Chicago Theatre shows “Megalopolis” and “The Godfather” Francis Ford Coppola speaks

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The age of streaming may have slowed the momentum of physical movie theaters, but some films are still destined to be seen communally, such as Francis Ford Coppola’s latest critically mixed conversation piece “Megalopolis” starring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D. B. Sweeney and Dustin Hoffman.

Though it was given a limited theatrical release and subsequent on-demand run, the main way to see it at the moment is on an exclusive tour featuring the pioneering film director, producer and screenwriter, which finally brought him back to the landmark Chicago Theatre after about half a lifetime.

Now 86, Coppola combines the wisdom of an elder statesman and the insatiable hunger to create, including the ambitious focus of this extremely rare public engagement, where for a little over two-hours, enthusiasts got to see the science fiction-framed drama alongside the man who personally financed $120 million to make it happen and told the crowd, “I’d rather have a million friends than have a million dollars.”

The idea has actually been marinating since the late 1970s, yet a plot drawing parallels between the fall of the Roman Republic and the proposed future of utopian America, as seen through the lens of the 63BC Catilinarian conspiracy translated to present day New York, is arguably as timely as ever, despite not being the easiest to follow, or with all do respect, as fully realized as previous projects.

However, there was nothing like hearing firsthand from Coppola, whose 100-minute post-viewing conversation, entitled “How To Change Our Future,” featured suggestions for reforming the American education system, subsidizing the arts like so many other countries and swapping government officials’ lifelong terms for a much shorter jury duty-like duration.

He was briefly joined by VanderWaal, the “America’s Got Talent” winner turned acclaimed singer/songwriter, who played the virginal teen pop star Vesta Sweetwater and provided gorgeously chilling renditions of her soundtrack selection “My Pledge” and a new original.

The audience also had their chance to ask “The Godfather” questions, relating to “Megalopolis” or otherwise, resulting in reflections on everything from advising prospective filmmakers to be as personal as possible, to making the former’s cast feel comfortable with mega-star Marlon Brando by simply sharing an Italian feast together and the latter hopefully being a launching pad to help lead “the world to be beautiful for the children.”

In the end, Coppola and company didn’t quite save the planet, or at least not yet, but by engaging in this thought-provoking evening, planted countless seeds for potential solutions, and at the very least, lived up to his legend.

For additional information on Francis Ford Coppola, visit FrancisFordCoppolaWinery.com.

For a list of upcoming Live Nation shows, visit LiveNation.com.

Upcoming shows at the Chicago Theatre include The Basement Yard (Jul. 26); Death Cab For Cutie (Aug. 5-6); Jeezy (Aug. 9); The Fray (Aug. 15); Michael Learns To Rock (Aug. 27); fromis_9 (Aug. 30); Zakir Khan (Aug. 31); Chris Distefano (Sept. 5); Bonnie Raitt (Sept. 9); Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band (Sept. 10); Mojo Brookzz (Sept. 13); The Boyz (Sept. 14) and Louis CK (Sept. 25-27). For additional details, visit TheChicagoTheatre.com.

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Chicago Theatre shows “Megalopolis” and “The Godfather” Francis Ford Coppola speaks

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