A Conversation with Director William Friedkin

September 25, 2016

A Special Projects Committee Event

On September 24, the DGA Special Projects Committee treated members to a special 45th anniversary screening of Director William Friedkin’s 1971 classic thriller, The French Connection. Presented in the Guild’s Los Angeles Theater complex, the evening opened with a reception and ended with a discussion with the director moderated by DGA Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan.

Following an introduction by Kagan, the audience viewed the film which tells the story of two NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau investigating the largest heroin smuggling operation ever to come into the United States. The French Connection, which stars Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, and Marcel Bozzuffi, was praised by critics for its realism and won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, as well as Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director for Friedkin, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Hackman, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Ernest Tidyman, and Best Film Editing for Gerald B. Greenberg.

After the screening, Friedkin sat down with Kagan for a unique live shot-by-shot analysis of the film’s centerpiece chase sequence that still electrifies audiences to this day. During the conversation Friedkin revealed that part of his inspiration derived from his admiration of the equally iconic chase sequence in Peter Yates’ Bullitt. The other part was driven by the need of the story. “I knew we needed action – two or three good chases,” said Friedkin. “But how many times can you show Hackman and Scheider running after a guy?” And thus a legendary car chase was born.

In addition to The French Connection, Friedkin’s work includes the feature films Sorcerer, The Night They Raided Minsky’s, The Boys in the Band, To Live and Die in L.A., and Killer Joe; the documentaries The People vs. Paul Crump and The Thin Blue Line; and episodes of the television series The Twilight Zone and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. He earned DGA and Academy Award nominations for his 1973 horror feature The Exorcist and was again nominated by the DGA for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials for his 1997 television version of the courtroom drama Twelve Angry Men, which also garnered six Emmy nominations. He has been a member of the DGA since 1962.

See a video highlight and hear audio clips from this event in the gallery below.

Pictures & Video

photos by Shane Karns - Print Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

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HIGHLIGHT: Director William Friedkin discusses how the idea of a chase scene came about during a walk down the street with producer Philip D'Antoni and how he didn't use storyboards to plan the scene.

(Audio Clip): Friedkin emphasizes the main character's obsession as the defining quality of the iconic chase scene.

(Audio Clip): Friedkin explains how an unplanned crash during production of the scene had to be inserted into the movie.

(Audio Clip): Friedkin breaks down the cinematography of the scene, and reveals how he operated the camera on some of the over-the-shoulder shots within the car.

Director William Friedkin speaks about the making of his 1971 classic drama The French Connection.

The DGA Los Angeles Theater audience views a special 45th Anniversary screening of William Friedkin’s The French Connection.

DGA Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan welcomes everyone to the 45th Anniversary screening of William Friedkin’s The French Connection.

Director William Friedkin greets the DGA Los Angeles Theater audience following the special 45th Anniversary screening of his 1971 classic drama The French Connection.

Director William Friedkin speaks about the making of The French Connection in a conversation with DGA Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan (moderator).

DGA Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan (moderator) keys on in the chase sequence from Director William Friedkin’s The French Connection.

Director William Friedkin speaks about creating the chase sequence for The French Connection.

William Friedkin is greeted by his old friend Walter Hill following the screening and Q&A.

Director William Friedkin chats with audience members following the screening of his 1971 classic drama The French Connection at the DGA in Los Angeles.

DGA members enjoy the reception for Director William Friedkin and the 45th Anniversary of his 1971 classic drama The French Connection.

Director William Friedkin and DGA Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan pose for a photo during the reception for the 45th Anniversary screening of Friedkin’s The French Connection at the DGA in Los Angeles.