The Friedkin Connection
A Memoir
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- 10,99 €
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- 10,99 €
Publisher Description
“Friedkin’s book does the unthinkable: It relates the behind-the-scenes stories of his triumphs like The French Connection and The Exorcist, but also sees Friedkin take responsibility (brutally so) for his wrong calls. . . . In doing so, he captures the gut-wrenching shifts of a filmmaker’s life—the bizarre whipsaw from success to disaster.” —Variety
An acclaimed memoir from William Friedkin, a maverick of American cinema and Academy Award–winning director of such legendary films as The French Connection, The Exorcist, and To Live and Die in LA. The Friedkin Connection takes readers from the streets of Chicago to the suites of Hollywood and from the sixties to today, with autobiographical storytelling as fast-paced and intense as any of the auteur's films.
Friedkin’s success story has the makings of classic American film. He was born in Chicago, the son of Russian immigrants. Immediately after high school, he found work in the mailroom of a local television station, and patiently worked his way into the directing booth during the heyday of live TV.
An award-winning documentary brought him attention as a talented new filmmaker and an advocate for justice, and it caught the eye of producer David L. Wolper, who brought Friedkin to Los Angeles. There he moved from television to film, displaying a versatile stylistic range. In 1971, The French Connection was released and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and two years later The Exorcist received ten Oscar nominations and catapulted Friedkin's career to stardom.
Penned by the director himself, The Friedkin Connection takes readers on a journey through the numerous chance encounters and unplanned occurrences that led a young man from a poor urban neighborhood to success in one of the most competitive industries and art forms in the world. In this fascinating and candid story, he has much to say about the world of moviemaking and his place within it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ever want to know how they shot that amazing subway/car chase scene in The French Connection, or how Linda Blair won the part of Regan, the possessed young woman in The Exorcist? This memoir by the director of both films reveals all of this and much more. There's enough in those two chapters alone to keep film buffs happy for a long time, and Friedkin's account of his early days as a floor manager at a Chicago television station who rose to prominence in Hollywood in the late 1960's is worth a read, as well. Friedkin writes briskly and remains focused on his work there's no mention of his four wives nor much else that's personal. Later chapters focus on other projects such as Cruising and then dwindle down to his account of directing the television version of Twelve Angry Men, which just can't compete with The Exorcist. But Friedkin's memory for the process of filmmaking elevates this book above the usual score-settling Hollywood memoir; film buffs will be pleased with what he offers here.
