ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
Latest editorial
Megapocalypse now
RITA DI SANTO assesses the political reaction to Francis Coppola’s epic, self-funded depiction of the decline of the US empire
DREAMLIKE: a still from Francis Coppola's psychedelic depiction of the decline of the US empire
SUE TURNER welcomes a thoughtful, engaging book that lays bare the economic realities of global waste management
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
MICK McSHANE rubs shoulders with Mod legend Steve Craddock and joins in with the joyous Glasgow choir
DENNIS BROE sifts out the ideological bias of the newest TV series offerings, and picks out what to see, and what to avoid
Megapolis
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
AFTER a long period of artistic silence, at the age of 85, Francis Ford Coppola, the director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, is back at the Cannes Festival with a huge work, Megalopolis, a film self-funded to the tune of $120 million, that talks about philosophy, architecture, physics, love, power and politics.
Set in a futuristic city called The City of New Rome is a story keenly relevant to the politics of today. A narrative voice at the beginning of the movie tells that “All empires are destined to collapse,” and New Rome shows all the signs of an empire that is doomed.
More from this author
RITA DI SANTO speaks to Laura Carreira about her study of workers in an Amazon warehouse, On Falling
In the second of a two-part report RITA DI SANTO speaks to Palestinian film-maker Mohammed Almughanni
RITA DI SANTO casts an eye over the winners - and the overlooked films - from this year’s festival
RITA DI SANTO looks at what is on offer
