Francis Ford Coppola honored Werner Herzog at the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday night, calling the filmmakers “an unlimited phenomenon working in every corner of the film,” while introducing the Golden Lion for lifetime achievements. The event marked Coppola’s first public appearance since undergoing cardiac procedures in Rome at the beginning of the month.
“I come here and praise Werner Herzog, but praise Werner Herzog is not enough,” Coppola began. “We must celebrate the fact that someone like him can actually exist.” Coppola cites films from the pioneering new German films such as “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” and “Fitzcarard,” which called Herzog’s work “unique and very different and epic from one another.”
“He can fill in the encyclopedia pages, and Werner is one,” he continued. “If Werner has limitations, I don’t know what they are.”
Coppola concluded his speech with a victory note, saying, “Werner’s life and his very existence send a challenge to everyone there. If you can, would we all really be?
When he accepted the award he received a standing ovation, Herzog called Coppola’s introduction “very, very kind” and recalled how “The Godfather” director supported him early in his career.
“Francis has been extremely kind and generous to me. We’ve known each other for half a century so far,” Herzog said. “He was generous and invited me when I didn’t have the money to pay for a hotel room. I stayed at his house in San Francisco and wrote the script for “Fitzcaraldo.” ”
Herzog revealed that the duo were “very close” to making a film “about the conquest of Mexico from an Aztec perspective,” but that never happened. “But it’s a great time when we plotted about it,” Herzog said. “Without Francis, I wouldn’t have met my wonderful wife, Rena.”
Oscar-winning Helmer Coppola is in town as part of a presentation on “Megadock,” a documentary by Mike Figgis on the production of Coppola’s 2024 epic. Meanwhile, Herzog attends Venice and premieres “Ghost Elephants,” a documentary about the exploration of the mystical herds of elephants in the Angolan Highlands. Herzog will also deliver master classes at the festival on Thursday.
Coppola himself received the Golden Lion of Venice in 1992 for lifetime achievements. Herzog has a long history in Venice, premiering previous editions of 1991’s Scream of Stone and 2005’s The Wild Blue Yonder. In 2009, he wrote the black comedy “Bad in EU: Port of New Orleans” and the crime drama “My Son, My Son, What Did You Do?”
The opening ceremony premiered the premiere of Paolo Sorrentino’s drama La Grazia. Tony Servillo will have to decide whether to pass a bill that will allow euthanasia, starring as Italian president. This year’s Venice Film Festival will be held until September 6th.
