Francis Ford Coppola wants to save the world, not talk about ‘The Godfather’

On a weird evening with the auteur.

After 90 minutes of hearing Francis Ford Coppola speak, I couldn’t tell you how he feels about the critical and commercial rejection of Megalopolis, but I can tell you that he believes we have agriculture because of how women pee.

His theory – which he called “The Francis Theory” – is that because women squat to pee, they were more in tune with the ground in prehistoric times, able to closely survey the soil, pebbles and other items on the ground and find a use for them. Men, because they stood and just knew “I pee by this tree at this point in the day and by that tree later in the day” invited time, which makes us a prisoner.

I admit that when I shelled out a not-paltry sum to hear Coppola speak this weekend at Detroit’s Henry Ford Museum, I expected more stories about being behind the camera for Apocalypse Now or building American Zoetrope. I didn’t anticipate over an hour’s worth of talk about history, philosophy and anthropology. I expected he might tell us to buy his book on “live cinema” or the recent biography written by the evening’s moderator Sam Wasson – which were both on sale at the event. Instead, he recommended The Chalice and the Blade, Riane Esiler’s 1987 book about matriarchies.

These conversations stemmed off a question Wasson posed about how we get our culture out of the mess we’re currently in¹, likely as a way to piggy-back on that afternoon’s screening of Megalopolis on the Henry Ford’s giant screen. Coppola mentioned that his inspiration for making Megalopolis – the film he’d been trying to get off the ground for 40 years – was because he wanted to make a movie about ancient Rome told in modern-day United States.

But if you thought the conversation might segue into a discussion of Adam Driver’s much-memed performance, you were sorely mistaken. Coppola talked about the history of the Roman empire. He referred to human beings as a “genius species” but said that our culture never admits this because that would make life harder for advertisers. He talked about how we're all members of one big family and the differences that evolved to make us different, and that wars happen because there’s no fight worse than a family fight. He discussed matriarchy at length (he’s a big fan). At another point, he had an audience member write a variety of subjects on a white board and discussed his views on them: Time (we should get rid of clocks). Work (do what you enjoy, let robots do the toil). Money (it doesn’t really exist when you have friends²). Politics (treat it like jury duty, where everyone has to serve). Sports (fine, but no betting).

I have to admit, this was not what I had hoped for. I knew the talk would likely center largely on Megalopolis, but I thought we’d get more specifics about the film or he’d talk about the trials of self-funding. I thought he’d throw us a bone and repeat some stories about The Godfather or say which cut of Apocalypse Now he prefers. Maybe the Detroit-born artist would share some memories about his brief time in the Motor City. Hell, I would have settled for some anecdotes about Jack. Instead, we got his views on how we can make the world better for our grandchildren.

Several people walked out during the rambling conversation (there were about 800 there at the start). Wasson gamely tried to corral the filmmaker but eventually (literally) threw up his hands when he saw he had lost control. A lot of phones were pulled out – not to videotape, but to check Facebook or texts. At one point, Coppola seemed to get lost in thought and someone shouted “talk about the movie!”

Coppola responded, “This is the movie!”

And that, right there, might have been the first thing that made me interested in seeing Megalopolis, which screened on a night when I had another obligation and was pulled off streaming services almost as quickly as it was yanked from theaters. It screened twice at the Henry Ford this weekend – once with Coppola in attendance – but I wasn’t able to make it (I did, however, see Apocalypse Now there on Friday and it was one of the great movie experiences of my life). It’s coming back in late May, and I may make an effort to see it just to make tonight’s conversation make some sense.

I know some who admit to liking Megalopolis. I know many, many more who outright hate it. I know that the overall impression is of a movie filled to bursting with ideas that it doesn’t know what to do with. And honestly, hearing Coppola ramble for 90 minutes about the state of the world and our ability and opportunity to create change, I can understand what drove his passion for the movie and why it was probably idea-centric first, artistic second. I want to see it just to see how much of this made it to the screen.

I absolutely understand why people were disappointed to have spent upwards of $80 to hear a beloved film director play armchair philosopher. I would have loved to hear Coppola talk more about his movies, even if it was just Megalopolis. I wanted to hear why he incorporated a live element into the film that was, in no way, sustainable to the viewing experience. I would have liked to hear more about why he chose several actors who were outspoken supporters of Donald Trump, especially since his politics seem opposed to our current president’s. I’d love to know why he wrote the line “entitles you to the riches of my Emersonian mind” and thought no one would turn that into the scene that launched a dozen TikToks.

But here’s the thing: I have zero regrets.

Like I said, this makes me curious about Megalopolis in a way no reviews or advertisements did. Coppola could have come out, told the same stories we can learn about in dozens of books and documentaries, and collected the money to pay off his debts. He could have turned this into a Megalopolis apology tour where he tried to convince us the movie was a masterpiece we just needed to give a chance (he did admit the movie had a lot that moviegoers might find uncomfortable). But no, he came out and sold the ideas that had consumed him and pushed him to make this movie. He still believes the world is worth saving, people are good and that maybe his movie can make a difference. He's aspirational and optimistic.

And whether I agree with (or understand) all his views, this is what I want to see artists do. I write this newsletter because I believe the arts – particularly film – can help make us better people and change our society. I kind of love that one of our most revered American directors came out, refused to play the pandering game, and instead talked at length about the ideas behind his art…even if he rarely got around to discussing the art itself. It was weird, it was rambling and it was probably a bit arrogant. But it was earnest, it was energetic – for an 86-year-old, Coppola can talk up a storm, and at one point said if it was up to him, he’d stop the talk now and turn this into an all-night dance (I guarantee the attendees would have gone for that).

And besides, how often can you say you shared the same air with the director of several of the greatest American films ever made? Coppola may have rambled, but he was funny, sharp and engaged. And during a very brief Q/A at the end, he did tell us a story about Marlon Brando on the set of The Godfather keeping a padlocked gallon of ice cream in his freezer because he was trying to lose weight…but his cravings got so intense, he’d regularly take a gun and shoot the lock off in the middle of the night. Hollywood, baby.

Francis Ford Coppola spent the 70s making The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now. We’ve had his wine around several meals. I may not have wanted to spend 90 hours getting a history lesson from the director of Peggy Sue Got Married, but you know what? One day, after Coppola has left us, I’m going to remember listening to him meander and ramble about matriarchy, time and work much more than if he’d come out and told us that Paramount wanted The Godfather to be set in modern day or that he had a breakdown on the set of Apocalypse Now. He’s an artist. Sometimes artists’ movies are passionate, weird and messy. Sometimes the artists are that way, too. I’ll take this conversation over listening to say, the Russo Brothers blab about deleted Avengers scenes.

1. Donald Trump was never mentioned by name, but Coppola made it clear many times that he is not a fan of our current president, who attended the same New York military school as the director.

2. His thoughts on money probably make sense for a man who has a $100 million loan coming due soon for a movie that disappeared from theaters in two weeks (he hinted as much).