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Steven Spielberg on the “greatest American film ever made”
The director revealed his pick at a recent awards ceremony The post Steven Spielberg on the “greatest American film ever made” appeared first on NME.
Director Steven Spielberg has heralded The Godfather as “the greatest American film ever made” in a speech celebrating Francis Ford Coppola.
The filmmaker behind the 1972 mafia drama, considered by many as one of the greatest films of all time, received the American Film Institute’s (AFI) Life Achievement Award at the weekend (April 26), at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The Jurassic Park filmmaker presented the award to Coppola alongside Star Wars creator George Lucas. The trio all broke through in the 1970s, and have been friends for decades.
“On one hand, you are a warrior for independent artists, you always champion their causes,” Spielberg said (via Variety), “but also, and always, you’re fearless in how open you are to ideas, opinions and inspiration.”
He would go on to say: “The Godfather for me, is the greatest American film ever made. Many artists can and do take a bow from their work on a page, on a canvas, on a screen, but our applause for you Francis, is from a different kind of audience.”
Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro and George Lucas at the AFI Lifetime Achievement Awards honoring Francis Ford Coppola's career. pic.twitter.com/iPq8Sly09q
— Films to Films (@filmstofilms_) April 27, 2025
He continued: “When we’re young, it’s our parents we want to make proud, and then it’s our friends, and then it’s our colleagues, and finally, it’s our peers, but you, sir, are peerless. You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film, and in so doing, you’ve inspired a generation of storytellers who want to make you proud of their work, proud of our work, and I always want to make you proud of my work.”
As well as Spielberg and Lucas, the night saw tributes to Coppola from The Godfather stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, with the former saying: “You changed my life.”
Despite being heralded as one of the greats of American cinema, Coppola struggled with his most recent release, sci-fi drama Megalopolis. Funded by the director himself, the film was poorly received by critics and audiences.
In February, the filmmaker responded to “winning” Worst Director for the movie at the 2025 Razzie Awards, which awards the worst films of the year. “I chose to NOT follow the gutless rules laid down by an industry so terrified of risk,” he said on Instagram in defence of his project.
Recently, the original puppet from Steven Spielberg’s classic E.T. was put up for auction, with an expected sale price of up to $900,000 (£674,392).
The post Steven Spielberg on the “greatest American film ever made” appeared first on NME.
