WorldTempus.com posted a piece about Sly being awarded the “Jaeger- LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award” on September 12, 2009, during the closing ceremony of the 66th Venice International Film Festival. Here’s a bit of what it says:
…the prize is intended to celebrate Sylvester Stallone’s stature as a filmmaker. Ever since the visionary opening sequence of his first film as a writer and director, “Paradise Alley” –a chase across the rooftops of New York City in the 1940s– Stallone has shown an original eye and an auteur’s determination
“Being honored at the Venice Film Festival – says Sylvester Stallone – is something I have always hoped would become a reality and now that it’s actually happened it’s been well worth the wait”.
During the presentation of the award, there will be a world-premiere screening of some sequences from the new film written by, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone, The Expendables, with Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and Mickey Rourke. “The Expendables – explains Stallone – is a story of heroism and the price that people pay to save others. It’s a great deal of action and human comedy as well”.
In addition, at 11 p.m. in the Sala Grande – with the support of Jaeger-LeCoultre – there will be a screening of Rambo – Director’s Cut by Sylvester Stallone, about which the director also says: “I’m very happy because I wish the director’s cut had been the actual cut. The problem with releasing a film is when you revisit it a year or some later you see all the wasted possibilities that you didn’t pay attention to the first time because of a rushed schedule. The new one has a great deal more heart to go along with the physicality of the film.”
To read the whole article click here. [“Rambo – Director’s Cut” is music to my ears.]
Here’s another article on Sly’s Award.