Honorary Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival Awarded to Kim Novak: “Be the Captain of Your Own Ship”
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Guillermo del Toro paid tribute to Kim Novak on Monday before presenting her with the Venice Film Festival’s Honorary Golden Lion. The 92-year-old star of Vertigo, who rose to fame in the late 1950s, was appearing in public for the first time in decades.
After listing the great directors Novak had worked with, del Toro said: “Even more admirable is the fact that she was able to show vulnerability, strength, and mystery. To appear alluring, dynamic, legendary, and astonishing. And with all those beautiful performances, she always carried a touch of intimacy, a hint of heartbreak, and a bit of enigma.”
The Frankenstein director added: “What’s remarkable is that she also chose to step back, to retire at the height of her power, and to pursue fulfillment through horse breeding, poetry, and painting.”
After receiving the award, Novak said: “First of all, I want to thank the gods up there. Not one god in particular—all of them. It’s a gift that they waited until the end of my life to give me this. I want to thank my father, who was my moral guide. And my mother. I was very shy, and she made me look ahead and tell myself: You are the captain of your own ship! I believe this is something we should all tell ourselves. We must make our voices heard.”
The Venice Film Festival is also screening the biographical documentary Kim Novak’s Vertigo, which uses rare archival footage to explore the actress’s life from the mid-20th century to the present.
Novak concluded her speech by encouraging those living with bipolar disorder to try painting.
