Posted on 11/14/2009 7:58:16 AM PST by JoeProBono
President Nicolas Sarkozy awarded US actor and director Clint Eastwood one of France's top honours, hailing him as a cinema legend and a symbol of the type of America that the French adored. It is unusual for a foreigner to be elevated to the rank of commander of the French Legion of Honour but Eastwood, who went from playing tough guy roles like Dirty Harry to directing highly praised films, said he saw France as his second home. "My wife chastised me saying if that was true, why don't I speak French," he told friends and officials gathered at the Elysee Palace for the ceremony, promising to take lessons.
He jokingly referred to Mr Sarkozy as "my president" after receiving the red-ribboned medal, and said he planned to go out and show off his award. "As a commander of the arts and letters, I think I will go out on the streets of France today and throw my weight around," said Eastwood, 79, who recently finished making supernatural thriller Hereafter in France.
Mr Sarkozy said French admiration for US cinema helped transcend any problems the two countries might have had in the past - a veiled reference to France's fierce opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
(Excerpt) Read more at au.news.yahoo.com ...
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