19/23
Christianity does not exist in this universe
Synopsis
The city of New Rome is faced with a duel between Cesar Catilina, a brilliant artist who advocates a utopian future, and greedy mayor Franklyn Cicero. Between them is Julia Cicero, whose loyalties are divided between her father and her lover. Francis Ford Coppola wrote the script in the early 1980s, but the film was shelved, in part because of his financial debts. Pre-production finally began in 2001 after shooting 30 hours of second takes and doing table reads with Paul Newman, Uma Thurman, Robert De Niro, James Gandolfini, Nicolas Cage, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Edie Falco, and Kevin Spacey, but the project was abandoned after the 9/11 attacks because a scene in the script (page 166) “predicted” the attacks. Coppola abandoned the project entirely in 2007 and did not begin developing it until 2019. At 9:40 PM, the character of Catiline utters the phrase “Holy Jesus Christ!” with amazement. However, in-universe, the city of New Rome is derived from a culture based on Roman mythology (example: 54:47, the sacrifice of Vesta; 01:55:51, someone says “The Will of Cronos,” or at 01:56:49, a statue of Saturn is prominently displayed, while there are numerous other depictions of Roman deities). There is no reason for Catiline to use the phrase “Holy Jesus Christ!” in this context. Cesar Catiline: *You* want to help me?
Julia Cicero: Yes
And, well, I… well, I want to learn. Cesar Catilina: And you think a year of… medical school entitles you to sift through the riches of my Emersonian mind? Julia Cicero: Entitles me? Cesar Catilina: Yes. Julia Cicero: [scoffs] Entitles me? Cesar Catilina: Yes! Julia Cicero: Entitles me?
Cesar Catilina: YES!
Julia Cicero: You don’t know anything about me! Do you think I’m nothing, just a socialite? Cesar Catilina: No, not nothing, but I reserve my time for people who can think. About science. And literature, and… architecture, and art. Do you think I’m cruel and selfish and unfeeling? That’s what I am. I work, not caring what happens to either of us.
Julia Cicero: Fine!
So go back to the club, bare it all, and follow the people you like. I will. Cesar Catilina: Come back when you have more time! The Ultimate IMAX Experience version of the film features live actor questions during a filmed press conference. Appears in Amanda the Jedi Show: MEGALOPOLIS is my Nightmare | Explained (2024). My PledgeBy Grace VanderWaalPerformed by Grace VanderWaalCourtesy of Columbia RecordsWith permission from Sony Music EntertainmentProduced and arranged by Kris Kukula. Every penny is on display. That’s the good thing about Francis Ford Coppola’s latest and probably last film. Between the cast, the costumes, and the set design that depicts New York as New Rome, you can see it all.
What do I think?
The only question that remains is why 42nd Street from Third Avenue to Times Square was left untouched, and what about the theaters from 7th to 8th Avenue? That said, it’s natural to be skeptical of what is essentially an admiring biopic about Robert Moses. Especially since it was apparently written by Ayn Rand as a response to METROPOLIS, then given to Abel Gance after convincing him he was making a movie about Julius Caesar, not Napoleon. And don’t forget the quotes from Marcus Aurelius. All in all, this is a very scholarly film. To appreciate the details, you have to read a lot of Roman history, watch a lot of silent films, and be familiar with New York in the second half of the 20th century, including the flight of the middle and upper classes from the 1950s to the 1980s. Through the vagaries of my upbringing and a chaotic course of self-education, I can claim that’s the case. So. The performances are okay.