Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Spike Lee, Diane Lane and more sang the praise from Francis Ford Coppola at the 50th Afi Lifetime Achievement Award -Hunting event Saturday.
Spielberg called Coppola “Peerless” while Lucas said: “You are our hero, Francis, the first university student to do it in the industry.” Son Roman Coppola was also on hand, as was Gia Coppola, while Sofia Coppola shared a pre -examined video interview with her father.
Throughout the emotional evening, Coppola was celebrated as a real Hollywood outsider that made the system work for him and someone who launched dozens of careers, who with the role in his 1983 film. Here are some of the highlights of the ceremony:
Steven Spielberg moved Coppola to Tears
In his moving tribute to his long -standing friend, Spielberg got his colleague filmmaker visible to tear up when he proclaimed that “The Godfather” is “the biggest American film ever made.”
Spielberg went on to say that Coppola led the way for not only his coterie of famous 70s filmmakers but for a “generation of storytellers.”
“When we are young, it is our parents that we want to make proud, and then it is our friends, and then it is our colleagues, and finally it is our comrades. But you, Sir, are Peerless,” said Spielberg. “You have taken what came before and redefined canon of American film.”
Coppola once threw their four Oscars out of the window
The “Megalopolis” star Adam driver cruised for a long list of ways Maverick had carved his own way in Hollywood, including “to run a studio that ended the bank him, hiring Marlon Brando, defending Al Pacino and breaking all four of his Oscars by throwing them out through a window.” “
Robert De Niro thanked Coppola for not throwing him in “The Godfather”
The actor, who won the best supporting actor for “The Godfather Part II,” said, “Thank you for not throwing me in ‘The Godfather.’ It was the best job I never got. Francis, you changed my career.
Sofia and Roman Coppola wrote a weekly gossip column on the set “One from the heart”
“I have the best memories from being 10”, during the creation of “one from the heart,” Sofia Coppola said in the video interview with her father. He remembered her and her brother rolling around the studio and distributed a newspaper called “The Big Bad News.” “The bad news is that you had a gossip column,” her father said. “And gossip in it was all true.”
Sofia added that every Friday there would be a party at the Las Vegas set: “I just thought it was so adults did.”
Diane Lane sang “to sir, with love”
The actress, who played in four of Coppola’s movies – “The Outsiders”, “Rumble Fish”, “The Cotton Club” and “Jack” – reminded how the director would cook pasta from his trailer for the entire “outsiders” shooting. “It was a family and he was our father,” she beamed before sang the first lines from the Sidney Poitier movie 1967 “To Sir, with Love.” “As Lulu said:“ How do you thank who has taken you from crayons to perfume? It’s not easy, but I’ll try. “Francis, thank you, sir.
Al Pacino was interrupted by a clip from “The Simpsons”
The actor began his introduction by thanking the director for insisting on being cast as Michael Corleone: “Francis just fought for us. He fought for his film and vision.” He was ready to say more, but his microphone had already been cut to show clips from movies and television programs inspired by “The Godfather”, including a “Simpsons” clip with “Don Homer.”
Spike Lee still has its ticket stub for “Apocalypse Now”
“Do the right thing” director recalled that he was “first in a row” when “Apocalypse Now” opened in 1979. “I still have my ticket stub. And it f – Ked me up,” he said with a laugh. Before the show began, Lee was seen having a long discussion with “A Minecraft Movie” star Jack Black.
Lucas offered to buy back “American Graffiti” from an unfortunate studio manager
Ron Howard, who participated in George Lucas “American Graffiti”, shared an anecdote about a studio manager who was not satisfied with the first show of the film, which Coppola produced. “After all, they supported this movie for the fundamental sum of, wait for it, $ 700,000. The studio manager told Francis and George,” you should be embarrassed by this movie. It is too long. We hate what it looks like. It seems unprofessional. “
Howard continued, “Francis, with oblique authority, pulled out a checkbook and said:” Okay, listen, if you don’t want the picture, I’ll buy it back from you right now. I will buy it back from you today. “Well, keep in mind that he didn’t have the money.
The tribute, which collected more than $ 2.5 million to support AFI’s education program, will premiere at TNT on June 18 at. 22.00 et/pt.
