Mel Brooks given AFI lifetime achievement honour
Comic film director Mel Brooks has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute. Robert DeNiro and David Lynch were among those who attended the Hollywood ceremony to pay tribute to the 86-year-old, whose films include “Young Frankenstein” and “The Producers”.
Woody Allen, Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg applauded Brooks via video.
Past recipients of the prize include Scorsese, Elizabeth Taylor, Kirk Douglas, Spielberg and George Lucas.
Brooks went on to thank the institute for recognizing him and sharing his lifelong love of film. “Movies,” he said, “rescued my soul. No matter what was bad or wrong, it could be wiped out on Saturday morning.”
In 1969, Brooks won an Oscar for writing “The Producers”, a comedy about two schemers who figure out how to make money by producing a sure-fire Broadway flop - a musical about Adolf Hitler.
Source: BBC
Comments