Jean-Luc Godard, now 79, will not be travelling to accept his honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in November.
“Jean-Luc won’t go to America; he’s getting old for that kind of thing,” said Anne-Marie Mieville, the great man’s companion. “Would you go all that way just for a bit of metal?”
Well, you might if you were being honoured at the main event. But, as was the case last year, the awards will be handed out at a dinner some three months before the official ceremony.
“He just told me it’s not the Oscars,” Mieville added. “At first he thought it was going to be part of the same ceremony, then he realised it was a separate thing in November.”
This is a fair point. Charles Chaplin’s return from exile to receive his honorary Oscar is one of the iconic moments in the ceremony’s history. William Holden’s tribute to Barbara Stanwyck at the 1978 event still brings tears to even the most cynical eyes.
The sight of Godard – both scourge and celebrator of Hollywood – stomping down those glittery steps would be like seeing Karlheinz Stockhausen making an appearance at the Grammys.
In 2009, the legendary Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman and Gordon Willis were also presented with their statuettes at the less glossy event.
Those people at the Academy need a good talking to.
