Film Society of Lincoln Center Honors Meryl Streep

The Film Society of Lincoln Center honored legendary film actress Meryl Streep at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City on Monday, April 25. The festive affair, attended by a capacity crowd, featured extended film highlights from many Streep films, including "Kramer vs. Kramer," "Out of Africa," "The Devil Wears Prada," "Sophie's Choice," "The Deer Hunter," "The Seduction of Joe Tynan," "Silkwood," "The Bridges of Madison County," "Adaptation," "Angels in America" and many others. The last segment included a scene from Streep's newest effort, "Mamma Mia!," and ended with a rousing ovation motivated by Ms. Streep's vocal performance in the clip on one of the film's signature songs.

Each year, the Film Society salutes an icon of the big screen. The Gala Tributes have been an annual event since 1972 when Charlie Chaplin was feted. Through the years, a Hollywood's Who's Who has graced the big stage including Alfred Hitchcock, Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor, Gregory Peck, Clint Eastwood, Bette Davis, Jack Lemmon, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino, and many others.

Onstage salutes by Ms. Streep's friends and colleagues ranged from emotionally effusive in their praise to whimsical and humorous in tone. Robert Redford, with whom Ms. Streep co-starred in "Out of Africa," recalled the impact she had on him, and the lasting friendship that grew from working together. Robert De Niro indicated that, based on the less than successful films' "Marvin's Room" and "Falling in Love" in which both De Niro and Streep starred, he was asked to say a few words only after buying a ticket to the festivities. Uma Thurman, who starred with Ms. Streep in "Prime" gave credit to the two-time Oscar winner, 14-time Oscar nominated actress for inspiring her to become an actress. Mike Nichols, himself a Film Society of Lincoln Center honoree in 1999, praised Ms. Streep's other-worldly acting expertise, and urged her to work more. Including films in post-production, Streep will have appeared in 10 films between the beginning of 2006 and the end of 2008, with "Julia & Julia" set for a 2009 release. Jonathan Demme, who directed "The Manchurian Candidate," detailed Streep's extraordinary preparation for one of the film's most significant sequences. Other presenters included Christopher Walken, Garrison Keillor, Stanley Tucci, and Amy Adams.

The culmination of the evening's festivities featured a gracious and grateful Streep thanking all for attending, in particular the friends such as Redford who had come such a long way to be part of the evening. After generating wild applause and uproarious laughter recalling her early days as an actress, Ms. Streep left to a standing ovation.