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Coppola wanted to do a Roman epic set in modern America.
"But I had no idea that the politics of today would make that so
relevant," Coppola told a news conference on Friday, a day after
his decades-in-the-making passion project had its world
premiere.
"Because what's happening in America, in our republic and our
democracy, is exactly how Rome lost their republic thousands of
years ago," said "The Godfather" director. "Our politics has
taken us to the point where we might lose our republic."
Artists, not politicians, are going to be the answer, he added,
because they shine a light on contemporary life.
The film, which is loosely inspired by an attempted coup during
the Roman Republic, follows Cesar Catilina, an
architect-scientist played by Adam Driver, as he goes
head-to-head with the order-loving mayor of New Rome, played by
Giancarlo Esposito, in trying to turn his utopian vision into
reality.
"Toward the end of the movie last night I started - I came to
tears because all of a sudden I got it. I'm not supposed to know
everything. I'm not supposed to know all the answers," said
Esposito, known for "Breaking Bad" and "The Usual Suspects".
The film does not offer a clear answer to all the questions it
raises but instead aims to inspire a collective conversation on
how to improve society, which in turn allows people to feel hope
for the future, he explained at the news conference.
Coppola, who started developing the film's concept in the early
1980s, said there was no word to describe the emotion he felt
upon finally seeing the finished product on the big screen.
However, the Oscar-winning director of "Apocalypse Now", who has
often re-edited his work after it has already been released, did
not rule out also making changes to his latest film.
"I'll be here in 20 years, I think," the 85-year-old said,
briefly casting his eyes to the ceiling.
"If there's a way I can make the film a little better, I will
try. But I know that I'm done with it because I've already
started writing another film and that's a good sign that I'm
finished."
(Reporting by Miranda Murray and Alicia Powell; editing by
Jonathan Oatis)
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