“Vertigo” star Kim Novac was awarded the Golden Lion, who achieved his lifelong achievements at the Venice Film Festival on Monday. There, it was the first time in decades since the Hollywood diva came into the spotlight in the mid-1960s.
She was welcomed with warm, prolonged applause before Guillermo del Toro brought a glorious tribute to take the stage.
Novak, 92, became the world’s top box office draw in the late 50s and early 60s thanks to films considered classics such as Joshua Logan’s “Picnic” (1955), Otto Preminger’s “The Man with the Golden Arm” (1955), and George Sydney’s Paljoey (1957). A double character in her lifelong role.
After listing the top managers who worked with Novak, Del Toro picked out a single aspect of her career that surprised him the most. “What really striking is the fact that she can project frailty, strength and mystery.
Del Toro added: “As time passed, she created her own performance. And, surprisingly, she slowed down, stepped into the peak of her strength, raised her horses, and sought personal fulfillment as a lyricist and painter.”
In 1966, the Hollywood star retreated from acting and retired to a ranch in Oregon, and has since worked sporadically in films, dedicated to painting and horses.
“What a god! This is so beautiful,” said Novak, who moved visibly. “I’m receiving this, but it’s the same as you were,” she said. Then she cried out: “You’re me!”
“First of all, I want to thank the gods there, not in particular, they are all. It’s such a gift that they waited until the end of my life to get this,” Novak added.
“I want to thank my father for being my moral compass,” she added. “And my mom. I’m very shy and she lets me look in the mirror and says, ‘You’re the captain of your own ship!” That’s what I think we all need to hear. ”
As part of the tribute, Venice premiered the documentary biopic “The Dizziness of Kim Novak.” Doc will traverse “a path from mid-century film icon to fiercely private artist” by combining personal reflections from Novak with unusual archival footage and glimpse into her hidden life along the wild river of Oregon’s innocent river.
“It’s really about the spiral of her life,” the director said at a press conference before the awards ceremony. “In fact, if you really want to get into it, the film has a spiral structure. At the end of each act, we come back to this idea of why she left Hollywood. But at the end of each act, that’s another reason.”
So why did Novak agree that he is part of “Kim Novak’s Dizziness”?
“I wanted her to have another prisoner of war in her life,” said Sue Cameron, manager and close friend of Novak, executive producer of the document. “It wasn’t really easy, but she felt safe with him (Philip) so she said yes.”
“It’s a challenge,” said Terry Pignon, producer of Kim Novak’s Dizziness, about taking Novak to Venice for the release of his tribute and documentary, and then appearing at the Deauville American Film Festival in France. “She wants to stay home with her horse and dog. But she helps the film team and is willing to be here.”
Cameron pointed out that Novak is still exercising on weight every day.
“She has a 13-acre ranch with three islands and is riding a horse. She rides on horseback and roams the meadows. She won’t give up. This isn’t someone who acts her age. “She was working out on weights this morning!”
