The French Connection

Starring: Gene Hackman; Fernando Rey; Roy Scheider; Tony LoBianco & Marcel Bozzuffi Director: William Friedkin

DVD Features:

Audio:

• Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
• Stereo - English
• Mono - French
• Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional

Additional Release Material:

• Audio Commentary William Friedkin - Director; Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider - Stars
• Trailers - Theatrical Trailer

Major Awards:

Academy Awards - Best Picture (1971)

Academy Awards - Best Actor (1971)

Academy Awards - Best Director (1971)

Academy Awards - Best Film Editing (1971)

Academy Awards - Best Adapted Screenplay (1971)

Description by OLDIES.com:

New York City detectives "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) hope to break a narcotics smuggling ring and ultimately uncover The French Connection. But when one of the criminals tries to kill Doyle, he begins a deadly pursuit that takes him far outside the city limits. Based on a true story, this action-filled thriller, with its renowned chase scene, won five Academy Awards in 1971, including Best Picture, Best Director (William Friedkin) and Best Actor for Hackman.

Product Description:

Released in the same year as Clint Eastwood's DIRTY HARRY (1971), William Friedkin's THE FRENCH CONNECTION marked the beginning of a new era of gritty, urban police dramas. Here, the theme of tough-cop amorality serves a conservative demand for a police-state crackdown on the domestic chaos and subversive youth culture of the Vietnam War period.

The film is based on the true story of two New York City police detectives and their investigation into a French heroin smuggling operation. THE FRENCH CONNECTION is perhaps best known for its infamous, masterfully filmed chase scene (influenced by Peter Yates' BULLITT) in which the lead policeman, Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman), recklessly drives a stolen car through oncoming traffic in pursuit of a sniper escaping by elevated train. The thrill of this crime drama is accentuated by director William Friedkin's early European influences, perhaps best represented by the handheld documentary-style visuals and Friedkin's claims that the Oscar-winning screenplay was frequently disregarded in favor of improvisation. THE FRENCH CONNECTION marked not only a significant change of course for his career, but also a stylistic shift that all of Hollywood would soon follow.

Plot Keywords:

Action | Cops | Drugs | Essential Cinema | New York City | Police | Recommended | Theatrical Release | Thieves

Exerpts:

"Ever pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?" -- Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman), spoken to various characters

Production Notes:

• Theatrical release: October 9, 1971
• Based on events that occurred in 1961.
• Shot almost entirely on location in New York City, and briefly in Marseilles, France.
• THE FRENCH CONNECTION is number 70 on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Greatest Movies.
• People were allegedly injured during the filming of the famous chase scene.
• Friedkin is rumored to have shot parts of the chase scene himself.

Cast and Crew: