Directed by Robert Rodriquez and written by John Malkovich, a movie called “100 Years - The Movie You Will Never See,” is being promoted and showcased this year at the Cannes Film Festival. It will be locked away in a safe that will open in 100 years, as the name indicates. The goal of the movie is “to try to imagine what the world will be like in 100 years.”
You would most likely know John Malkovich from the Academy Award nominated Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, or perhaps you’ve seen his name on movies like Juno and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, both of which he produced. You would probably know the Spy Kids movies best out of all of Robert Rodriguez’ work, but he has had other successes like El Marichi. and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D. Needless to say, 100 Years is an interesting project because no one will see it. Movies, which are expensive to make, often make up their budget in box office revenues, which 100 Years will not do for its creators in their lifetime.
So what gives? Why make a movie no one will see, especially one so openly publicized? Who knows for sure. Perhaps the buzz generated by the concept will accrue other opportunities or attention for the filmmakers. Perhaps the intrigue will draw more people to Cannes. Perhaps the filmmakers want to ask the question of why we make films in the first place? 100 Years might make the case that it’s something we do for future generations, According to an Indie Wire article, Rodriguez said: “What John and I wanted it to be was a work of timeless art that can be enjoyed in 100 years. I'm very proud of it even if only my great grandkids and hopefully my clone will be around to watch."
Of course, that’s not all there is to the story. The movie was sponsored by Louis XIII cognac, which is a Rémy Martin cognac that is aged 40-100 years, over several generations of cellar masters. In fact, the name “Louis XIII” is on the copy of the film itself that is being locked away in the time capsule, and the film was supposedly inspired by "the legacy of craftsmanship and time it takes to create LOUIS XIII Cognac." It’s not a bad publicity stunt, in all fairness. After all, when a bottle of Louis XIII cognac can range from $2,100 to $34,000 dollars, the pool of patrons is likely smaller than your run of the mill box wine. A little(or big) publicity stunt, like a movie that's not being released to the public, can't hurt sales.
But, whatever we may think of the movie is pretty much irrelevant as it’s likely no one alive today will live to see it, so at least Rodriguez and Malkovich enjoyed making it, and Louis XIII might get a little extra cash flow. Who knows? There could be nothing on the film they put into that vault and we would never know it.
