So according to Lawrence Sher, the cinematographer for “Joker: Folie à Deux,” they used Francis Ford Coppola’s “One from the Heart” as a template and starting point for the visual schema of the upcoming sequel.
In an extensive interview with YouTuber Matti Haapoja, Sher shared details that Coppola’s 1981 film, which tells the story of a married couple in crisis living a life of extravagance and madness in Las Vegas, was an immense inspiration.
This basically means ‘Folie à Deux’ is going for an eye-popping, colourful and sumptuous look. No, really, despite Coppola’s film being a major commercial and critical flop, it’s still one of the most beautiful-looking films that I’ve ever seen.
The commercial failure of the film resulted in a decade of financial turmoil for Coppola and his production companies. However, there has been a somewhat decent reappraisal of the film over the last few years.
Coppola was coming off directing four straight masterpieces, 1972’s “The Godfather,” 1974’s “The Godfather Part II,” 1974’s “The Conversation,” and 1979’s “Apocalypse Now.” Expectations were too high for “One From the Heart.”
The film was purposefully banal, and, in some moments, sublime. It was not what anyone expected from Coppola, and that maybe was the main reason for its troubling reception.
Coppola made a big gamble starting up his own production company (Zeotrope) and lost all his money on "One From The Heart". He was so in debt that he spent the next 15 years making films for studios. It was not his choice to do so.
Then, the eighties and nineties brought “The Outsiders”, “Rumble Fish”, “Dracula” “The Rainmaker,” “Peggy Sue Got Married” and yes, “The Godfather Part III”, a very fine film in it's own right, although clearly not the masterstrokes of the first.
Of course, we all know the rule: take these reactions with a grain of salt rather than treating them as gospel. Still, I will say that the film tested like gangbusters earlier this year, and Lionsgate clearly has confidence.