Despite all the controversy surrounding Susan Sarandon's stance against Operation Iraqi Freedom, a Gala Tribute to the Oscar-winning actress by the Film Society of Lincoln Center went off without a hitch on May 5. Fans worried the event might meet the same fate as the Baseball Hall of Fame 15th Anniversary Celebration for Bull Durham -- which was canceled for fear of political statements by co-stars Sarandon and Tim Robbins.

"It was a great night," reports Joanna Ney, Public Relations Director for the Lincoln Center Film Society. "We were not honoring her for her politics; we honored her for being a brilliant actress."

Actors who took the podium to give testimonials for Sarandon were Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), John Turturro (Illuminata), David Bowie (The Hunger), and Geena Davis (Thelma & Louise), who confessed she actually wanted to play Louise, not Thelma. "However, by dissolving in a puddle of admiration around Susan, I found myself  becoming Thelma," Davis stated. Turturro praised Sarandon's "amazing longevity and improvement with age."

Harry Belafonte, director Paul Schrader and author Gore Vidal, godfather to one of Sarandon's sons, also spoke. Belafonte paid tribute to Sarandon by praising her work with UNICEF and her "fierce courage, implacable intelligence and compassion." Schrader recalled how deeply involved Sarandon became during the filming of Light Sleeper. He explained she listened so intentently to other actors that she wouldn't even notice when something was going wrong and would be completely surprised when he yelled "Cut!"  

Sarandon's family came along with her. Longtime partner Tim Robbins, director of Dead Man Walking (the film that earned Sarandon her Best Actress Oscar), admitted it was difficult for him to prepare his speech because he's always been so protective of his relationship with Sarandon. Their two young  sons, Jack Henry and Miles Guthrie were there as was Eva Amurri, Sarandon's daughter (who has appeared in several films herself). Referring to the clips of her films being shown, Sarandon said, "My children haven't seen these movies."  (Most of the films feature mature content.) Then she smiled, shrugged her shoulders, and sighed, "Oh well."

"It was fun and inspiring," wrote Nathaniel Rogers of FilmExperience.net, who attended the New York City event. "It was moving to see someone so courageous and outspoken celebrated at this point in time. Susan Sarandon is so beautiful live." Rogers added that he was amazed at "how suddenly gorgeous and Sarandon-like her daughter is."

The night ended with Sarandon graciously thanking the crowd after receiving a standing ovation. She talked about how lucky she was to have fallen into a profession that was such a perfect fit for her.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center has celebrated the work of a major film artist annually since 1972. Stars and filmmakers feted in previous years include such luminaries as Alfred Hitchcock, Barbara Stanwyck, Charlie Chaplin, Audrey Hepburn, Alec Guinness, Clint Eastwood, Billy Wilder, Elizabeth Taylor, Al Pacino, Frederico Fellini, Fred Astaire, Bette Davis, and Gregory Peck. Last year's honoree was Francis Ford Coppola.

(Special thanks to Nathaniel Rogers for his contributions to this article.)

Photo of Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis by Stephanie Berger/Film Society of Lincoln Center, Copyright 2003.