Director of photography Owen Roizman wrote in American Cinematographer magazine in 1972 that the camera was undercranked to 18 frames per second to enhance the sense of speed. Make one better than anyone's done."[9]. To watch The French Connection now is to experience the shock of the old: a lost world of the city, and a lost style of film-making. The French Connection was the nickname of a forward line that played for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League from 1972 until 1979. There are very brief interspersed personal dramas, and there are conversations that keep the plot clear, but the overall big vector here is one direction, and the cops get closer in spurts and jerks to their prey. [19] The chase involves Popeye commandeering a civilian's car (a 1971 Pontiac LeMans) and then frantically chasing an elevated train, on which a hitman is trying to escape. [47], The French Connection has been issued in a number of home video formats. The French Connection (1971)Director William Friedkin would make it impossible to see his career straight two years after "The French Connection" by directing "The Exorcist," which took on a life of its own. Tad Dibbern . Was this review helpful to you? A missing scratch or dent would certainly be noticeable. Cloudy notes that the vehicle's shipping weight is 120 pounds over its listed manufacturer's weight. … These violent sequences are almost all presented racily and amusingly, stressing Doyle's 'lovable' toughness as he manhandles and arrests petty criminals, usually adding a quip like 'Lock them up and throw away the key. This time the color-timing was supervised by both Friedkin and Roizman, and the desaturated and sometimes over-grainy look of the 2009 edition have been corrected. … On September 25, 2001, the film was released on VHS and DVD, with both formats being released in box sets featuring both the film and its sequel, French Connection II. '"[38], On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 98% based on 56 reviews, with an average rating of 8.74/10. Roizman's contention is borne out when you see a car at a red light whose exhaust pipe is pumping smoke at an accelerated rate. "The French Connection II" simply lacks the punch of the original. But because it has dropped the romance and starry glamor of Steve McQueen and added a strong sociological concern, 'The French Connection' is even more interesting, thought-provoking and reverberating. The French Connection, American crime thriller film, released in 1971, that became known for having one of the most exciting and iconic car chases in cinematic history. And the music is by jazz great Don Ellis. Realizing he is being pursued, Nicoli works his way forward through the carriages, shoots a policeman who tries to intervene and hijacks the motorman at gunpoint, forcing him to drive straight through the next station, also shooting the train conductor. Tad Dibbern . 29 of 35 people found this review helpful. The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy [Robin Moore, Sonny Grosso] on Amazon.com. The French Connection is a 1971 American action-thriller film[6] directed by William Friedkin. Champlin, Charles (November 3, 1971). [14], In addition to the two main protagonists, several of the fictional characters depicted in the film also have real-life counterparts. It was responsible for providing the vast majority of the heroin used in the United States at the time. "[22][23], The French Connection was filmed in the following locations:[24][25][26][27], Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film 4 out of 4 stars and ranked it as one of the best films of 1971. Charnier and Sal drive off in the Lincoln, but hit a roadblock with a large contingent of police led by Popeye. The French Connection was a term used to describe a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Turkey to France and then to the United States, culminating in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when it provided the vast majority of the illicit heroin used in North America. An interesting contrast is established between 'Popeye' Doyle, a short-tempered alcoholic bigot who is nevertheless a hard-working and dedicated police officer, and his nemesis Alain Charnier, a suave and urbane gentleman who is nevertheless a criminal and one of the largest drug suppliers of pure heroin to North America. The website's critical consensus reads, "Realistic, fast-paced and uncommonly smart, The French Connection is bolstered by stellar performances by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, not to mention William Friedkin's thrilling production. A still shot from this scene is depicted in the movie poster shown at the top of this Wikipedia page. The French Connection was a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Turkey to France and then to the United States and Canada. The film stars Gene Hackman as Popeye, Roy Scheideras Cloudy, … William Friedkin's gritty police drama portrays two tough New York City cops trying to intercept a huge heroin shipment coming from France. The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy To avoid being tailed, he has Boca meet him in Washington D.C., where Boca asks for a delay to avoid the police. This is a movie as down in the mouth as the world it represents, and it's all deliberate, and smart.This is the stuff of a breakthrough movie. Popeye and Cloudy were transferred out of the narcotics division and reassigned. Undaunted, Popeye tells Cloudy that he will get Charnier. At that point, the train hits a train stop, but is going too fast to stop in time and collides with the train ahead of it, which has just left the station. 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