MAPLE ALTO:

implicit Canadian meditations

in the twilit and allegorical film art

 of Gia Coppola

by Gary W. Wright

        Long before she was born, the life of Gian-Carla “Gia” Coppola aka “GC” was already complicated by controversy and catastrophe.  For the dream of her legendary, storied, indomitable, and innovative indie docufeature film artist grandparents Eleanor and Francis Coppola to create, own and run their own American Zoetrope Studio aka Zoetrope Studios had died when the allegorical Coppola indie docufeature film ONE FROM THE HEART (1982) that was hoped to kick off the studio with a bang failed to ignite the box office in 1982.  Shortly after, the fatal helicopter crash that killed actor/writer/director Vic Morrow and illegally hired and employed child extras Renee Chen and Myca Le around 2:20 am in the early morning of July 23, 1982 on the George Folsey jr. produced John Landis set of the twilit, allegorical, computer generated imagery (CGI) enhanced, Kathleen Kennedy associate produced, Frank Marshall produced, and Landis and Steven Spielberg executive produced Landis, Spielberg, Joe Dante and George Miller docufeature film TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE (1983) brought an end to the courageous, creative, innovative, exuberant, rebellious, and hopeful New Hollywood indie docufeature film art and artist era for which Coppola had been the inspirational leader.  The horrific and outraging disaster also turned audiences against Coppola family friend George Lucas due to his decision to continue working with Kennedy, Marshall, and Spielberg after the TZ disaster. 

To make matters worse, the death of GC’s father, Gian-Carlo “Gio” Coppola, the eldest son of Eleanor and Francis, after a boating accident on May 26, 1986 left her overshadowed by death and without a father when she was born on January 1, 1987.  After her birth, her mother Jacqueline “Jacqui” de la Fontaine increased her complicated life when she remarried into another famous, infamous, and even more wealthy family, the Getty clan, when she married Peter Getty.  Not that either fact prevented Coppola and her aunt Sofia Carmina (SCC) Coppola from using the newborn GC to play the baby self of young, short, slim, beautiful, sweet, and knowing Zoe Montez-played by Heather McComb-the daughter of Charlotte Montez-played by GC’s great-aunt Talia Shire-as an implicitly hopeful symbol of the rebirth of film art in general and that of the Coppola clan in particular in the neo decade of the Nineties in their twilit and allegorical indie docufeature short film “Life Without Zoe” (1989), the middle segment of the twilit, allegorical, and Coppola, SCC, Woody Allen, and Martin Scorsese indie docufeature triptych NEW YORK STORIES (1989), a collaboration released on March 1, 1989 which perhaps helped inspire GC to take up the film art life in time. 

However, unlike most other film artists other than Sarah Polley, GC showed no interest in the dread allegorical Zone Wars when she donned the co-writer/co-director hats with Tracy Antonopoulos on the daylit and allegorical indie docufeature short film NON PLUS ONE (2010), a staccato, montage luvin’, and pop artsy film released in 2010 which came across as a series of colourful and fashion luvin’ photographs edited together to tell the story of a young, short, brunette, lonely, solitary, struggling, and implicitly Wes Anderson linked bachelor writer-played by GC’s uncle Jason Schwartzman, who openly linked the film to Anderson via his roles in numerous Anderson films which were shot in the same staccato and montage luvin’ pop art style as NON PLUS ONE-who may or may not have met and fallen in luv with the beautiful young blonde woman of his dreams-played by frequent SCC collaborator Kirsten Dunst-one fateful night at a bar, all to the tune of the daylit, allegorical and Schwartzman written Coconut Records tune “Is This Sound Okay?” (2009), thus implying that Antonopoulos and GC were gently roasting the then unmarried Anderson.  Curiously, after that small beginning, GC then embraced the Zone Wars and continued the Coppola tradition of implicitly roasting Canadian film art, film artists, and now also film “scholars” and Lucas in her film art and also implicitly addressed her aunt SCC on one level when she donned the writer/director hats and teamed up with Coppola-who did some voiceover (VO) work as a judge-Shire-as the sympathetic high school guidance counsellor Mrs. Ganem-her mother Jacqui-as the tall, slim, and implicitly Kathryn Bigelow linked Jane-Richard and Amanda Beggs-the longtime favourite sound artist of Coppola and SCC now aiding the cause of GC with his daughter-her cousin Bailey Coppola-as the rowdy teen Seth Monkarsh-Don Novello-who played the loyal, patient, luvin’ but gently and firmly hectoring butler Hector in “Life Without Zoe”, now back as a gently hectoring art teacher-Rabbit Bandini Productions, and Tribeca Films to create her first daylit and twilit, allegorical, slightly CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film PALO ALTO (2013), released on August 29, 2013 and inspired by the twilit and allegorical James Franco indie docufiction short story collection Palo Alto: Stories (2010), which also continued the Coppola tradition of basing film art on literary art.

“Oh? 

See we got a wise one here, huh?”

        Indeed, GC affirmed an implicit interest in blasting SCC right from the start, for the camera zoomed slowly and relentlessly across a deserted parking lot towards a lone 1987 Cadillac Coup DeVille one warm night in the Los Angeles suburb of Palo Alto like a slow motion bullet in a shot that was common in the film art of SCC.  GC also immediately affirmed an interest in blasting Candians linked to film art, for the red and white colours of the Cadillac evoked the red, white and true Maple Leaf flag of Canada.  Inside we found two happily boozin’ and tokin’ teen friends, the medium heighted, slim, blonde, baby faced, art, music, and marijuana luvin’, and implicitly Cowardly Lion linked Teddy Morrison and the medium heighted, slim, handsome, black haired and eyed, alcohol, marijuana, and music luvin’, and implicitly Scarecrow linked Fred-played by Jack Kilmer and Nat Wolff, respectively.  Significantly, the two law breakin’ teens resembled and were implicitly linked to eccentric Zone War “scholar” Gary W. “Gardevil” Wright and film artist Jason Reitman, two Canadians whose relations had been strained as a result of infamous Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) lists and the twilit, allegorical, brash, confident, knowing, slightly CGI enhanced, and implicitly Gardevil roasting Reitman indie docufeature film YOUNG ADULT (2011), implying that GC was also contributing to the tragicomic sub-genre of the dread allegorical Zone Wars known despairingly as “Cinema Garite” with PALO ALTO. 

Indeed, the fact that the two likably unlikable teens, as likably unlikable as the main characters of a Reitman film, were arguing over kings when first met affirmed their link to Reitman, Wright and TIFF, reminding us that the monarch of the United Kingdom was still the symbolic head of state of Canada and that the new permanent HQ of TIFF was located at King and John Streets in Toronto on land donated by the Reitman family.  The sight and sound of Fred soon unexpectedly putting the Caddy into drive and smashing the car into a nearby wall reaffirmed that implicit interest in Reitman, as the crash evoked the sight and sound of the young, medium heighted, slim, beautiful, blonde, bitter, despondent, disaffected, alcoholic, single, and implicitly Wright linked young adult fiction writer Mavis Gary-played by Charlize Theron-crashing her red and white Canucklehead Mini into a signpost as she turned into a hotel parking lot at one point in YOUNG ADULT.  The fact that after the crash and after the lone title PALO ALTO in pale turquoise letters on a black background flashed on the screen, Fred turned out to have a friend named Jason King-played by A.I. Smithee-who had the same Christian name as Reitman and a surname that again reminded us that TIFF’s new permanent HQ was located at John and King Streets in Toronto also affirmed the film’s implicit interest in Reitman and the implicit link of Fred to Reitman.  Fred’s luv of smoking also evoked Reitman’s first daylit, allegorical, brash, confident, knowing, slightly CGI enhanced, and implicitly David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino roasting and toasting indie docufeature film THANK YOU FOR SMOKING (2005), implicitly reaffirming that GC was addressing Reitman on one level in PALO ALTO. 

Curiously, soon after the regal crash, Fred and Ted attended a nighttime party at another teen’s house where they renewed their acquaintance with the young, short, slim, long chestnut haired, beautiful, bored, shy, sweet, innocent, fashion and black skeleton hoodie luvin’, romantic but conflicted, Natalie Portman evoking, and implicitly SCC and Dorothy linked teen April-played by Emma Roberts-who Teddy pined for from a distance and who perhaps pined for him.  They also met and hung out with the young, medium heighted, beautiful, long blonde haired, statuesque, lonely, casually slutty, needy, and implicitly Polley and Wicked Witch of the West linked Emily-played by Zoe Levin-setting off a tragicomic film long interrelationship between the two boys and the two girls.  A tragicomic film long interrelationship that saw Fred and Teddy pragmatically and callously use the promiscuous Em for casual sexual release, implying that GC was not particularly fond of Polley, an implicit interest in Polley affirmed by the film’s allusions to the daylit and allegorical Polley indie docufeature films AWAY FROM HER (2006) and TAKE THIS WALTZ (2011), the latter of which implicitly addressed SCC. 

Just as curiously, the tragicomic story of Emily, Fred and Teddy was interwoven throughout the film with the equally tragicomic story of a young, handsome, heavy set, brunette, divorced, lonely, thirty something, and implicitly Great Oz linked Palo Alto high school teacher and girl’s soccer coach known as Mr. B-fittingly played by Franco-who was also implicitly linked to the then equally divorced and lonesome Lucas.  As Mr. B. failed in his attempt to kindle a relationship with April, one of his high school Panther soccer players who was also his shy and sweet teen babysitter, GC implied that she felt that Lucas had also failed in his attempt to use Portman’s young, short, slim, brunette, beautiful, courageous, intelligent, luvin’, perky, and implicitly SCC linked Padme Amidala to achieve success again with the STAR WARS Tragic Trilogy, an implicit assessment shared by most audiences and by SCC, who implicitly roasted Lucas in her own equally satirical Lucas Trilogy which was comprised of the twilit, allegorical, slightly CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature films LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003), MARIE ANTOINETTE (2006), and SOMEWHERE (2009), all of which were alluded to in PALO ALTO.

 As this tragicomic romance flickered out, Teddy went on to atone for leaving in his 1994 Mitsubishi Diamante the scene of a car accident he caused with a 1992 Toyota Camry Wagon driven by the chubby and exuberantly busty Mrs. Sally Grossman-played by Coleen Camp, who played a young, slim, beautiful, and statuesque Playboy Playmate in the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, Ozian themed, and implicitly Lucas and John Huston addressing Coppola indie docufeature artbuster APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)-by doing community work in a children’s library, affirming his implicit link to Wright, for this library work evoked Wright’s work as a Library Technician at the Streetsville Secondary School library in Mississauga, Ontario.  Thus, the sight of Teddy leaving behind his community hour work in the children’s library for more fulfilling artistic pursuits in a retirement home wearing an equally Canadian red and white volunteer smock and also abandoning the self destructive Fred, last seen wearing a Canada evoking red jacket and white t-shirt as he drove that equally red and white Canucklehead Caddy onto a wrongway street and played chicken with oncoming cars one fateful night as he ironically chanted “!I’m not Bob!”, for a wistful, wishful, and possible Springing and life renewing hookup with April, in the both healing and harmonizing and diseased and disastrous ends, implied that GC hoped that Wright would also leave behind his TIFF with the possibly self destructive Reitman, grow up, get a life and some luv and devote himself to creating real art instead of “enlightening essays” on twilit and allegorical Zone War fiction and film art in a film that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to AWAY FROM HER, LOST IN TRANSLATION, MARIE ANTOINETTE, SOMEWHERE, TAKE THIS WALTZ, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, YOUNG ADULT, the twilit, allegorical, and implicitly Bigelow roasting SCC indie docufeature short film LICK THE STAR (1998), the twilit, allegorical, and slightly CGI enhanced SCC indie docufeature film THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (1999), the allegorical and implicitly Ralph Bakshi roasting Lucas indie docufeature film AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973), and the allegorical Victor Fleming feature film THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939). 

Indeed, the fact that Ted’s beautiful and blonde mother and sister, the implicitly Glinda linked Sherry and the implicitly Munchkin linked Emma Morrison, were played by Janet Jones and Emma Gretzky, respectively, reaffirmed the implicit link of Emily, Freddy, and Ted to Canadian and Ontario film art, film artists and film “scholars”, as Jones and Gretzky were linked to Canada and Ontario due to being the wife and daughter, respectively, of Brantford, Ontario born and raised Canadian hockey hero, Wayne Gretzky.  At any rate, the film’s tragicomic and implicit interest in SCC and Lucas also reaffirmed the film’s implicit interest in Wright, reminding us that his exuberant essay on the film art of SCC and his book chronicling his more tragicomic luv/hate relationship with Lucas and his indie film art were both always on open display at his wacky and wily website www.zonewarsonfilm.org. 

 Significantly, PALO ALTO was a fine first indie docufeature film that evoked LOST IN TRANSLATION and MARIE ANTOINETTE, and continued the Coppola tradition of original and creative artistic excellence and of Canadian film art, film artists, and now “scholars”, a tradition that stretched back to the allegorical Coppola indie docufeature film YOU’RE A BIG BOY NOW (1966) and now also joined the woeful and implicit sub-genre of the dread allegorical Zone Wars known as Cinema Garite.  Curiously, PALO ALTO also continued the far longer cinematic tradition of Canucklehead buddy films or “Hoser Cinema” that stretched back to the allegorical and implicitly Coppola and Lucas roasting Don Shebib indie docufeature film GOIN’ DOWN THE ROAD (1970), reached a tragicomic apotheosis in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas indie docufeature film STRANGE BREW (1983), and openly and exuberantly returned full farce throttle earlier the same year as PALO ALTO when young and irrepressible Canadian actor/writer/director/producers Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogen playing their implicitly Scarecrow and Tin Man linked selves also brought tragicomic Hoser Cinema to Los Angeles and Hollywood for perhaps the first time in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen indie docufeature film THIS IS THE END (2013), in which Franco also co-starred as his implicitly Great Oz linked self. 

Curiously, David Cronenberg became perhaps the first to implicitly and cynically respond to GC and PALO ALTO by having the young, short, slim, brunette, shy, burn scarred, bitter, traumatized, troubled, haunted, despressed, vengeful, violent, and implicitly GC and Dorothy linked teen arsonist Agatha Weiss-played by Mia Wasikowska-bludgeon the middle aged, medium heighted, blonde, beautiful, aging, anxious, despondent, struggling, literally haunted, and implicitly John L. Hancock and Glinda linked Hollywood star Havana Segrand-played by Julianne Moore-to death with Cronenberg’s own Canadian film art Genie award before committing suicide with her younger, short, slim, curly blonde, cute, mischievous and nasty but luvin’ and implicitly Munchkin linked child star brother Benjamin “Benji” Weiss-played by Evan Bird-at the diseased, disharmonious, and catastrophic end of the twilit, allegorical, and Ozian themed Cronenberg indie docufeature film MAPS TO THE STARS (2014), a film released on May 19, 2014 that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to PALO ALTO, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed Hancock and Walt Disney indie docufeature film SAVING MR. BANKS (2013).  An implicit allegorical intent noticed by GC, for an implicit interest in Cronenberg and in Hoser Cinema returned when she donned the co-writer/director/co-producer hats, teamed up again with Camp, Schwartzman, Wolff, Autumn Durald Arkapaw-director of photography (DOP) of PALO ALTO-Devonte Hynes and her other uncle Robert Schwartzman-composers for PALO ALTO, and now back as composer and co-executive producer, respectively-her cousin Pascale Coppola-who played “Little Girl”-American Zoetrope, IFC Films, and Automatik and abandoned the Zone Wars but returned to Los Angeles to implicitly address another Canadian film artist on one level in the daylit, allegorical, slightly CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film MAINSTREAM (2020), a film released on September 5, 2020. 

“You’re just the same as me,

way down there

in that deep dark pit

you’re afraid to look inside.”

Curiously, the film began with a montage of opening shots of the Emerald City of Los Angeles, the setting of MAPS TO THE STARS, taken with a digital camera by the young, short, slim, pretty, brunette, disaffected and implicitly GC linked Magic Alley Bar tender Frances “Frankie” Cabot-as haunted by the young death of her father as GC presumably was to affirm her implicit link to GC, the car accident scar on the sinister left side of her face evoking the burn scars on the sinister left side of Agatha’s face, and played by Maya Hawke-opening shots that were unusually intercut with black and white explanatory intertitles straight out of a silent film.  Soon Cabot found herself in a shopping mall, where she met the young, tall, slim, handsome, peroxide blonde, charismatic, indie, troubled, rebellious, zany, and implicitly Cronenberg linked ex-teen arsonist and man of mystery Link aka Alex Goodrich-played by Andrew Garfield-dressed up as a mouse and giving out free samples of cheese on a plate for an employer.  Soon the restless “Mouse Man” was harassing customers with a painting of Kandinsky and urging everyone to “…eat the art!”, a zany sight and sound that Cabot captured with her camera and beamed to the internet.  Attracting numerous hits, Cabot decided to capitalize on Goodrich’s popularity by creating a podcast called No One Special with him and with the young, medium heighted, handsome, dark brown haired and eyed, music luvin’, and implicitly Reitman and Tin Man linked Magic Club bartender and writer Jake-played by Wolff-and the short, heavyset, black haired, eyed, moustached, bearded, and implicitly Cowardly Lion linked “manager” Mark Schwartz-played by Schwartzman-leading to another tragicomic and bickering Canucklehead buddy film on one level that affirmed that Hoser Cinema had indeed returned in MAINSTREAM. 

Tragicomically, the zany and fearless “No One Special” podcast succeeded to the disgust of Jake despite the many faults of Goodrich aka “Cockroach” aka “No One Special” and despite the podcast’s fondness for mocking and tormenting studio guests that led to the suicide of the young, short, slim, beautiful, black eyed and long black haired, shy, sweet, self conscious, prominently facial birthmarked, and implicitly Wicked Witch of the East linked Isabelle Roberts-played by Alexa Demie.  For Goodrich successfully used a live and CGI free theatrical performance for Youtube to win live and internet audiences back to his controversial indie cause, and the film ended with the camera moving in on Goodrich’s face as he stood exultantly on stage with his back to the live audience and grinned diabolically into the camera.  Thus, GC implied that despite often being as controversial and reviled as Goodrich, Cronenberg would no doubt find a way to win audiences back to his side as he always did with his next courageous, brilliant, creative, creepy, violent, challenging, controversial, irrepressible, idiosyncratic, and memorable indie docufeature film, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by the film’s allusions to MAPS TO THE STARS, THE WIZARD OF OZ, the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical Cronenberg indie docufeature film VIDEODROME (1983), the twilit and allegorical Cronenberg indie docufeature film THE FLY (1986), the twilit and allegorical Cronenberg indie docufeature film CRASH (1996), and the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed Cronenberg indie docufeature film COSMOPOLIS (2012).

Tragicomically, MAINSTREAM and PALO ALTO implicitly impressed Disney, Marvel and Catty Cate Shortland, for they teamed up to liberate the young, short, blonde, tough, laconic, heroic pose mockin’, and implicitly GC and Tin Man linked reformed Russian assassin Yelena Belova-played by Florence Pugh-from the mind control of the old, short, chubby, grey haired, bespectacled, brainwashing, and implicitly Martin Scorsese and Wicked Witch of the West linked Dreyko-played by Ray Winstone-and had her team up with the young, short, red haired, beautiful, sexy, strong, fit, deadly, heroic pose luvin’, and implicitly SCC and Dorothy linked Natasha Romanoff aka “Black Widow”-played by Scarlett Johansson-the middle aged, big, burly, bearded, confident, and implicitly Francis and Cowardly Lion linked Alexei Shostakov aka “Red Guardian”-played by David Harbour-and the middle aged, tall, beautiful, distant, and implicitly Eleanor and Glinda linked Melina Vostokoff aka “Black Widow”-played by Rachel Weisz-to take on and take out Dreyko and his black clad and implicitly flying monkey linked Black Widow assassins led by his daughter, the young, tough, scarred, traumatized, tormented, helmeted, relentless, shield luvin’, and implicitly Nikko linked indie assassin Antonia Dreykov aka “Taskmaster”-played by Olga Kurylenko-in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film BLACK WIDOW (2021), a film released on July 3, 2021 that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to the Matrix Trilogy and THE WIZARD OF OZ.  Curiously, later that month Neill Blomkamp implicitly hoped that GC would exorcise and release her sympathetic interest in the poor ol’ Gardevil and stop implicitly addressing him in her films like the young, slim, pretty, intelligent, angry, bitter, and implicitly GC and Dorothy linked Carly Spencer-played by Carly Pope-exorcised and released the implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked demon-played by Quinton Boisclair-possessing the bald, bearded, slim, intense, driven, suit wearin’, and implicitly Wright and Great Oz linked hi-tech Vatican demon exorciser Michael-played by Michael J. Rogers-and herself at the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film DEMONIC (2021), released on July 22, 2021.

As for CG, the following year she donned the co-director’s cap and teamed up with Robert-back as co-composer-and now also with her uncle and co-producer Roman Coppola and had the young, slim, short, beautiful, brunette, and implicitly Angelina Jolie or Alana Smithee linked Jane-played by Gillian Jacobs-desperately fight off her twin Dark Side-also played by Jacobs-to escape imprisonment as a waitress in a roadside diner to imply the hope of GC that Jolie or Smithee would also escape imprisonment in Hollywood banality by continuing to create her more interesting indie docufeature film art at the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end of “Jane2”, the second episode of the daylit, allegorical, and CGI enhanced “blind anthology” indie docufeature film THE SEVEN FACES OF JANE (2022), an exquisite corpse of a film released on June 22, 2022 that also featured episodes directed by Jacobs, Julian Acosta, Alexandra “Xan” Cassavetes, Ryan Heffington, Boma Iluma, Ken Jeong, and Alex Takacs.  For his part, in the sight and sound of the slim, blonde, sexually ambiguous, and implicitly Wright and Scarecrow linked ace tennis player Arthur “Art” Donaldson-played by Mike Faist-embracing his once mentor and later bitter rival in the form of the dark haired, huskier, equally sexually ambiguous, and implicitly Reitman and Wicked Witch of the West linked ace tennis player Patrick Zweig-played by Josh O’Connor-after beating Zweig in the championship final of a tennis tournament to the delight of the luver of both of them, the slim, slinky, sexy, and implicitly GC and Dorothy linked Tashi Donaldson-played by Zendaya-Luca Guadagnino implied his hope that GC, Reitman, and Wright would all stop fussin’ and fightin’ and just be friends at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film CHALLENGERS (2024), a film released on April 18, 2024 that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to PALO ALTO and THE WIZARD OF OZ.  Significantly, later that year GC collaborated again with her mother Jacqui-now back as costume designer-Jason-back in a cameo as the moustached and bearded, shrewd, knowing, sympathetically pragmatic, mysterious, and implicitly Great Oz linked Director-Robert-now back as co-producer-Durald Arkapaw and now also with Roadside Attractions and Utopia Films and returned to the Temple Theatre with another controversial show to implicitly address Polley on one level again in the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film THE LAST SHOWGIRL (2024), a film released on September 6, 2024 that was unusually shot on Kodak film and lacking CGI.

“The show is closing.”

        Curiously, the film revolved around an aging, short, greying blonde, breathless, wistful, despondent, slightly ditzy, but still beautiful, firm, curvaceous, Barbie evoking, and implicitly Polley and Glinda linked Las Vegas exotic dancer with the Polley Sarah cadenced name of Shelly Gardner-played by Pamela Anderson-talking to her fellow show girls, including the young, short, slim, beautiful, peroxide blonde, and curvaceous Jodie-played by Kiernan Shipka-and the equally young, short, slim, beautiful, black haired, and curvaceous Mary-Anne-played by Brenda Song-and her longtime friend, casino waitress, and ex-dancer, the old, greying red haired, once beautiful, and now chubby and implicitly Nikko linked “Lucky” Annette-played by Jamie L. Curtis-and her young, slim, pretty, brunette, estranged, and implicitly Dorothy and Greta Gerwig linked indie art photographer daughter Hannah “Hannie” Gardner-played by Billie Lourd-and Shelly’s ex-luver and Hannah’s secret father and show manager, the middle aged, big, handsome, long haired, moustached, and bearded, muscular, strong, tattooed, but sweet, gentle, and implicitly Tin Man linked Eddie-played by Dave Bautista-in the final weeks of their Razzle Dazzle dance show in a way that evoked the equally film long debate that took place between the young, slim, beautiful, blonde, affable, and implicitly Marine Francen linked Mennonite woman Ona-played by Rooney Mara-and the rest of her abused and suppressed Mennonite women and also with one lone man, the young, slim, brunette, shy, educated, thoughtful, and ambiguously linked August-played by Ben Whishaw-about whether to stay at or leave their implicitly Hollywood linked Mennonite colony throughout the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed Polley indie docufeature film WOMEN TALKING (2022) fused with the exuberantly dismal, daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed Gerwig animaction filmmercial BARBIE (2023) to imply that THE LAST SHOWGIRL was a satirical response to both films.

Curiously, the film ended with the final Razzle Dazzle show.  And, after the usual tragicomic backstage preparations, the ladies rushed onstage where, to our surprised interest and delight, the magical and artistic performance to the sound of the allegorical and Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, and Lykke Li written Cyrus tune “Beautiful That Way” (2024) that Gardner had been exuberantly extolling throughout the film to the dismissive amusement of everyone else was actually revealed, catching us up in its bewitching power and making it clear that it was worth performing in, fighting for, experiencing, and missing, even if it was pure fantasy before the camera finally closed in on a smiling, beautiful, and radiant Gardner in her blue feathered and rhinestoned outfit, THE LAST SHOWGIRL.  Thus, GC implied that Polley, and perhaps even Gerwig, should stick to film art despite its long history of exploiting and abusing women, as it was still better to work with and to be a “…part of a creative community” than not to be, as William Shakepeare well knew, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to BARBIE, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and WOMEN TALKING.

The following year, Dis, Marv, and Rakish Jake Schreier quickly killed the young, tough, scarred, traumatized, tormented, helmeted, and implicitly Wicked Witch of the East linked indie assassin Antonia Dreykov aka “Taskmaster”-played again by Kurylenko-before they had the young, short, blonde, tough, laconic, and implicitly GC and Dorothy linked reformed Russian assassin Yelena “Yena” Belova-played again by Pugh-and the middle aged, big, burly, moustached and bearded, confident, strong, and implicitly Francis and Tin Man linked Alexei Shostakov aka “Red Guardian”-played again by Harbour-team up with the rest of the “New Avengerz” including the young, handsome, brunette but auburn moustached, and bearded, and implicitly Christopher Nolan and Cowardly Lion linked John Walker aka “the Junior Varsity Captain America”-played by Wyatt Russell-to take on and take out the old, beautiful, short, slim, browning blonde haired, duplicitous, and implicitly Sam Taylor-Johnson and Wicked Witch of the West linked CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine-played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus-and the young, brunette then blonde then shadowy then brunette again, goofy, manic depressive, sometimes Nikko linked, and implicitly Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Great Oz linked “messiah” Robert “Bob” Reynolds aka “The Sentry” aka his literal Dark Side “The Void”-played by Lewis Pullman-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film THUNDERBOLTS (2025), a film released on April 22, 2025 whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions to BLACK WIDOW, the Matrix Trilogy, the Nolan Batman Trilogy, PALO ALTO, and THE WIZARD OF OZ. 

An implicit allegorical intent that reaffirmed that Disney and Marvel and now also Schreier were impressed with the iconoclastic indie docufeature film art of GC.  An iconoclastic indie film art talent she inherited from her grandparents Francis and Eleanor and her father Gio, and shared with her great-aunt Talia, aunt Sofia, and uncles Jason, Robert, and Roman, coupled with a flair for costumes inherited from her mother Jacqui, that allowed her it did to continue their arts but that also differed from them by being implicitly and despairingly located in the sunlit and tragicomic crazy Canuck byways of…Maple Alto.

Bibliography

Franco, James.  Twilit Alto: Stories.  New York: Scribner, 2010.