Commander Hopper!
And a hearty congratulations to actor/filmmaker/photographer/icon/wild man of cinema Dennis Hopper, who on Monday was made a Commander in the French Order of Arts and Literature (l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres). Established by the French Minister of Culture in 1957, the Order exists to honor individuals who’ve made substantial and significant contributions to the arts.
Hopper comes by this honor honestly – his vast contributions to world cinema include directing and acting in counterculture classic Easy Rider and performing in such famous films as Apocalypse Now and Blue Velvet. Hopper joins a distinguished list of foreign honorees – his fellow commanders include Clint Eastwood, Bob Dylan, and Tarek Ali Hassan. Jaman fave Shah Rukh Khan was made an Officer of the Order last year.
Hopper’s induction is being celebrated with a visual art exhibition and film series at the Cinémathèque Française – the exhibition will include Hopper’s work and items from his collection. If you can’t make it to Paris for the film series, well, we have a few of Commandeur Hopper’s films right here on Jaman. Of these, we strongly recommend Flashback, with Hopper operating in the full-tilt gonzoid mode that has endeared him to filmgoers around the world.
