Francis Ford Coppola Receives AFI Life Achievement Award

On a night that revives independence and cinematic life Francis Ford Coppolaand Al Pacino Perhaps the reason for choosing the legendary director to accept many decorations over the decades by quoting Coppola himself, who once said: “The things that you do when you are young are expelled for them, are the same things after years, they give you life achievements.”

Well Coppola, finally On the fiftieth anniversary of AFI She won the Award Award Award Award, and she got the most famous stage for filmmakers, and after she went to many AFI events for the course of contracts (Frank Kabra was in the first 1982), this warm evening and stars were among the best events, and certainly one of the best events attended by other and honored families in the last. At least seven, count, m, seven past AFI Life Account Prize The loads were not only at hand at the Dolby Theater on Saturday night, but they all arrived on the stage to make him praised. Pachino, Robert de NeroMorgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman, Harrison Fordand George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg (The last husband reserves Coppola for his long table in the middle of the room) Everything was there to pass the flame, but you have to wonder why it took up to fifty to give this man to be due, and it can be said that the godfather itself for the generation of directors (and many of those who received this year). Well, it was not because AFI did not ask. I was told that AFI tried on many occasions to make him agree. In the end he did so, a boy, What a night.

The President and CEO of AFI Bob Jazal welcomed everyone and the evening began the memory of one of the first graduates at the AFI Institute, the late David Lynch. But today it did not start well. On Saturday morning, the sudden rainstorm caused parts of southern California in a weight on Hollywood Bolivard and literally sent a river that floods the AFI, which was already created for this event. The organizers, who were taken by surprise, flew into effect, fully interested in the entirely soaked carpet, and obtaining a new rug in its place before the arrival of many stars. This included Spielberg, who was in New York to make a movie, but to show his respect to Coppola, not only sent in a video greeting, but he got a private plane, he took DE Niro and Spike Lee as well, and flying early on Saturday before returning immediately so that he could return on Monday morning.

American Film Institute Founder (and creative of this event) George Stevens Junior has brought me out on Friday evening at the classic TCM Film Festival event for himSpielberg felt very strongly her presence, and joining Lucas to present the prize for a long time, to the point that he just had to do so. When he woke up on the stage at the end of the evening, he said to Coppola, “We came along the river to find you, my friend,” in a sarcastic sign to one of the master’s masterpieces, The end of the world now. He added, before pronouncing: “Francis is a warrior of independent artists and always defends their reasons.” Godfather As “the greatest American movie ever.”

But there was a lot before we reached this point. Freeman opened the width part of the evening by informing the audience that there was though there never After he was in a written, directed, or produced by Coppola, which he noticed was Still From ever to the independent exit. “Perhaps millions, but tonight, and – bankers!”

Throughout the night, there were not only cinematic clips, but parts of an interview with his daughter Sofia Coppola with her father, who took us in every step of his life and his professional life from the guidance of Farid Astair in Patrical Brace Fenian In 1967 (where a young trainer named George Lucas will come to the group to learn) to 2024 Megalopolis. She cannot be Sofia in Dolby, but she is filming her new movie in London.

The interesting thing is how A few Send bars. They were all thereIncluding Ron Howard, who played the starring role in Lucas American graffitiThe Coppola was produced to obtain this low budget ($ 700,000) by the young director who is largely not laboratory. The Studio (Universal) was not pleased with what they saw. Therefore, after a very early offer, Francis’s executive managers told the studio and George, you should feel embarrassed by this movie. It’s too long. We hate the way you look. It seems unprofessional. George, so Francis, was shocked by an unaccounted power by withdrawing a check book and said: Well, listen. Don’t want the image? Well, I will buy it from you now. I will buy it from you todayWell, it does not matter that he did not have money, he is a job. The film continued to achieve more than $ 100 million, which made it at that time the return on the most profitable investment (the return on investment) in the history of Hollywood. This is a product and this is Francis Ford Coppola. “

After that, the first big applause in the evening (after Coppola while sitting) went to De Niro and Bo Bachino who made some short notes, including the above mentioned from Pachino, and De Niro’s gratitude for not getting Sony in Sony in The godfather. A clip from the De niro screen was shown and it would be great, but Coppola thought it was not completely suitable for this role (James Caan got it). Thank you for not throwing me in GodfatherFrancis, which means I was available to The second part of the godfather! And he said about the role that his first Oscar won.

Harrison Ford arrived to tell how he was a carpenter but was determined to be a representative when he said he was lucky and fell in Writing on American wallsAnd then smaller in Conversation. He smiled, saying, “Not the part I wanted, but I got the part,” saying that he was now felt that he was part of the family. “After this movie, I built something for Francis because he rented me again Carpentry. I am not joking. I was installing a library entrance from his offices to his offices, as one does, George Lucas enters and says (to Francis), “I am looking for someone to play Hans Solo, and I am covered with sawdust, wearing my tool belt, and sweeping the ground. Well, you know the rest … He created a world where the carpenter can be man. By the way, thank you for The end of the world nowWhere she played a man named Colonel Lucas. precise!”

He spoke to me about the influence of Coppola on him from the days when he was a student at New York University (“” I could not reach AFI “), and see the uninterrupted version of Cotton Club With Coppola, he announced that he still has ticket heel from The end of the world now.

It was also highlighted by a dream -like cobola music One of the heartOne of the volatility of the US -funded American Zoetrope. and Early dances with bankruptcy, a movie is now reviewed and watched again, even as predetermined by proverbs No Land Land. Then look at StrangersOne of the numerous films in which Coppola rolled the dice with a new talent, including Tom Cruise, Rob Louis, Patrick Swiss, Matt Delon, Emilio Estevies, and in Dolby on stage, both Ralph McCio and S. Thomas Haking. Macchio made a great laugh with a story about the borrowing of $ 5 of Coppola on the group but never paid it, or in this regard, everything owes the director to his profession, until this night when he told Coppola to look at the central shots in front of him on his table. There was a $ 5 bill, which got a smile from Coppola, which I immediately handed it over to Lucas, which you may not need. In the attendance, there was a library secretary, Joe Ellen Missakian from the Star Elementary School in Fresno, California, who sent Coppola a message (somehow arrived) with enthusiasm, who loved the book, which indicates that he read SE Hinton’s Strangers Hoping to make a movie from it. “Keep gold, Francis,” she told him to repeat a major phrase from the book that urged Ponyboy to maintain his optimism and innocence, “Keep the gold“One of the most prominent events was undisputed at night.

last Strangers Star, Diane Lin, was the following, and it is interesting to be the only participation on the stage for the evening who talked about the four films that I made with Coppola, including how while making it StrangersThey all had a fun time, they decided to produce another movie immediately. This was the movie Clamed fish.

After Roman Coppola praised his father for putting him on the visual effects of Bram Stocker Dracula And the start of his career, the role of Dustin Hoffman, who started by saying, “The word Have you rejected many of these awards in the past.” He also said that it took time for copla to use it. “I waited until I was 86 Megalopolis! He was worth waiting. “

Regarding this film, it was the star Adam Sadda who attended to tell the story of the future and controversial, but there is no debate in a single journey on a cinematic trip that Coppola was trying to make for more than 40 years, last and finally an act By financing himself to $ 120 million. The driver said at one stage, Coppola addressed the team of the actors and the crew and said: “We are not brave enough.”

Of all the speakers, I thought Driver really summarized the best of real travelers for a movie director. Knowing Francis as I know now, it is running brave Not a sudden note if you are thinking about the source. You can choose any section of the Francis works, open it, and find courage, whether the studio is fighting on discounts from Godfather; Zoetrope American formation; to prepare The end of the world nowAgain with his own money; Give Eli (his late wife Elianor Coppola) a camera and says, “Shoot what she wants.” Studio management that ended; Employment of Marlon Brando; Defending the Al Pacino; Breaking all the four Academy Awards by getting them out of a window – I am not sure that this is especially brave but it is definitely excited [ed note: he actually has five]; Moving to the forest and starting a hotel; Spending 120 million dollars on a piece of art and not allowing money to dictate the content of the movie, “a driver for the crowd.” This is an initial life, and for the car in our culture where the importance of the arts is reduced to a minimum, and it seems that our industry appears to be open, apparently in the open, through open procedures, through the large soil, through it through the signs, through it, through it, through it. Who pushed the center forward. Francis got $ 120 million and created a unique gesture when I think it could be, and I think this is very cool. ”

The actual prize of Copola Orchestra preceded the stage with Josh Group, who sang, all in the Italian language, a beautiful version of the immortal topic of Godfather. Spielberg added to his remarks about a five -hour cut The end of the world now With other film makers invited to give their ideas, Lucas recounted the main lesson he learned from Writing on American walls project. “Don’t be afraid to jump from the slopes. I lived from my whole life,” he said, while confirming Coppola was already the first student in the cinema that made her great and prove the value of this education.

As for Coppola, he was short, but he was magical in his acceptance (after all, we saw him talking about his career throughout the night in that interview with Sofia). He talked about his childhood and his reminder of his upbringing before addressing this society from those who are working in the same fields that he does. “(I see) all the beautiful faces welcome me again because I, and I will always remain more than one of you.”

Keep the gold In fact, Francis Ford Coppola.

The evening got a record value of $ 2.5 million for AFI and will be broadcast on TNT on June 18 at 10 pm Easter/PT with Encore on TCM on July 31 at 8 pm ET/PT.