Today, the Shattered Lens observes what would have been the birthday of the great William Friedkin. As a director, William Friedkin revolutionized both the horror genre and the crime genre. The car chase from 1971’s The French Connection has been much imitated but rarely equaled.
A few years ago, I attended a showing of The French Connection at the Alamo Drafthouse. As exciting as this chase is, it’s even more amazing when viewed on a big screen.
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today, we honor director William Friedkin on what would have been his birthday.
4 Shots From 4 William Friedkin Films
The French Connection (1971, dir by William Friedkin, DP: Owen Roizman)
The Exorcist (1973, dir by William Friedkin, DP: Owen Roizman)
Sorcerer (1977, dir by William Friedkin, DP: Dick Bush and John M. Stephens)
To Live And Die In L.A. (1985, dir by William Friedkin, DP: M. Scott Smith)
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly watch parties. On Twitter, I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday and I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday. On Mastodon, I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.
Tonight, at 10 pm et, I will be hosting #FridayNightFlix! The movie? 1971’s The French Connection!
If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, find The French Connection on Prime, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag! I’ll be there happily tweeting. It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
See you there!
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today, we honor director William Friedkin on what would have been his birthday.
4 Shots From 4 William Friedkin Films
The French Connection (1971, dir by William Friedkin, DP: Owen Roizman)
The Exorcist (1973, dir by William Friedkin, DP: Owen Roizman)
Sorcerer (1977, dir by William Friedkin, DP: Dick Bush and John M. Stephens)
To Live And Die In L.A. (1985, dir by William Friedkin, DP: M. Scott Smith)
Today, the Shattered Lens celebrates what would have been birthday oif the great William Friedkin. As a director, William Friedkin revolutionized both the horror genre and the crime genre. The car chase from 1971’s The French Connection has been much imitated but rarely equaled.
That said, as impressive as the car chase is, the ending of the French Connection is a perfect example of the bleakness of 70s cinema. Between the seemingly crazed Doyle firing his weapon into the void to the end cards that leave us wondering if any of this was worth it, the final minutes of The French Connection still pack an undeniable punch.
4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today, the Shattered Lens pays tribute to the year 1971!
4 Shots From 4 1971 Films
The Last Picture Show (1971, dir by Peter Bogdanovich, DP: Bruce Surtees)
The French Connection (1971, dir by William Friedkin, DP: Owen Roizman)
Wake in Fright (1971, dir by Ted Kotcheff, DP: Brian West)
The Last Movie (1971, dir by Dennis Hopper, DP: Laszlo Kovacs)
On Monday, when I watched The Seven-Ups with Jeff, Leonard, Bradley, and his wife Sierra (as well as one of our favorite TSL commenters, Dougie Cooper), I was struck by the fact that the film’s score sounded a lot like the score for The French Connection. At first, I figured that it was just a sign of how influential The French Connection was but later, I learned both score were composed by the same man, Don Ellis.
I’ve been thinking about The French Connection a lot since I first heard that Gene Hackman had passed away. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to attend a secret showing of The French Connection at the Alamo Drafthouse. The film worked wonderfully on the big screen, with that car chase leaving me totally breathless. Gene Hackman’s performance as Popeye Doyle was undeniably powerful, his hyperactive and self-destructive pursuit of Charnier filling the entire theater with both dread and excitement. Even though we knew how the film would end, those of us in the audience still couldn’t look away.
Anyway, this is all my rambling way to brag about going to a secret screening of The French …. no wait, wait. Actually, this is my rambling way of introducing today’s song of the day. Here is Don Ellis’s Theme From The French Connection.
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today, I’m using this feature to take a look at the history of the Academy Award for Best Picture. Decade by decade, I’m going to highlight my picks for best of the winning films. To start with, here are 6 shots from 6 Films that won Best Picture during the 1970s! Here are….
6 Shots From 6 Best Picture Winners: The 1970s
The French Connection (1971, dir by William Friedkin, DP: Owen Roizman)
The Godfather (1972, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Gordon Willis)
The Godfather Part II (dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Gordon Willis)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975, dir by Milos Forman, DP: Haskell Wexler and Bill Butler)
Rocky (1976, dir by John G. Avildsen, DP: James Crabe)
The Deer Hunter (1978, dir by Michael Cimino, DP: Vilmos Zsigmond)
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to the great William Friedkin. As a director, William Friedkin revolutionized both the horror genre and the crime genre. The car chase from 1971’s The French Connection has been much imitated but rarely equaled.
A few years ago, I attended a showing of The French Connection at the Alamo Drafthouse. As exciting as this chase is, it’s even more amazing when viewed on a big screen.
First of all, I’d like to thank Kellee Pratt of Outspoken and Freckled for inviting me to participate in the 31Days of Oscar Blogathon. It’s cool to be part of the film blogging community, and even cooler because I get to write about THE FRENCH CONNECTION, a groundbreaking movie in many ways. It was the first R-Rated film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and scored four other golden statuettes as well. It also helped (along with the Clint Eastwood/Don Siegel DIRTY HARRY) usher in the 70’s “tough cop” genre, which in turn spawned the proliferation of all those 70’s cop shows that dominated (KOJAK, STARSKY & HUTCH, BARETTA, etc, etc).
The story follows New York City cops Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle and his partner Sonny “Cloudy” Russo as they investigate a large shipment of heroin being brought in from France. The detectives focus on Sal Boca, a small time hood…
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