The french connection 1971 the french connection 1971. So lets revisit the intense, fiveminutes from the 1971. I assume you also know that ed egan, the real popeye. An interesting contrast is established between popeye doyle, a shorttempered alcoholic bigot who is nevertheless a hardworking and dedicated police officer, and his nemesis alain charnier. The french connection 1971 questions movie mistakes. The french connection 45 movie clip chasing the train 1971.
And i still say the greatest car chase was in bullitt three years earlier but the one in tfc is admittedly. The french connection car chase was dangerous and life. So he threw in a bunch of pedestrians and an elevated subway train. The classic french connection car chase many of the close calls in. The filming locations of the french connection, then and now.
Famous traincar chase scene from the french connection movie. Almost always near the top of many topten lists of alltime greatest movie car chase scenes is the french connection, released in 1971. The car chase filmed over five weeks beneath the bensonhurst elevated railway 26 blocks count em of brooklyns stillwell line from bay 50th street station along stillwell avenue, into 86th street. Sep 11, 2018 its car chase was the talk of audiences, and film critics. The film, directed by william friedkin and starring gene hackman and roy. For a movie based on real events and purported to have a documentary style it is curious that it contains such flights of fancy as the car chase that made the french connection iconic.
The french connection 35 movie clip subway getaway 1971. During the surveillance and eventual bust, friedkin provides one of the most gripping and memorable car chase sequences ever filmed. Consistently voted the best movie car chase by experts on and offline, this sequence just could not be more cool. Peter yates was handpicked by steve mcqueen after he made robbery, a british heist movie that opens up with a nasty carchase. The french connection 1971 this is another perennial favorite on the lists of alltime movie car chases. Having a car, for the characters in this movie, seems to give them agency and freedom though not freedom from surveillance. The classic french connection car chase many of the. Gene hackman oscarwinning stars as a tough new york cop who is obsessed with stopping the flow of.
The real life french connection car, a 1960 buick invicta, had french plate 18 lu 75. He requisitions a passing car and begins the movies famous chase sequence at bay 50th street station. The french connection 35 movie clip subway getaway. As friedkin was preparing to film the french connection, he was walking the streets of new york for ideas, and the subway rumbled below him. The french connection broke plenty of new ground for screen thrillers. And i still say the greatest car chase was in bullitt three years earlier but the one in tfc is admittedly intense. Friedkin kept the crash in the film to enhance the chases realism. Questions and answers for the french connection 1971. The french connection, a 1971 crime thriller film directed by william friedkin, written by ernest tidyman and produced by phillip dantoni, is the tale of nyc cop jimmy popeye doyle gene hackman and his partner, buddy cloudy russo roy scheider.
It featured a great early gene hackman performance that won an academy award, and it also won oscars for best picture, direction. Bullitt has what is considered by many to be the best car chase ever filmed, and its not a bad choice. Theres no point in picking a particular scene when this entire movie is one long car chase. The chase involves popeye commandeering a civilians car a 1971 pontiac lemans and then frantically chasing an elevated train, on which a hitman is trying to escape. Several years before he started to film his movie, said director william friedkin in an npr interview, he had seen the chase scene in bullitt, and knew that he couldnt just have two cars chasing each other on empty streets.
The french connection is an excellent film in every way imaginable. Something struck me as familiar, even though i had never been there before. May 18, 2015 the french connection 1971, directed by william friedkin the sevenups 1973, directed by philip dantoni. The scene doesnt feel like an afterthought, though, its the perfect synthesis of. To properly rev up your engine for the release, weve compiled a list of our top 10 movie car chases. For example, the french connection s seemingly competent and professional sidekick suddenly decides that the best way to kill doyle is from a rooftop in a broad daylight. A true story the french connection gets the gong as the movie with the 3rd best car chase of all time. The french connection is a superb movie, and still better than just about any similar hollywood crime thriller made in.
The trail leads to notorious drug kingpin, alain charnier fernando rey. 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. The 15 best movie car chases of all time the 15 best movie car chases of all time. Roy scheider may not have been involved in the french connections celebrated chase, but he got a chance to go one better a couple of years later. According to this graph, popeyes car does not hit 90 mph despite what the director claimed. William friedkins gritty police drama portrays two tough new york city cops trying to intercept a huge heroin shipment coming from france. It seems that would have been very challenging after what hed been through, but. Feb 22, 2015 1971s the french connection features one of the most harrowing car chases in cinema history. According to robin moore, the invicta was popular with drug smugglers in the early 1960s because it had a large space under the body behind each front wheel well. May 05, 2011 a cop in a car chases a crook on a train. The alltime top 10 movie car chases speeding into theaters on aug. The french connection car chase was dangerous and lifethreatening. The classic french connection car chase many of the close.
Arguably the most typical car chase is one in which a car is being pursued by police cars. So friedkin, producer phil dantoni, and tidyman decided to put a car chase in it. I parked my car and started walking towards a nondescript building among a number of similar buildings. Inside the french connection car chase the new york times.
The scene doesnt feel like an afterthought, though, its the perfect synthesis of car chase, character, and story. Made in 1971 and starring a young gene hackman and roy scheider, it is based on an actual drug trafficking scheme known by the same name. Director william friedkin claimed the only thing we had permits for was to shoot on the elevated train when filming the iconic car chase from his 1971 best picture oscar winner, the french. What is not always remembered is what a good movie it is apart from the chase scene.
Gene hackman oscarwinning stars as a tough new york cop who is obsessed with stopping the flow of heroin into the city from france. Friedkin imbues the french connection with realism that extends to its tense, iconic chase that reflects the obsessive drive of popeye doyle. One day, they stumble upon a huge shipment of heroin from france. For example, the french connections seemingly competent and professional sidekick suddenly decides that the best way to kill doyle is from a rooftop in a broad daylight. The french connection the worldwide guide to movie locations. Friedkin is known for giving great commentary, able to hold his own on a track with ample amounts of. The great thing about it are all the happy accidents.
It stars roy scheider as a crusading policeman who is the leader of the sevenups, a squad of plainclothes officers who use dirty, unorthodox tactics to snare their quarry on charges leading to prison sentences of seven years or more upon prosecution, hence the name of the team. Aug 31, 2015 you cant mention classic car chases without bringing up steve mcqueens bullitt. When new york times crime reporter ernest tidyman first adapted the french connection, no one would touch the script. He, of course, misses and hits the innocent pedestrian instead leading to the great car elevatedtrain chase scene. Aug 10, 2012 33 things we learned from the french connection commentary. Jan 05, 2015 ask anyone the best car chase scene in cinematic history and theyll likely tell you, without pause, that its the french connection. May 21, 2014 a few days after seeing the french connection in a theater, i was asked to pick up my mother at my aunts apartment in coney island. Gene hackman, the star of the french connection, discusses the famous car chase scene from the film. One of the most famous variations is from the french connection and involves a car chasing an elevated train. Released by twentieth century fox in 1971 and set on the gritty streets of pregiuliani nyc, this movie follows a brooklyn detective named popeye gene hackman hoping to make a big drug arrest after hearing that a big heroin shipment is coming over from france.
The 15 best movie car chases of all time taste of cinema. Its car chase was the talk of audiences, and film critics. The french connection, a 1971 crime thriller film directed by william friedkin, written by ernest tidyman and produced by phillip dantoni, is the tale of nyc cop jimmy popeye doyle gene hackman and his partner, buddy cloudy russo roy. Popeye doyle is complicated, an antihero or maybe worse. Detective jimmy doyle gene hackman hurtling down crowded nyc streets in a brown pontiac to catch a. The sevenups is a 1973 american mystery action film produced and directed by philip dantoni. And real accidents involving real new yorkers were included in the movie. Although not shown, the velocity was measured in kmh. Michael calamera, jerard kneifatihayek, erik hageman, geeta malieckal 2005. The screenplay, written by ernest tidyman, is based on robin moores 1969 nonfiction book the french connection. The french license plate on the 1971 lincoln mk iii used to smuggle the heroin is 18 lu. In the drivers seat, sometimes with all the attention friedkin pays these cars, they feel hefty with psychic weight.
A few days after seeing the french connection in a theater, i was asked to pick up my mother at my aunts apartment in coney island. Popeye doyle was a highly unusual hero, an often violent, racist, and meanspirited cop whose dedication to his job fell. Ask anyone the best car chase scene in cinematic history and theyll likely tell you, without pause, that its the french connection. The film is often cited as containing one of the greatest car chase sequences in movie history. The filming locations of the french connection, then and. In part because car chases are so common many movie makers try to introduce a new twists to them. With star gene hackman in pursuit of a suspect on an elevated new york train, the filmmakers determined that the only way to raise the stakes was to do it for real. Lots of things can set a car chase apart from its competition. Actually the movie has two chases of note, both equally nonsensical, one in which popeye doyle, played for a movie based on real events and purported to have a. The french connection sean donnelly, olivia hoden, chris nabors, and gaby perez this gripping, suspenseful and engaging film tells the story of a thirtytwo million dollar drug smuggle from paris to new york city. The exciting car chase sequence in this movie is now legendary, and is arguably the best one ever filmed, but there is so much more to this film than just that. New york film locations from the movie the french connection starring gene hackman.
Jul 01, 2015 the french connection broke plenty of new ground for screen thrillers. Done right, a cinematic car chase can define a movie and make it a classic. Many of the near collisions in the movie were therefore real and not planned with the exception of the nearmiss of the lady with the baby. Several years before he started to film his movie, said director william friedkin in an npr interview, he had seen the chase scene in bullitt, and.
You cant mention classic car chases without bringing up steve mcqueens bullitt. Interview courtesy of 20th century fox home entertainment. More than halfway into the film the french connection, police officer popeye doyle gene hackman is desperately trying to catch a criminal. The mechanic irving abrahams, cannot find any narcotics in the car, but popeye refuses to believe it. Sep 29, 2016 william friedkin says the classic car chase scene in the french connection was not carefully prepped or storyboarded, or permitted. The best car chase scene ever ozy a modern media company. The chase begins when popeye doyle commandeers a 1971 pontiac lemans.
The films high point, a highspeed car chase with popeye tailing an. We suggest taking in car chase cinemas granddaddy supreme. The french connection 1971, directed by william friedkin the sevenups 1973, directed by philip dantoni. Right up there with bullitt, the blues brothers, ronin and many others. The french connection is a 1971 american neonoir action thriller film directed by william friedkin. French connection anniversary reminds of hollywoods. William friedkin says the classic car chase scene in the french connection was not carefully prepped or storyboarded, or permitted. The sole directing credit for the producer of both the french connection and bullitt, scheiders chase is one for the ages. But when that chase was hailed as the greatest ever seen, producer philip dantoni set out to top it just three years later, in the french connection.
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