Apparently all you need to do to be made Commander in the French Legion of Honor is make movies for 54 years, and that's not really that difficult, right? Yes. Yes, it is. Clint Eastwood, man of a million guns and everyone's favorite gravelly voiced anti-hero, has been promoted to the rank of Commander in the Legion by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The honor was given for his world wide appeal, using film to bridge cultural gaps between our two countries, and just for being all around awesome, which is essentially why the legion was created anyway. Eastwood was knighted into the legion two years ago by Former President Jacques Chirac and now holds the third rank out of five, which according to Reuters is usually reserved for French citizens.
Sarkozy referred to Eastwood as, “a myth, a giant, an example of the admiration we have for American culture.” Clint Eastwood has been an American staple of cinema for five decades and at 79 years old still remains a living legend who could kick the crap out of anyone he damn well pleases. So Academy, France gave him the honor of Commander, how about you at least give him a Lifetime Achievement Award already.
