Coppola's £98m gamble: Megalopolis or monumental mistake?

The film is advertised as an epic tale of political ambitions, set in a utopian vision of New York, referred to here as New Rome. "Megalopolis" was already showcased in Cannes and now awaits its theatrical release, scheduled for October. The director wanted to realise his project so badly that he ultimately funded it himself with £98 million, sacrificing part of his stakes in his family vineyard. So far, "Megalopolis" has been written about as a masterpiece and a film that could achieve great success in theatres worldwide. Then, disturbing reports emerged.

In May, "The Guardian" published an exposé about the behind-the-scenes making of Coppola's film. Extras and other set workers are featured in the report. He describes working on the project as "watching a train wreck unfold day after day, week after week, and knowing that everybody there had tried their hardest to help the train wreck be avoided," one person recounts. Others recall that the director spent hours in his trailer, smoking marijuana, while the crew, including actors, waited on set for someone to give them any tasks. "This sounds crazy to say, but there were times when we were all standing around going: ‘Has this guy ever made a movie before?" it reads.

There's no doubt that Coppola has vast experience, holding five Oscars to his name with films like "Apocalypse Now," "The Conversation," "The Godfather," and "Dracula." However, "The Guardian" notes that Coppola employed old-school filming methods that consumed hours of the entire technical crew and actors. The report also describes inappropriate behaviour towards women on set. Coppola allegedly pulled a woman onto his lap and, during the filming of wild scenes in a nightclub, tried to kiss a half-naked extra, claiming he wanted to "get her in the mood."

The issue didn't end there. "Variety" obtained footage from the set. The videos show Francis Ford Coppola walking among extras and sequentially kissing actresses during takes, sometimes getting in the cameraman's way. "Variety" sources commented that this was unprofessional and unusual behaviour. Coppola reportedly said on set, "Sorry, if I come up to you and kiss you. Just know it’s solely for my pleasure."

Subsequently, journalists approached one of the extras, Lauren Pagone, whom the director kissed. "I was in shock. I didn't expect him to kiss and hug me like that. I was caught off guard. And I can tell you he came around a couple times," she commented. Another extra added, "My entire experience being on that set was super weird and uncomfortable. It was probably the worst experience for me on a set ever."

Coppola's colleagues emphasise that no crew member working on "Megalopolis" has officially filed a complaint against the director or the entire production. Other extras who didn’t find Coppola's behaviour inappropriate spoke out. "Deadline" reached one of the kissed extras who denied her colleague’s words from the set. "He did nothing to make me or for that matter anyone on set feel uncomfortable. I felt disgusted, I was blindsided by it because it was a closed set. That someone had video of that is just ridiculous and super unprofessional. It’s gross because he only ever spoke about how wonderful his wife is. His wife was on set with us, most days. It feels gross, seeing that video and the way they were trying to convey a message. Just gross," Rayna Menz said.