Van Morrison honoured for his songs' role in film
Friday, 23 February 2007
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The Oscars awards season took an unusual Irish twist yesterday, as Van Morrison - not a performer immediately associated with the cinema - won a prize from the US-Ireland Alliance in Los Angeles for his musical contributions to film.
Morrison was one of three recipients of an Oscar Wilde award, intended principally to reward Irish contributions to film writing. And while he may never have penned a film score, he has earned a living over the years granting permission to directors and producers to use his songs in more than 60 movies.
His song Wild Night was featured prominently in Thelma and Louise (though sung by Martha Vandella), and his live duet with Roger Waters on the Pink Floyd classic Comfortably Numb was a memorable part of the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese's multi-nominated latest, The Departed. Scorsese has used Morrison's songs quite a bit over the years - T.B. Sheets in Bringing Out The Dead (1999) and Wonderful Remark in The King of Comedy (1983).
The US-Ireland Alliance has worked hard for the past couple of years to make its event as appealing and different as possible. As the organisation's president, Trina Vargo, told Variety: "We're told we're the perfect Oscar-week event because no one is trapped at a dinner table, there are only three awards, no long speeches and you can wear jeans."
The other recipients were Terry George, the writer and director, most notably, of Hotel Rwanda, and William Monahan, the screenwriter on The Departed. Morrison was expected to show up to last night's ceremony with his band. Al Pacino was set to introduce him and Michael Moore, the scabrous documentary maker, was set to introduce George.
Also expected to attend were Helen Mirren, the hot favourite for a best actress Oscar for her work on The Queen, and Mirren's director husband, Taylor Hackford. Mirren appeared in the film Some Mother's Son, which Terry George wrote, and Hackford has used Van Morrison songs in his films.
Ms Vargo said the show's purpose was to bring American and Irish film professionals together. "Just by hanging out together, listening to music and chatting, good things can come from creating a bridge between the two cultures," she said.
