The French Connection

 

The French Connection, a gritty 1971 movie about a major drug bust in New York City, still stands as one of the most iconic movies ever made. But how did a low-budget film inspired by real events become such an iconic piece of cinema? The story of how the film was made is an amazing tale of skill and luck, and one that can be largely attributed to producer Phil D'Antoni and director William Friedkin.

In his quest to make the film, D'Antoni fought through studio rejection and casting drama, and managed to convince Friedkin that his true-crime book about the real-life case would make an excellent movie. The result was a gritty, action-packed classic, complete with a high-speed car chase sequence that remains among the best in film history.

To give the film authenticity, Friedkin drew on his experience as a documentary filmmaker. He encouraged improvisation wherever possible, especially in the surveillance scenes, where he and cinematographer Boris Roizman sought to capture the real-world downtime that can be involved in watching or tailing a suspect. Friedkin also rarely did more than one take for each shot, and often had the actors run through their dialogue without the camera crew present, so he could capture the feel of natural, spontaneous speech.

The key to the success of the movie was its cast, led by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider. Both actors were based on real-life New York police officers, with Hackman's character, Popeye Doyle, loosely modeled on Eddie Egan and Scheider's, Cloudy Simonson, on Sonny Grosso and Richard "Dick" Hickman, respectively. The script was written by Ernest Tidyman, who also wrote the screenplay for Shaft, to give the movie the rhythm and tone of real New York speech.

While making the film, Hackman became uncomfortable with having to use some of Egan's actual dialogue in the movie, particularly a line in which Egan uses the N-word. When he brought this up to Friedkin, the director said that the film was not meant as a politically correct statement and that Hackman simply had to get past his discomfort and do the scene.

In addition to the acting and direction, The French Connection relied on a masterful editing job by Jerry Greenberg. Greenberg won an Academy Award for his work on the film, and The french connection the pornostarz album  Connection was later inducted into the National Film Registry as a "culturally significant" film. To this day, the movie continues to stand out for its authentic depiction of urban life and a powerful sense of urgency that is undeniable. The movie's influence can be seen in classic contemporary cop dramas like The Wire.