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Christianity does not exist in this universe
Tale
The city of New Rome is faced with a duel between Cesar Catilina, a brilliant artist who advocates a utopian future, and greedy mayor Franklyn Cicero. Between them is Julia Cicero, whose loyalties are divided between her father and her lover. Francis Ford Coppola wrote the script in the early 1980s, but the film was shelved, in part because of his financial debts. Pre-production finally began in 2001 after shooting 30 hours of second takes and doing table reads with Paul Newman, Uma Thurman, Robert De Niro, James Gandolfini, Nicolas Cage, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Edie Falco, and Kevin Spacey, but the project was abandoned after the 9/11 attacks because a scene in the script (page 166) “predicted” the attacks. Coppola abandoned the project entirely in 2007 and did not begin developing it until 2019. At 9:40 PM, the character of Catiline utters the phrase “Holy Jesus Christ!” with amazement. However, in-universe, the city of New Rome is derived from a culture based on Roman mythology (example: 54:47, the sacrifice of Vesta; 01:55:51, someone says “The Will of Cronos,” or at 01:56:49, a statue of Saturn is prominently displayed, while there are numerous other depictions of Roman deities). There is no reason for Catiline to use the phrase “Holy Jesus Christ!” in this context. Cesar Catiline: *You* want to help me?
Julia Cicero: Yes
And, well, I… well, I want to learn. Cesar Catilina: And you think a year of… medical school entitles you to sift through the riches of my Emersonian mind? Julia Cicero: Entitles me? Cesar Catilina: Yes. Julia Cicero: [scoffs] Entitles me? Cesar Catilina: Yes! Julia Cicero: Entitles me?
Cesar Catilina: YES!
Julia Cicero: You don’t know anything about me! Do you think I’m nothing, just a socialite? Cesar Catilina: No, not nothing, but I reserve my time for people who can think. About science. And literature, and… architecture, and art. Do you think I’m cruel and selfish and unfeeling? That’s what I am. I work, not caring what happens to either of us.
Julia Cicero: Fine!
So go back to the club, bare it all, and stalk the people you like. I will. Cesar Catilina: Come back when you have more time! The “Ultimate IMAX Experience” version of the film features a live actor asking questions during a filmed press conference. Appears in Amanda the Jedi Show: MEGALOPOLIS IS MY NIGHTMARE | Explained (2024). My OathWritten by Grace VanderWaalPerformed by Grace VanderWaalCourtesy of Columbia RecordsWith permission from Sony Music EntertainmentProduced and arranged by Kris Kukul. Full disclosure: This film is a disaster of epic proportions—an absolute train wreck that goes off the tracks, crashes, and then somehow catches fire. It’s so bad it’s brilliant, a nightmare so awful it’s brilliant that cult fans will be raving about it. And you know what?
Bravo, glorious madman!
For that, I respect the hell out of Coppola. The guy is a cinematic legend who simply decided to throw caution (and consistency) to the wind and go all out as a scientist. It’s a glorious, unfiltered mess from the mind of a genius who clearly stopped caring what anyone else thought. 👏🏻. From Alien: Romulus to Road House, take a look back at some of our favorite posters of 2024.