also said that “it turns out, world-building — that invaluable tool of 21st-century Hollywood franchises — may not be in his wheelhouse.”. “.
Marvellopolis makes its way to the U. s. theaters on Sept. 27. . Variety asked Lionsgate for a statement, but they didn’t get back to them right away. In addition, Reed did not answer a request for comment. Reed is still the Observer’s reviewer. Getting a response from the deceased Kauffmann, Sarris, Canby, Simon, Kael, and Ebert is difficult.
