The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, on Saturday, started handing out awards and amongst the first four to receive them were pioneering directors Francis Ford Coppola and Jean-Luc Godard.
The highest “decoration” that the Academy can give, the Irving G. Thalberg Award, went to Francis Ford for visionary productions, while director Jean-Luc Godard, film historian Kevin Brownlow and actor Eli Wallach received honorary Oscars.
George Lucas who gave the world the famous “Star Wars” said Coppola was his inspiration, as he was for many directors in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Coppola attended the ceremony with his family, who went onstage to congratulate him for the award.
This is only the second time that the Irving G. Thalberg statuette was given away at the Governor’s Awards. Before last year, the distinction was awarded at the same time with other honors.
Jean-Luc Godard’s award was a controversial one, as some Jewish groups claim he is an anti-Semite, while some Hollywood groups were also fussed by the decision as they feel the 79-year old French-Swiss director showed distaste for Hollywood’s glamour. Godard declined to attend the ceremony.
Eli Wallach (94) received the honorary Oscar for movies he was in ever since 1956. Among them the most notable are “Baby Doll”, “The Misfits”, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”, which was released this year.
Film historian Kevin Brownlow was also on the list of honorary awards for his book “The Parade’s Gone By”, published in 1968, which records the age of the silent movie.
