Francis Ford Coppola accepts AFI Life Achievement Award with tributes from Spielberg, Lucas and more

LOS ANGELES — Steven Spielberg proclaimed ''The Godfather'' the ''greatest American film ever made,'' Robert De Niro teasingly bemoaned being cast in the sequel and not the original and Harrison Ford fought back tears reflecting on his role in the 1974 film, ''The Conversation.''

At the center of it all was Francis Ford Coppola, who on Saturday received the AFI Life Achievement Award at a ceremony at Dolby Theatre that brought together legendary stars from a seemingly bygone era of cinema,

A founding AFI trustee, Coppola's recognition from the organization was a kind of full circle moment for the ''Apocalypse Now'' director.

''When I was a kid there was the Oscars and that was it. Now they're going to have an award show for the best award show,'' the 86-year-old said on the red carpet ahead of the show. ''But this is a little different because it's a personal recognition of the people that you've known all your life and your colleagues over many years, so it's like a homecoming in a way.''

''You, sir, are peerless. You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film,'' Spielberg said.

Coppola sat between Spielberg and George Lucas, as actors and fellow filmmakers like Spike Lee, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Morgan Freeman took turns gushing over the Oscar winner.

''Dreamer of dreams on a dime, teller of tales that cost and lost millions. But tonight, (expletive) the bankers and the bank,'' Freeman said to laughs and cheers.

Lucas, Coppola's longtime friend and colleague, presented him with the award. The pair have known each other for decades and cofounded their own production company, American Zoetrope, in 1969.

''You rounded up a bunch of young film students, gathered us together. We moved to San Francisco, hoping to beat the system. And we did. Like the filmmakers from the dawn of the art form, we had no rules. We wrote them, and you were holding the pen,'' Lucas said.

Coppola was mostly stoic throughout the ceremony as Hollywood sang his praises — until he accepted the award at the end of the night. He beamed as he approached the stage and thanked the room, which was filled with some of his family members as well as multigenerational A-listers.

''Now I understand here, this place that created me, my home, isn't really a place at all, but you — friends, colleagues, teachers, playmates, family, neighbors, all the beautiful faces are welcoming me back,'' he said. ''I am and will always be nothing more than one of you.''

Coppola was the 50th recipient of the award first handed out to John Ford in 1973.

Guests were served wine from the Francis Ford Coppola Winery and after dinner — true to his Italian heritage — a trio of cannolis. Actors who have worked with Coppola painted a unified picture of him as a director, reminiscing on how they were invited to participate and educated about film in a way that empowered them.

''He's very professorial. He talks about history and things and even older movies in the scene he's inspired by,'' said ''The Godfather III'' star Andy Garcia. ''You go into working with him in a movie, and you go in seeking an associate's degree and you would walk out with a master's.''

Coppola last year released his long-in development ''Megalopolis,'' a Roman epic set in a modern New York. The film drew mixed reviews from critics and flopped with audiences. Coppola, though, has maintained he was compelled to make ''Megalopolis'' as an artist, not as a businessman. He self-financed the film.

''For a year in our culture when the importance of the arts is minimized, and our industry is seemingly out in the open that the only metric to judge a film's success is by how much money it makes, I hang on to individuals like Francis for inspiration, who live through their convictions,'' said Adam Driver, who starred in the film.

Last year's AFI honoree was Nicole Kidman. Other recent recipients include John Williams, Mel Brooks, Denzel Washington and Julie Andrews.