“When I was born, I have always been called by the name Francesco; but in America they immediately changed him to Francis … At that time, if you had an Italian name or that sounded Italian, you passed for mafia and in certain neighborhoods you couldn’t even buying a house; the lack of integration was a fact, which also applied to other immigrants. Now, the situation has clearly changed “. This is what he underlines Francis Ford Coppolaarrived in Taormina on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the film ‘The Godfather’whose restored copy opens the 68th edition of the ‘Taormina Film Festival’.
“Today, Italians are perfectly integrated into American society – observes Coppola – Moreover, most of the Italian community is made up of wealthy and influential people, they are no longer ghettoized but on the contrary maybe now they are the ones who look down on the new migrants. But, going back to the past, the reason why I do not speak Italian is precisely because my parents did not want, as they did not want me to be called Francesco, but Francis … Over time, Italians have amply demonstrated how much I am capable, how important the Italian people are Italians in the USA today they are perfectly integrated “.
Coppola then says no to any ‘reinterpretations’ in the form of remake o serie tv. “No, no TV series; and I’m also against film remakes, in general, because they divert resources from funding new works,” he explains. The case of ‘The Offer’ is obviously different, the TV series that stages a show focused on the long process that led to the creation of the film ‘The Godfather’. But, Coppola reiterates, “I am against the idea of remaking the same film with another cast. Much better to use the resources available to make new films, perhaps by young directors, with new ideas and new perspectives on society”.
Then passing from Italy and Sicily in particular to the United Statesurged by journalists, Francis Ford Coppola does not spare a harsh judgment on the immediate relevance: “What is happening in the USA, with the Supreme Court on Abortionit’s terrible “, is the clear stance of the director who warns:” We risk that even worse will happen, we risk losing even democracy, with characters like Trump. It’s a very dangerous situation, “says the filmmaker.
Briefly outlining the history of the past humankind “from matriarchy to patriarchy, when the man got on a horse “, the American director of Italian origin observes that” it was women who created society and human progress. “And he explains a theory that starts from a ‘particular’, the different way in whose man and woman fulfilled their daily needs: “The woman crouched practically almost on the ground observed the ground and discovered many things; the man, standing, only watched her shadow move. Because of this the woman he discovered the culture and the man he discovered time … “.
(from the correspondent in Taormina, Enzo Bonaiuto)