RIP William Friedkin…
Very sad news to report: the brilliant Film Director William Friedkin has died at the age of 87…no cause of death released yet….I wanted to pay homage to one of the icons of cinema…Friedkin had an amazing career – including the greatest horror film ever made!
William Friedkin directed “The Exorcist” – the scariest film of all time – a classic that gets better every time you watch it!
“The Exorcist” was released in 1973, a high point in the Director’s career. The film was nominated for Best Picture, and he was nominated for Best Director. He had also just won the Best Director Oscar along with Best Picture in 1971 for one of the greatest chase movies ever made, “The French Connection”:
Friedkin Goes “Cruising”:
He would go on to direct Al Pacino in one of his most controversial roles ever – as an undercover cop who gets “too undercover” in Friedkin’s gritty, leather-bound thriller “Cruising” – the “Basic Instinct” of its time:
I shared a story about just how iconic this film is – including this hilarious story that Christina Applegate shared about the time her Mom took her to see it when she was a young child!
And Of Course, His “Lost” masterpiece, “Sorcerer!”
More on Friedkin’s other great films in a moment, but now, let’s look at his “lost” classic – his 1977 remake of the brilliant french film “The Wages Of Fear”:
“Sorcerer” Goes Blu!
And now the blu-ray release is here! Let’s look at the film – beginning with the movie trailer:
The plot originated with the same Georges Arnaud novel that inspired Henri-Georges Clouzot’s French suspense classic The Wages of Fear (1953). In Friedkin’s version, Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, and Amidou play four men who end up in a South American town where an American oil company is seeking out courageous drivers willing to haul nitroglycerin over 200 miles of treacherous terrain.
This is an intense, beautifully made action thriller – dirty and gritty, amazingly tense – and the work of a master film maker. For whatever reason, the public ignored it when it was released – perhaps because “Star Wars” had moved them in a completely different direction months earlier…but a new blu-ray release gives it the respect it deserves…
The blu- ray includes a newly remastered print – under the supervision of Friedkin himself!
The blu-ray is presented as a BD Book featuring 40 pages filled with beautiful images and excerpts from the Director’s autobiography “The Friedkin Connection a Memoir”
The blu-ray also includes a new, personal forward written by Friedkin…
I can’t wait to go blu on this movie! Now, onto some more classic Friedkin!
Everybody Wang Chung Tonight!
Friedkin also made the seminal LA chase movie – a neglected 80’s classic with a terrific soundtrack by Wang Chung!
If you haven’t seen “To Live And Die In LA”, it’s a classic 80’s action movie with another amazing car chase sequence – the film stars William Peterson and Willem Dafoe…and it has a mesmerizing soundtrack as well…
There are many more films to discuss, and what better way to hear about them than from the great Director himself?
The Friedkin Connection!
A few years ago, Friedkin released his long-awaited memoir – and as amazon said, “it takes readers from the streets of Chicago to the suites of Hollywood and from the sixties to today, with autobiographical storytelling as fast-paced and intense as any of the auteur’s films.”
Anecdotes! Anecdotes! Anecdotes!
He had an amazing career full of great anecdotes, and the book tells them all.
In 1966, when Friedkin was just getting started as a director on the TV side, he had the privilege of being asked to read the script for a planned feature film version of Director Blake Edwards’ earlier TV series “Peter Gunn.” But it’s what happened at a subsequent Monday morning breakfast meeting that really made the difference:
“So what do you think?” Edwards asked.
I chose my words carefully, but I had to say what I felt and accept the consequences. “Blake, I think the script is a piece of sh*t.”
He looked up in shock, his English muffin poised in midair. “What?” He set his muffin down and looked at me directly, not so much mad as confused. “What did you just say?” A bitter smile crossed his lips.
There were two other people at the time in the Paramount Studios bungalow, one of whom Friedkin had never been introduced to. That individual in the corner turned out to be the uncredited author of the Peter Gunn screenplay, William Peter Blatty.
Five years later, Friedkin was surprised to receive a copy of the book The Exorcist and a note from author Blatty to call once he had read it. When the two connected, Blatty explained: “I sent you the book because I remember our meeting outside Blake Edwards’ office about Peter Gunn, and how you had the balls to tell us what a piece of sh*t it was, even though it cost you a job; and I believe you’d never bullsh*t me.”
Even though Friedkin’s name was not next to those of Stanley Kubrick, Mike Nichols and Arthur Penn on the Warner Bros. wish list, Blatty had director approval and wanted Friedkin. The rest is history…
Without a doubt, “The Exorcist” was a cultural phenomenon when it was released in 1973: people were reported passing out in the theaters showing the film, or running our sick…it was a media frenzy, a pop culture sensation, and don’t forget – it was nominated for best picture as well – it is a masterpiece…
Director William Friedkin made this two years after he won the Oscar for Best Picture for “The French Connection”…
“The Exorcist” was also nominated for Best Picture of 1973 and is the greatest horror film ever made…
Tons of great stories and commentaries on the special edition blu-ray….check it out and relive a classic!
“The Friedkin Connection!”
Make sure to check out “The Friedkin Connection” to read all of the stories from the great Director himself!
Finally, you can click below to read a story I previously posted all about Friedkin’s film “Killer Joe”, one of 2012’s best – and I did a quick look at his other classics, such as 1971’s Best Picture “The French Connection” as well as “To Live And Die In LA”!
Click here:
RIP William Friedkin and bravo on such an incredible cinematic career…
Categories: 70's Cinema, Academy Awards, Action Films, Art, Books / Media, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Film Noir, Great Films, Hollywood, Memoirs, Movies, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
HI John, I have never watched The Exorcist although I know all about it and recognise the pictures you shared. It is a bit to scary for me! An interesting post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing this Robbie – much appreciated! It’s the greatest horror film of all time but a very intense one that speaks of spirituality, faith and of course, evil…
LikeLike
He left behind so many memorable films. ‘To Live And Die In LA’ gets better every time I watch it.
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLike
The man made movies that other directors would be afrid to make. RIP brave artist.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed he did…a provocative filmmaker who wasn’t afraid to take risks…a sad loss…thanks so much for your words.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He was gutsy and brilliant. R.I.P.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, again.
LikeLike
RIP~A legend indeed. A friend and I were just talking about the phenomenon of The Exorcist in sharing our all time favorites. I did not know much about William Friedkin. Thank you for sharing!
LikeLike
Oh no! A one of a kind – legend
LikeLiked by 1 person
His autobiography is fascinating and very candid…he made some all-time great films and was a maverick as well…a sad losss…
LikeLiked by 1 person