A Golden Lion for Julie Andrews!
Friday, March 8, 2019 at 9:09AM 
We woke up to wonderful news, to distract us from this hacking cold that's not going away *sniffle*, Julie Andrews has been named as the recipient of this year's Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. She'll be honored at the 76th annual Venice Film Festival which runs August 28th through September 7th.
The film lineup won't be announced until later in the summer but this is exciting news to tide us over 'til then. We hope Julie is helicoptered & parachuted umbrellas in from the sky to accept her Golden Lion!
About this choice, the director of the festival Alberto Barbera says:
“At a very young age, Ms Andrews made a name for herself in the music halls of London and, later, on Broadway thanks to her remarkable singing and acting talent. Her first Hollywood movie, Mary Poppins, gave her top-tier star status, which was later confirmed in another treasured film, The Sound of Music. Those two roles projected her into the Olympus of international stardom, making her an iconic figure adored by several generations of moviegoers. Above and beyond the different interpretations that can be given to her two most famous films (and highlighting the transgressive value of her characters rather than their apparent conservatism), it must be remembered that Andrews went out of her way to avoid remaining confined as an icon of family movies. She accepted roles that were diverse, dramatic, provocative and imbued with scathing irony. For example, The Americanization of Emily by Arthur Hiller, and the many movies directed by her husband Blake Edwards, with whom she formed a very profound and long-lasting artistic partnership, a marvelous example of human and professional devotion to a captivating esthetic project that prevailed over the commercial success of the individual movies. This Golden Lion is the well-deserved recognition of an extraordinary career which has admirably parsed popular success with artistic ambition, without ever bowing to facile compromises.”
Reader Comments (15)
So excited for her. I love her so much!
that’s a lot of time to obsess over an acceptance speech
Lovely news!
I do roll my eyes at the "transgressive value" of Mary and Maria. Those performances can exist as they are (genius, timeless, apolitical) without smothering them in postmodern theory. It feels like this release is apologizing for her "wholesomeness" lest it be confused with their word, "conservatism."
I don't see those characters as "transgressive" or "conservative." But these are the times we live in!
She is a TREASURE!!!
Would love to see her on the big screen again. A great big , juicy part like Notes on a Scandal would really be something to see.
Just last night I revisited VICTOR/VICTORIA - absolutely adore/worship her!
MY QUEEN! Wonderful news to wake up to today. She is one of the great artists of our time. The vast eclipse formed by Mary and Maria belie her amazingly wide breadth of talent. Her dramatic skill has always been underrated. She should have received Oscar nominations for both Duet For One and Star! (even though that's a tough lineup, but Julie should have been included). She has climbed ev'ry mountain.
Michael R - I'm going to be dreaming about Julie Andrews in Notes On A Scandal for years to come! The waves that Julie Andrews would cause with the general public in a juicy against-type role would easily snag Oscar #2 for her.
Her best Drama work is definitely the little seen Due For One.
Lovely choice and lovely tribute
Andrew--off topic, but I just listened to you on the Next Best Theater podcast, and loved your wonderful commentary. Great chat about movie musicals!! I also love The King and I.
And well-deserving to one of the greats in stage and screen.
Thank you, brookesboy. :)
Now if only the Broadway community would give her an honorary Tony, then she could move on as one happy EGOT women!! AMEN to that!!
Love me some Julie! She deserves it.
Crazy Thought: What if Julie Andrews and Barbra Streisand were switched at Birth.
Can you imaging Streisand being raised in proper England and Julie in wacky Brooklyn. Of course they are both gloriously talented and would have still been hugely successful either way.
Their personalities are so vastly different yet their talents massive, I wonder how different they would be from who they are today. And... what would their career trajectories have been?.
Needless to say, I would not change either one, they are both one of a kind iconic legends with superlative vocal and acting achievements! Love em both just the way they are.