Francis Ford Coppola on Thursday will premiere at the a film on which he has risked everything, one that91裸聊视频檚 arriving clouded by rumors of production turmoil. Sound familiar?

On Thursday, Coppola91裸聊视频檚 will make its much-awaited premiere. Other films are debuting in Cannes with more fanfare and hype, but none has quite the curiosity of 91裸聊视频淢egalopolis,91裸聊视频� the first film by the 85-year-old filmmaker in 13 years. Coppola put $120 million of his own money into it.

Forty-five years ago, something very similar played out when Coppola was toiling over the edit for 91裸聊视频淎pocalypse Now.91裸聊视频� The movie91裸聊视频檚 infamous Philippines production, which would be documented by , was already legend. The originally planned release in December 1977 had come and gone. Coppola had, himself, poured some $16 million into the $31 million budget for his Vietnam-set telling of Joseph Conrad91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淗eart of Darkness.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 was terrified. For one thing, I was on the hook for the whole budget personally 91裸聊视频� that91裸聊视频檚 why I came to own it,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淚n addition, in those days interest was over 25, 27%. So it looked as though, especially given the controversy and all the bogus articles being written about a movie that no one knew anything about but were predicting it was 91裸聊视频榯he heralded mess91裸聊视频� of that year, it looked as though I was never going to get out of the jeopardy I was in. I had kids, I was young. I had no family fortune behind me. I was scared stiff.91裸聊视频�

Gilles Jacob, delegate general of Cannes, traveled to visit Coppola, hoping he could coax him into returning to the festival where the director91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淭he Conversation91裸聊视频� had won the Palme d91裸聊视频橭r in 1974. In his book, 91裸聊视频淐itizen Cannes: The Man Behind the Cannes Film Festival,91裸聊视频� Jacob recounted finding Coppola in the editing suite 91裸聊视频渂eset by financial woes and struggling with 20 miles of film.91裸聊视频�

By springtime 1979, Coppola had assembled an edit he screened in Los Angeles 91裸聊视频� much as he recently did 91裸聊视频淢egalopolis.91裸聊视频� When Jacob got wind of the screening, he threw himself into securing it for that year91裸聊视频檚 Cannes.

91裸聊视频淎lready considered an event even before it had been shown, 91裸聊视频楢pocalypse Now91裸聊视频� would be the festival91裸聊视频檚 crowning glory,91裸聊视频� Jacob wrote. He added: 91裸聊视频淯ltimately I knew it was Cannes91裸聊视频� setting 91裸聊视频� more than a match for his own megalomania 91裸聊视频� that would convince him to come.91裸聊视频�

But Coppola wasn91裸聊视频檛 so sure. The film was unfinished, didn91裸聊视频檛 have credits yet and he still was unsure about the ending. But after some back-and-forth and debate about whether 91裸聊视频淎pocalypse Now91裸聊视频� would screen in or out of competition, it was decided: It would screen as a 91裸聊视频渨ork in progress91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� in competition.

At the premiere in Cannes, Coppola carried his daughter, Sofia, then 8, on his shoulders. The response to the film wasn91裸聊视频檛 immediately overwhelming.

91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频橝pocalypse Now,91裸聊视频� one of the most ballyhooed movies of the decade, got only a polite response at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday,91裸聊视频� wrote the Herald Tribune.

At the press conference, Coppola was defensive about the bad press the film received and the attention given to its budget.

91裸聊视频淲hy is it that I, the first one to make a film about Vietnam, a film about morality, am so criticized when you can spend that much about a gorilla or a little jerk who flies around in the sky?91裸聊视频� .

But 91裸聊视频淎pocalypse Now91裸聊视频� would ultimately go down as one of Cannes91裸聊视频� most mythologized premieres. The president of the jury that year, French author Francoise Sagan, preferred another entry about war: 91裸聊视频淭he Tin Drum,91裸聊视频� Volker Schlondorff91裸聊视频檚 adaptation of the G眉nter Grass novel. The jury, split between the two, gave the Palme d91裸聊视频橭r to both.

91裸聊视频淢egalopolis,91裸聊视频� too, will be premiering in competition on Thursday.

The day after the 1978 Cannes closing ceremony, Jacob recalled running into Coppola at the Carlton Hotel, just as he was leaving.

91裸聊视频淎 big, black limousine was about to drive off. The back door opened and Francis got out,91裸聊视频� Jacob wrote. 91裸聊视频淗e came up to me, held out his hand and, as he removed a big cigar from between his teeth, said, 91裸聊视频業 only received half a Palme d91裸聊视频橭r.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

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