‘Megalopolis’ Trailer Fabricates Quotes From Famous Movie Critics

As a cinephile who’s spent decades immersed in the world of cinema and its intricate tapestry of critics, reviews, and debates, I find myself rather amused by this little kerfuffle surrounding the trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis.” It seems we critics are not immune to a bit of artistic license ourselves!

On Wednesday morning, when Lionsgate unveiled the second trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s grand film “Megalopolis”, it started by showcasing critical acclaim for his previous projects from various esteemed movie reviewers.

The trailer for “Megalopolis,” which premiered at Cannes, is attempting to present Coppola’s latest movie as a piece of art destined to endure over time, similar to his earlier works that initially faced criticism but have since proven their worth, such as “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now.” Critics like Pauline Kael from The New Yorker, Andrew Sarris from the Village Voice, Roger Ebert, John Simon, Stanley Kauffmann, Vincent Canby, and Rex Reed had harsh words for these films upon their release, labeling them as “diminished by its artsiness” and a “sloppy self-indulgent movie.” However, over time, these masterpieces have stood the test of time, proving that initial reactions may not always be accurate.

I found it intriguing when they presented their argument in the trailer, but there seems to be a substantial flaw that I can’t help but notice. The issue, and it’s quite sizeable, is that the quotes they attribute to various reviews don’t seem to align with any of the actual reviews I could find online. As Vulture points out, and confirmed by EbMaster, none of these phrases appear in the digital versions of the stories available today. The origin of these quotes remains uncertain at this time. Interestingly enough, Roger Ebert’s quote about “Dracula” being a “triumph of style over substance” is actually from his 1989 review of “Batman,” not the original review of “Dracula.”

In his review for Entertainment Weekly during the film’s initial release, Owen Gleiberman, who is associated with EbMaster, did not call “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992) a “beautiful mess” or emphasize its “absurdity.” Instead, he may have used other descriptors to express his thoughts on the film.>

“Gleiberman points out that despite some people’s dislike for critics, we should still have the right to express our opinions. He adds that the current controversy revolves around the fact that the trailer for ‘Megalopolis’ is based on a misleading storyline. Critics admired ‘The Godfather,’ and while ‘Apocalypse Now’ was controversial, it had significant critical acclaim. Gleiberman wishes he had called ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ a ‘beautiful mess.’ He now finds his past comment about that film fitting.”

In the movie trailer, some reviewers who were mentioned clearly had strong dislikes towards Francis Ford Coppola’s initial films. For example, Reed referred to “Apocalypse Now” as a mix of pompous nonsense.

In the realm of “Megalopolis,” I wholeheartedly agree that it’s worth a second look. To my fellow enthusiasts, you might recall Peter Debruge’s critique from EbMaster. He found the film to be less than appealing, describing it as a “deeply personal yet messy allegory of the director’s connection with art.” He further stated that while world-building is an essential aspect of modern Hollywood franchises, it seems this skill might not be in our legendary director’s repertoire.

The city-sized film “Megalopolis” will debut in U.S. cinemas on September 27th. Lionsgate has yet to provide a comment regarding our query for insight. Similarly, Reed (who continues to critique for the Observer) did not respond when we reached out for his thoughts. Unfortunately, key critics such as Kael, Simon, Ebert, Canby, Kauffmann, and Sarris are no longer alive, making it challenging to gather their responses.

2024-08-22 00:16

‘Megalopolis’ Trailer Fabricates Quotes From Famous Movie Critics

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