LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steven Spielberg proclaimed “The Godfather” the “greatest American film ever made,” Robert De Niro teasingly bemoaned being forged within the sequel and never the unique and Harrison Ford fought again tears reflecting on his position within the 1974 movie, “The Conversation.”
On the heart of all of it was Francis Ford Coppola, who on Saturday obtained the AFI Life Achievement Award at a ceremony at Dolby Theatre that introduced collectively legendary stars from a seemingly bygone period of cinema,
A founding AFI trustee, Coppola’s recognition from the group was a form of full circle second for the “Apocalypse Now” director.
“When I was a kid there was the Oscars and that was it. Now they’re going to have an award show for the best award show,” the 86-year-old stated on the pink carpet forward of the present. “But this is a little different because it’s a personal recognition of the people that you’ve known all your life and your colleagues over many years, so it’s like a homecoming in a way.”
“You, sir, are peerless. You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film,” Spielberg stated.
Coppola sat between Spielberg and George Lucas, as actors and fellow filmmakers like Spike Lee, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Morgan Freeman took turns gushing over the Oscar winner.
“Dreamer of dreams on a dime, teller of tales that cost and lost millions. But tonight, (expletive) the bankers and the bank,” Freeman stated to laughs and cheers.
Lucas, Coppola’s longtime buddy and colleague, introduced him with the award. The pair have identified one another for many years and cofounded their very own manufacturing firm, American Zoetrope, in 1969.
“You rounded up a bunch of young film students, gathered us together. We moved to San Francisco, hoping to beat the system. And we did. Like the filmmakers from the dawn of the art form, we had no rules. We wrote them, and you were holding the pen,” Lucas stated.
Coppola was principally stoic all through the ceremony as Hollywood sang his praises — till he accepted the award on the finish of the night time. He beamed as he approached the stage and thanked the room, which was full of a few of his members of the family in addition to multigenerational A-listers.
“Now I understand here, this place that created me, my home, isn’t really a place at all, but you — friends, colleagues, teachers, playmates, family, neighbors, all the beautiful faces are welcoming me back,” he stated. “I am and will always be nothing more than one of you.”
Coppola was the fiftieth recipient of the award first handed out to John Ford in 1973.
Visitors had been served wine from the Francis Ford Coppola Vineyard and after dinner — true to his Italian heritage — a trio of cannolis. Actors who’ve labored with Coppola painted a unified image of him as a director, reminiscing on how they had been invited to take part and educated about movie in a method that empowered them.
“He’s very professorial. He talks about history and things and even older movies in the scene he’s inspired by,” stated “The Godfather III” star Andy Garcia. “You go into working with him in a movie, and you go in seeking an associate’s degree and you would walk out with a master’s.”
Coppola final 12 months launched his long-in growth “Megalopolis,” a Roman epic set in a contemporary New York. The movie drew combined opinions from critics and flopped with audiences. Coppola, although, has maintained he was compelled to make “Megalopolis” as an artist, not as a businessman. He self-financed the movie.
“For a year in our culture when the importance of the arts is minimized, and our industry is seemingly out in the open that the only metric to judge a film’s success is by how much money it makes, I hang on to individuals like Francis for inspiration, who live through their convictions,” stated Adam Driver, who starred within the movie.
Final 12 months’s AFI honoree was Nicole Kidman. Different latest recipients embody John Williams, Mel Brooks, Denzel Washington and Julie Andrews.
