The French Connection (1971)

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

Ernest Tidyman (screenplay)
Robin Moore (based on the book by)
(more)

Release Date:

9 October 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

The time is just right for an out and out thriller like this.

Plot:

A pair of NYC cops in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a drug smuggling job with a French connection.

Plot Keywords:

Heroin | Police | French | Drugs | Chase

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Jimmy Doyle
Fernando Rey	...	Alain Charnier
Roy Scheider	...	Det. Buddy Russo
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Sal Boca
Marcel Bozzuffi	...	Pierre Nicoli
Frédéric de Pasquale	...	Devereaux (as Frederic De Pasquale)
Bill Hickman	...	Mulderig
Ann Rebbot	...	Marie Charnier
Harold Gary	...	Weinstock
Arlene Farber	...	Angie Boca
Eddie Egan	...	Simonson
André Ernotte	...	La Valle (as Andre Ernotte)
Sonny Grosso	...	Klein
Benny Marino	...	Lou Boca
Patrick McDermott	...	Chemist (as Pat McDermott)
Alan Weeks	...	Pusher
Al Fann	...	Informant
Irving Abrahams	...	Police Mechanic
Randy Jurgensen	...	Police Sergeant
William Coke	...	Motorman
The Three Degrees	...	The Three Degrees
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Adonis	...	Bidder at New York Car Auction (uncredited)
Gilda Albertoni	...	Uncredited (uncredited)
Robert Dahdah	...	Man (uncredited)
Sheila Ferguson	...	Member of The Three Degrees (uncredited)
Sarina C. Grant	...	Hooker on the Street (uncredited)
Joe Lo Grippo	...	Tollbooth Collector (uncredited)
Melonie Haller	...	Schoolgirl (uncredited)
Valerie Holiday	...	Member of The Three Degrees (uncredited)
Eric Jones	...	Little Boy (uncredited)
Charles McGregor	...	Baldy - Bar Patron in Drug Raid (uncredited)
Lora Mitchell	...	Woman with Baby Carriage (uncredited)
Maureen Mooney	...	Bicycle Girl (uncredited)
Silvano Nolemi	...	Dock Worker (uncredited)
Fayette Pinkney	...	Member of The Three Degrees (uncredited)
Darby Lloyd Rains	...	Stripper (uncredited)
Burt Richards	...	Auction Bidder (uncredited)
Fat Thomas	...	Mutchie (uncredited)
Robert Weil	...	Auctioneer (uncredited)

Directed by
William Friedkin

Writing credits
Ernest Tidyman		(screenplay)
Robin Moore		(based on the book by)
Howard Hawks		uncredited

Produced by
Philip D'Antoni	....	producer
G. David Schine	....	executive producer
Kenneth Utt	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Don Ellis		(music composed by)

Cinematography by
Owen Roizman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Gerald B. Greenberg		(film editor) (as Jerry Greenberg)

Casting by
Robert Weiner		(casting)

Art Direction by
Ben Kasazkow		(as Ben Kazaskow)

Set Decoration by
Edward Garzero		(as Ed Garzero)

Costume Design by
Joseph Fretwell III		(costumes)

Makeup Department
Irving Buchman	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Paul Ganapoler	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Terence A. Donnelly	....	assistant director (as Terry Donnelly)
William C. Gerrity	....	assistant director
Ron Walsh	....	first assistant director (uncredited)
Dwight Williams	....	dga trainee (uncredited)

Art Department
Thomas Wright	....	property master (as Tom Wright)

Sound Department
Christopher Newman	....	sound (as Chris Newman)
Theodore Soderberg	....	sound

Special Effects by
Sass Bedig	....	special effects

Stunts
Bill Hickman	....	stunt coordinator
George Fisher	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Hickman	....	stunt double: Gene Hackman (uncredited)
Bill Hickman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carey Loftin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Pronto	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alex Stevens	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Summers	....	stunt driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Enrique Bravo	....	camera operator
Robert Ward	....	key grip
William Ward	....	chief electrician (as Billy Ward)
Sandy Brooke	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Gary Muller	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Tom Priestley Jr.	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joseph W. Dehn	....	wardrobe
Florence Foy	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Norman Gay	....	associate editor
Brent Eldridge	....	colorist (digital color correction) (uncredited)
Maurice Schell	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Don Ellis	....	music conductor

Other crew
Eddie Egan	....	technical consultant
Sonny Grosso	....	technical consultant
Nicholas Sgarro	....	script supervisor (as Nick Sgarro)
Fat Thomas	....	location consultant
Sue Dwiggins	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Monroe Friedman	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
James O'Neill	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Ralph S. Singleton	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• D'Antoni Productions (as A D'Antoni Production)
• Schine-Moore Productions (in association with)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1971) (USA) (theatrical) (released by) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.)
• 20th Century Fox (1972) (France) (theatrical)
• Fox Film (1972) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Fox Films (1972) (Finland) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Abril Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1975) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• FS Film Oy (2004) (2010) (Finland) (DVD)
• Gativideo (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Magnetic Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1994) (2001) (Finland) (TV)
• Rautakirja (????) (Finland) (video)
• SubTV (2002) (Finland) (TV)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2008) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• TV3 (1986) (1988) (Finland) (TV)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1997) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Pacific Title  titles
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) | 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Brazil:14 | South Korea:18 | Canada:18A (video rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:13 (re-rating) | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Italy:T | Argentina:18 (original rating) | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (special edition) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (special edition) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Ireland:18 | Norway:16 (1972) | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R (PCA #23054) | West Germany:16 (bw) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating)

Filming Locations:

86th Street, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

D'Antoni Productions

Trivia:

In France, the last 2 or 3 digits on the license plate referring to the Département the car is from. 13 stands for Bouches-du-Rhône (Marseilles) and 75 for Paris (Paris).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Popeye Doyle creeps alongside the building below the sniper his gun can be seen jumping hands between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle:Merry Christmas. What's your name, little boy?
Little Boy:Eric.
Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle:Uh-huh, Eric. What do you want for Christmas Eric? Hmmm?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Rules of Engagement (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Jingle Bells

An enjoyable cop thriller with plenty of good touches and an unmistakably 1970's feel

Following a mix of hunches and leads, two tough NYPD narcotic cops set up surveillance on a candy store in the belief that the owners of the store are somehow involved in drug dealing on the side. Putting the squeeze on the store leads them to a couple of new people, specifically a smooth French criminal called Alain Charnier who is trying to orchestrate a massive drug sale in New York. The pressure looks like bringing success to Detectives Doyle and Russo, but Charnier's organisation has tight time targets and decides to take action to remove the heat from the job.

Sometimes with "classic" films it is easy to get sucked into the hype and reputation and just love it before you have even seen it; for that reason, although I have seen it several times, I decided to give it a fresh viewing before I dared try to write my thoughts on it – it finished ten minutes ago, so my memory is still fresh. Although I feel that it has remained well known thanks to "that" car chase, I think that recalling only that scene is to do a disservice to a film that is an enjoyable thriller in a tough, typically 1970's mould. The plot sees a minor hunch turn into a bigger police job and it would be easy to pick holes in some of the logic within it, it still grips and provides a nicely gritty cop thriller. It isn't as clever or as original as those coming to it on the back of its reputation might expect it to be, as it does pretty much what the rest of the genre does. Now I'll be fair and acknowledge that I don't know whether this film was the first to create this type of film or if it was just part of the development of them, but certainly watching it now it does blend in with others in the same genre.

The direction makes it better than the material as Friedkin injects real tension and grit into the story keeping it exciting while also being rather sombre and low-key. The acting also makes it and, rightly, Hackman carries much of the film with a great performance as Doyle. Grizzled, bigoted and apparently heartless, it is interesting to contrast his character with Rey's Charnier, who is much cooler and effective. Scheider is, as always, reliable in support and he gives a good performance throughout while the rest of the cast play their roles well enough. There is no doubt though, that Hackman is the heart of the film and his performance reflects this and makes the audience emotionally involved with his story from the very start.

Overall this is a great 1970's cop thriller with all that comes with that genre. It is enjoyably gritty and fast paced with "heroes" of questionable morality and smooth criminals. People will always hark on about that car chase and, yes, it is good, but there is more to this film and it stands out as one of the best of the genre.