The makers of the upcoming documentary The Rubber-Keyed Wonder have a fascinating anecdote about Megalopolis director Francis Ford Coppola and his alleged love of Sinclair products…
Last night (3rd October 2024), quintessentially British documentary The Rubber-Keyed Wonder had its world premiere at the BFI IMAX in London. Directed by Anthony and Nicola Caulfield, it’s an affectionate and detailed look at the creation of the ZX Spectrum – arguably one of the most important computers of the 20th century – and its mercurial inventor, Sir Clive Sinclair.
We’ll bring you full coverage of that movie and our interview with the Caulfields in the days building up to the documentary’s wider release on the 18th October. In the interim, there’s a related story we had to share with you: the revelation that Francis Ford Coppola – yes, the director of The Godfather, Apocalypse Now and this year’s Megalopolis – is a fan of the ZX Spectrum. Allegedly (more on this shortly).
The story came to light when Anthony and Nicola Caulfield interviewed Nigel Searle, who for many years was the managing director at Sinclair Research, the Cambridge-based company which produced the ZX Spectrum from 1982 to 1986.
Once their interview was complete, Anthony Caulfield recalls that Searle launched into another anecdote. At some point in the 1980s, Searle was on a plane back to the United States, where he lives, and he was accosted by a gentleman “with long hair.”
“Are you Nigel Searle?” the gentleman asked. “Yeah,” Searle replied. “How do you know that?”
“I recognise you from the pages of Sinclair User,” the man said, referring to a popular British magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum and its games.
Searle then recalls that he asked the man who he was, and he replied, “I’m Francis Ford Coppola.”
“Then they had this chat for the next hour or so about how he’s a collector of Sinclair stuff,” Anthony Caulfield tells us.
Now, it’s worth pointing out that there’s no evidence online for Francis Ford Coppola’s Sinclair fandom that we’ve found, though as Caulfield adds, “Nigel [Searle] has no reason to exaggerate.”
By a curious twist of fate, Coppola’s latest movie – the divisive, big-budget extravaganza Megalopolis – had a special screening at the BFI IMAX last night, right after The Rubber-Keyed Wonder, with Francis Ford Coppola providing an extended introduction.
Read more: The ZX Spectrum | Celebrating Uncle Clive’s greatest hit
When they learned of the coincidence, the Caulfields say they got in touch with the venue’s organisers to see if he’d be interested in watching the documentary, or perhaps have a look around the BFI IMAX’s foyer, where a number of ZX Spectrum computers were set up and numerous luminaries from the machine’s 8-bit heyday were in attendance – including two members of Sir Clive Sinclair’s family.
We’ve yet to discover whether Coppola had time to catch the screening or at least have a quick game of Manic Miner in the foyer. We’re also in the process of contacting Coppola’s management to see whether they can confirm the filmmaker’s Sinclair fandom.
The Rubber-Keyed Wonder is out in select UK cinemas from the 18th October. You can also find out more about the documentary on Gracious Films’ website.
