Accepting the award with the movies cast standing behind her, the films producer kwak sin ae remarked, i feel like a very opportune moment in history is happening right now. Five favorite films with bob balaban full french movie. The three previous feature films by the directing team of aaron moorehead and justin benson have earned them a great reputation in scifihorror circles and been the sort of movies that fans build a festival schedule around, but their particular combination of. Subscribe to the times video newsletter for free and get a handpicked selection of the best videos from the new york. Bertrand taverniers journeys through french cinema. Made in 1971, the citys decay is front and center in nearly every frame, from abandoned, grimecovered buildings and derelict cars to crumbling warehouses and trashstrewn lots, and at times, the neglect is nothing short of tragic. The moviegoing public, take 2 on the role of the film critic. With the french connection, great filmmaking and thrilling action come together in splendidly ingenious ways.
He had such presence, such a capacity to explode, that when he ran a bust on a bar, the patrons pretty. Not because i think its the best of them it just barely makes the top half of winners that decade for me, and im not even 100% sure i like it best of its nomination class but because its the kind of film that doesnt really win that award, and it is extremely cool that this. The screenplay, written by ernest tidyman, is based on robin moore s 1969 nonfiction book the french connection. French connection ii focuses on popeye doyle who takes revenge on the drug smuggler alain charnier, not in new york this time but marseille, france. A look at 70s mobsters moving heroin through marseilles on its way to new york city. The connection this transatlantic look at the gallic hero in the french connection case trades the gritty realism of william friedkins classic for.
The slightly ambiguous ending leaves the film open for the sequel, and the film features one of the best car chases of its time. From lawrence of arabia to the french connection oscar. Fq print edition submission guidelines fq welcomes both established scholars and fresh voices that bring new perspectives to bear on discourses of visual representation rooted in issues of diversity, race, lived experience, gender, sexuality, and transnationalism. Released in 2001 as a 2 disc special edition dvd, the french connection comes to bluray with nearly all of the extras from that set, as well as some new ones. The filming locations of the french connection, then and. With gene hackman, fernando rey, bernard fresson, philippe leotard. The french connection is routinely included, along with bullitt, diva and raiders of the lost ark, on the short list of movies with the greatest chase scenes of all time. It featured a great early gene hackman performance that won an academy award, and it also won oscars for best picture.
The metacritic data we compiled here to track the most critically acclaimed crime movies in history traces a lineage of great films from contemporary thrillers like no country for old men and. It tells the story of new york police department detectives jimmy popeye doyle and buddy cloudy russo, whose reallife counterparts were narcotics detectives eddie. Jan 23, 2020 sonny grosso, an nypd detective who, along with partner eddie egan, inspired william friedkins 1971 crime classic the french connection, died yesterday in manhattan following a long illness. He had such presence, such a capacity to explode, that when he ran a bust on a bar, the patrons pretty tough themselves. What is not always remembered is what a good movie it is apart from the chase scene. All the more remarkable, then, to find need, caring, and delicate sensuality embodied in an actor who in 1971 became a veritable icon of bluecollar machismo with his oscarwinning portrayal of the obsesses narcotics cop, popeye doyle, in the french connection. William friedkins the french connection depicts just the kind of new york he was looking for. Some are shared by many such as the shower scene from psycho others are particular to us. Without subtlety whatsoever, gerschuny asserts that tellez just needs to get laid and quit being so damn fussy. Lyons is the author or coauthor of seven books, including jeffrey lyons 101 great movies for kids.
The film connection film school alternative is endorsed by filmmakers who are making movies, maybe even the movies you love. A look at 70s mobsters moving heroin through marseilles on its way. I suspect much of the dialogue is adlibbed at times and hackman plunges the depths as a fish out of water without a word of french who is kidnapped and forcefed. Demon is the final film of polish director marcin wrona, who committed suicide shortly after the films premiere at the 2015 toronto film festival the film was released theatrically in the u. Intent on seeing the cahulawassee river before its dammed and turned into a lake, outdoor fanatic lewis medlock takes his friends on a canoeing trip theyll never forget into the dangerous american backcountry. Filmmakers need to stop viewing audiences in linear terms, to start widening the net, embracing an umbrella approach, thinking in the language of prisms so peasants and kings get fed together. With jon voight, burt reynolds, ned beatty, ronny cox. The french connection 25 movie clip cleaning up the. It featured a great early gene hackman performance that won an academy award, and it also won oscars for best picture, direction. Sep 01, 2018 in 2018, actorcomedian paul scheer and film critic amy nicholson have taken it upon themselves to watch every single one of them. Five favorite films with harmony korine connection oscarnominated cinematographer caleb deschanel and the filmweek critics discuss the bestshot films of the 20th century. The metacritic data we compiled here to track the most critically acclaimed crime movies in history traces a lineage of great films from contemporary thrillers like no country for. Much like friedkin, hackman was a burgeoning talent with two supporting actor oscar nominations under his belt who found the perfect role in doyle, delivering a turn ferocious and charismatic, combining. Filmgoers with sharp memories will think immediately of taverniers previous documentary, 2016s similarly titled, 3 1 2 hour my journey.
The french connection ii simply lacks the punch of the original. The screenplay, written by ernest tidyman, is based on robin moores 1969 nonfiction book the french connection. The connection is the french side of the french connection. Mar, 2010 we all have film sequences that stick in our minds.
Instead he named the fallen idol, going on to explain that the third man was a directors film. Not because i think its the best of them it just barely makes the top half of winners that decade for me, and im not even 100% sure i like it best of its nomination class but because its the kind of film that doesnt really win that award, and it is extremely cool that this one did and i. Professionals in the film businessincluding famous producers, screenwriters and directorsendorse film connections programs for one simple reason. And as its box office, critical, and oscar successes have proven, this is a film that tells us that actioners can be more than dumb fun. This highly autobiographical insert accomplishes two things. Not that hackman has been totally confined to workingclass trenches. Still on the trail of drug kingpin frog one fernando rey, narcotics officer. In the early 60s, new york special narcotics agents eddie egan and sonny grosso stumbled onto a largescale smuggling operation that was. A playful yet heartfelt riff on the romanticcomedy genre, the film critic follows victor tellez, an intellectual, worldweary film critic who prefers to think in french and eschew the cliches of romantic movies. Mar 24, 2020 director john frankenheimer brings us french connection ii which was made in 1975 and is an action, crime type of thriller drama gene hackman returns as popeye doyle in this sequel to william friedkins original 1971 film called the french connection french connection ii sees the. Instead of wellchoreographed action scenes, what we get are overlong dramatic ones.
The highlight of the film a scene where all the bollywood bit players viju khote, manmauji, birbal, lilliput and others congregate at a bar, may be instrumental in nostalgia recall but has little meaning in a film that prods along purposelessly, trying for bittersweet affect but feeling limp, listless and underdeveloped. The french connection critics picks the new york times. The film was inspired by the events of the french connection in the 1970s, starring jean dujardin as police magistrate pierre michel juge and gilles lellouche as gaetan tany zampa, a drug gang ringleader. Scott looks back at william friedkins 1971 drama starring gene hackman. So begins film critic jonathan rosenbaums essay for the criterion collection edition of orson welless playful masterpiece of trickery, f for fake. The film critic even bogs down to the level of something like an adam sandler fiasco think mr. This sequel to the oscarwinning the french connection picks up almost exactly where the earlier film leaves off. French connection ii is not exactly a fun flick theres a harrowing sequence where the bad guys shoot hackman full of heroin, for example, but in its own twisted way its something of an art film perhaps the most profoundly absurdist and pessimistic.
Film connection film school for filmmakers, directors. Its mission is to bring timely critical and intersectional approaches to criticism and analyses of visual culture. Its the last one i will write under the times film critic byline. This posthumous work depicts twentieth and twentyfirst century poland through the genre of the horror film. Popeye doyle travels to marseille to find alain charnier, the drug smuggler who eluded him in new york. They can, from time to time, be outstanding cinema. French connection ii is a lot more colourful but still low key and displays marseilles in all its glory, and ugliness, as doyle is used as bait to hook out more drug traffickers. In a landmark academy awards, bong joon hos parasite won the first nonenglishlanguage film to win the best picture prize in 92 years of oscars history. The french connection and its mysterious ending were fine as it was. A face in the crowd 1957 west orange arts council members receive a 25% ticket discount to wo classic film festival movies. The connection this transatlantic look at the gallic hero in the french connection case trades the gritty realism of william friedkins classic for periodmovie pageantry.
The greatest film scenes ever shot feature film the. The french connection was inspired by a true story, and eddie egan and sonny grosso, popeye and buddys real life counterparts, both have small roles in the film. The visual transfer effectively reproduces the grainy and. They provide a primer to a remarkable period in this first century of film. On release, french connection ii attracted positive reactions from the press and fared well at the box office. The french connection was inspired by a true story, and eddie egan and sonny grosso, popeye and buddys real life counterparts, both have small roles in. The french connection is a 1971 american action thriller film directed by william friedkin.
Popeye doyle, the new york narc created by gene hackman in the french connection, was the most compelling of characters, a man driven by violent hungers that had little to do with his job as a cop. Mar 26, 2020 filmgoers with sharp memories will think immediately of taverniers previous documentary, 2016s similarly titled, 3 1 2 hour my journey through french cinema, which was released in. Five star collection will be available separately, or in a boxed set that also includes the french connection ii. The french connection is an oscar winning film and deservedly so that is not your usual cop movie. Apr 04, 2020 the french connection is the best picture oscar winner from the 1970s that makes me happiest. In the early 1990s i moved into radio broadcasting, contributing to and presenting programmes on bbc radio 1, 2, 4 and 5, until i became resident film critic for radio 1 fm, presenting film programmes such as clingfilm and movie update, and contributing to the mark radcliffe show, the simon mayo show, and the evening session. The french connection ii will only be available in the boxed set. In addition to his work as a critic, he has appeared as himself in the french connection, deathtrap, and the tv series wiseguy. First, it neatly leads into a compelling anecdote about how rosenbaum wrote welles a letter the maestro had an easily accessible. Based on a true incident and a real cop, the movie has great acting by gene hackman and roy scheider as cops hot on the trail of a narcotics dealer from france, who is using an international actor as his unsuspecting smuggler. May 29, 2015 the connection is the french side of the french connection. This is the trailer for the french connection 2 1975 starting gene hackman as jimmy popeye doyle. From lawrence of arabia to the french connection oscarnominated cinematographer caleb deschanel and the filmweek critics discuss the bestshot films of the 20th century.
529 897 493 599 11 966 463 838 1217 95 599 815 1085 1045 911 826 412 340 710 1137 98 722 726 764 1474 1582 753 194 988 1149 1319 999 722 1154 1016 785