William Friedkin, on Creating the Chase Scene in The French Connection

If you live not to far from NYC, please join us in person. The Hudson Union Society™ www.hudsonunionsociety.com is where todays leaders come to discuss tomorrows ideas. William Friedkin may be best known for his film The Exorcist, one of the most terrifying films of all time. It received ten Academy Award nominations including Best Director and Best Picture. One of the most powerful film directors of the 1970s, Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin was representative of Hollywoods first wave of hip, hot, young super-directors. Famed for his boisterous talent, Friedkin earned a reputation for drawing out brilliant performances from his actors. Just five years after making his feature film debut, Friedkin snagged the Best Director Oscar for The French Connection. Friedkin opted to cast "The French Connection," with relative unknowns, Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider. The rest is movie history. Friedkins plan to shoot The French Connection as documentary-style as possible was mostly decided as a cost-saving measure, but ended up yielding a number of innovative techniques in cinematography. For instance, Friedkin instructed his camera operator to eschew such traditional basics as lighting and blocking; instead, simply film the events before them as if they were news reporters. The result was an "induced documentary" style of filming that was perfect for the gritty, urban crime drama. Perhaps best remembered for its renowned car chase, considered by many to be the most exciting chase sequence ever filmed. The French Connection garnered five Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Gene Hackman), Best Screenplay and Best Editing. Friedkins next picture, The Exorcist, ushered in a new kind of horror film. A true landmark of 70s cinema, The Exorcist received 10 Academy Award nominations, including one for Friedkin as Best Director. Friedkins direction and film became a landmark in special effects, make-up and storytelling. The film The Exorcist - grossed and grossed out millions. Noted for the stylized documentary look of his dramas, Friedkins talents catapulted him to the front rank of American directors. In Friedkins To Live and Die in L.A., William L. Petersen's sleazy Secret Service agent is pitted against Willem Dafoe's slick, psychotic counterfeiter, and featuring a car chase that (almost) trumps The French Connection. To Live and Die in L.A. earned praise for its grittiness and top-notch acting. Friedkin forever changed Hollywood, has made a lasting mark on cinema. and continues to be a tour-de-force in the film industry.

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