French Connection II (1975)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Alexander Jacobs (screenplay) and
Robert Dillon (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 May 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

What happens when you're a N.Y. cop sent to France to bust a dope ring and... You can't speak French. The French cops hate you. Your own people have set you up... YOU EXPLODE!

Plot:

"Popeye" Doyle travels to Marsailles to find Alain Charnier, the drug smuggler that eluded him in New York.

Plot Keywords:

Narcotics | Detective | Illegal Drug | Thrown From A Car | International Relations

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Doyle
Fernando Rey	...	Alain Charnier
Bernard Fresson	...	Barthélémy
Philippe Léotard	...	Jacques (as Philippe Leotard)
Ed Lauter	...	General Brian
Charles Millot	...	Miletto
Jean-Pierre Castaldi	...	Raoul
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	The Old Lady
Samantha Llorens	...	Denise
André Penvern	...	Bartender
Reine Prat	...	Young Girl on the Beach
Raoul Delfosse	...	Dutch Captain
Ham-Chau Luong	...	Japanese Captain (as Ham Chau Luong)
Jacques Dynam	...	Inspector Genevoix
Malek Kateb	...	Algerian Chief (as Malek Eddine)
Pierre Collet	...	Old Pro
Alexandre Fabre	...	Young Inspector
Jean-Pierre Zola	...	Dumpy Policeman
Manu Pluton	...	Murdered Arab (as Pluton)
Daniel Vérité	...	1st Guard Hotel Tangers
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean-Marc Allègre	...	(uncredited)
Roland Blanche	...	Arrested Man (uncredited)
Patrick Bouchitey	...	(uncredited)
Philippe Brizard	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Paul Mercey	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Hal Needham	...	Doyle Kidnapper (uncredited)
Ambroise Perrin	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
John Frankenheimer

Writing credits
Alexander Jacobs		(screenplay) and
Robert Dillon		(screenplay) &
Laurie Dillon		(screenplay)
Robert Dillon		(story) &
Laurie Dillon		(story)
Pete Hamill		uncredited

Produced by
Robert L. Rosen	....	producer

Original Music by
Don Ellis

Cinematography by
Claude Renoir		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Tom Rolf

Casting by
Margot Capelier

Production Design by
Jacques Saulnier

Set Decoration by
Charles Merangel		(as Charles Mérangel)

Makeup Department
Alex Archambault	....	hairdresser
Alex Archambault	....	makeup artist
Monique Archambault	....	hairdresser
Monique Archambault	....	makeup artist

Production Management
René Fargéas	....	unit production manager (as René Fargeas)
Robert Fugier	....	unit production manager
Pierre Saint-Blancat	....	production manager (as Pierre Saint Blancat)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Thierry Chabert	....	assistant director
Gwen Field	....	assistant director (as Gwen M. Field)
Marc Monnet	....	second unit director
Bernard Stora	....	assistant director
Pierre Tati	....	assistant director (as Pierre Tatischeff)

Art Department
Daniel Braunschweig	....	propman

Sound Department
Bernard Bats	....	sound recording mixer
Don Hall	....	sound effects editor
William Hartman	....	sound effects editor
Edward Rossi	....	sound effects editor
Theodore Soderberg	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Logan Frazee	....	special effects

Stunts
Hal Needham	....	stunt coordinator
Odile Astie	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rémy Julienne	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dan Vieru	....	stunts (uncredited)
Serge Wagner	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Philippe Brun	....	camera operator
Eugène Herrly	....	key grip (as Eugene Herrly)
Charles-Henri Montel	....	camera operator (as Charles-Henry Montel)
Serge Moritz	....	still photographer
Jacques Touillaud	....	chief electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Pierre Nourry	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Catherine Kelber	....	assistant editor
George Trirogoff	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Don Ellis	....	conductor
Kenneth Wannberg	....	music editor

Other crew
Lucie Lichtig	....	script supervisor
Robert Monosmith	....	production auditor

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox-MGM Film (1975) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• MGM-Fox Films (1975) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1976) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1976) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2008) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• FS Film Oy (2004) (2010) (Finland) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1994) (2001) (Finland) (TV)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1988) (Finland) (video)
• SubTV (2002) (Finland) (TV)
• TV3 (1990) (Finland) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1997) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• DeLuxe Laboratories  color
• Laboratoires LTC  laboratory
• Panavision  Panaflex camera and lenses by
• Westheimer Company  titles

Also Known As:

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:X (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | UK:18 (video rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Brazil:16 | Canada:18A (video rating) | Finland:K-16 (1988) | Italy:VM14 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 (1975) | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The heroin processing lab was built by the Corsican mafia, and was so realistic that the entire set had to be guarded by French police when it wasn't in being used by the film crew. The mafia also advised on the methods used by drug smugglers to get heroin in the US (concealing the drug in freighter weights) and, according to John Frankenheimer, organized the permits for the traffic jam during the chase at the end of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the beginning of the movie, when Doyle arrives with his suitcases at the dock, a girl in a flowered dress and a boy in a yellow shirt run past him towards his right-hand side. In the next shot, when we see Doyle from the front, the same girl and boy are climbing up on a fence on his left-hand side.

Quotes:

Alain Charnier:[the two are duck hunting] We should decide the matter of the rendezvous, a place to meet after you have made the delivery.
Brigidier General William Brian, Charnier's Accomplice:How's New York?
Alain Charnier:[laughs slightly] You know better than that, William.New York is hazardous to your health, at least to MY health.But it is an amusing city.
[shouts a command in French]
Brigidier General William Brian, Charnier's Accomplice:How did you do it,if it's not a secret?
Alain Charnier:Oh, it was very simple and very droll.83 policemen wanted to talk to me,and 52 of them chose to talk to my money instead.I love a city where you always know where you stand.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Buscando a Perico (1982)

Good sequel with excellent acting by Gene Hackman and splendid support cast

The movie concerns on Popeye Doyle(Gene Hackman), an unorthodox New York narcotics cop investigating the flow of drug . He travels to Marsaille following the French connection and tries to track down the evil Alain Charnier(Fernado Rey),the smuggling ring chief, who escaped from N.Y.C. There, he joins forces to the French gendarmes(Bernard Fresson and Jean Pierre Castaldi, among others).

The picture is the following-up to ¨French Connection¨( by William Friedkin) but didn't obtain the same success and was a flop at box office. However, it's nowadays considered a very good film and highly rated . In the movie there are action,suspense,violence,intrigue and a little bit humor in charge of Popeye Doyle and his relationships with the French people. The film develops a certain social critical to the French custom and there's specially a banter to the Police called Gendarmerie. The motion picture has action-packed but in the intervening period when the starring is abducted, it results to be a little bit boring , with overlong scenes, besides quite disagreeable as when Popeye is injected heroin . Gene Hackman's interpretation as the rebel and nonconformist Popeye Doyle is top notch as well as the previous film for that reason gained deservedly an Academy Award . Fernando Rey repeats perfectly his role as the elegant and cunning nasty and the secondary casting formed by French actors are very fine. The motion picture is stunningly directed by John Frankenheimer. Rating: Very good and well worth watching.