Paris, Jan 06: France honoured movie director Martin Scorsese by making him an Officer of its Legion of Honour and gave Leonardo Di Caprio the slightly less prestigious Arts and Letters Award at a ceremony yesterday.
Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres hailed Scorsese's respect "for the rights of artists" and said the acclaimed director gave life to "cinema that everyone - French, Europeans and Americans - likes."
"I don't know what to say after such a presentation," Scorsese said.
"French cinema of the late fifties, and the sixties and seventies still, for me, is such an extraordinary inspiration. Nothing has really come close to it in recent years," he added. "I owe a great debt to French cinema."
Napoleon Bonaparte created the Legion D'honneur in 1802. It recognises military, cultural, scientific or social contributions to France, including by people who aren't French citizens.
The French Minister hailed Di Caprio as a movie icon and as the "Little Prince of Hollywood and Bad Boy of Los Angeles."
"Peter Pan of cinema, you are a global star," the Minister said as the actor looked on with an embarrassed smile.
Bureau Report
