Few directors have been as influential in modern cinema as William Friedkin. In the early 1970s, when a new generation of filmmakers was turning Hollywood on its head, Friedkin revolutionized crime films with "The French Connection" in 1971. Two years later, he rewrote the rules of horror with "The Exorcist."
It was arguably the most vibrant moment in American film industry history, reflecting the profound changes the world was undergoing. There was no longer a place, for instance, for movies to remain safe and conservative spectacles, ensconced in the homogenous bubble of major studios, while the country was being torn apart halfway around the world during the Vietnam War.
If American pop culture was limited, new directors expanded their worldviews – and the boundaries of their own craft – by studying and drawing inspiration from European and Asian cinema. Storytelling formulas seemed stale, and there was a fervent desire to reclaim the audacity of mid-century Hollywood, merging this legacy with the revolutionary style of a global and thrilling cinema.
William Friedkin, alongside filmmakers like Arthur Penn, Peter Bogdanovich, Hal Ashby, and Francis Ford Coppola, gradually understood the workings of the industry only to subvert them. Far from the fantasy and glamour associated with his craft, Friedkin honed his skills directing TV shows and documentaries in the 1960s. "He's the only colleague whose work genuinely saved a man's life," Coppola remarked about the documentary "The People vs. Paul Crump" from 1962, which helped free a man from death row.
Friedkin's first venture into fiction was the musical comedy "Good Times", starring Cher and Sonny Bono, playing themselves. It was a disaster for Friedkin, who couldn't find the right tone for a series of comedic scenes and never hid his desire to erase it from his filmography. "At least the shooting was fun," he noted.
This creative and box office failure turned his focus to more experimental narratives, like "Happy Birthday" and "The Night They Raided Minsky's," as well as the adaptation of the off-Broadway play "The Boys in the Band," one of the first major studio films featuring LGBT+ protagonists. With each new project, Friedkin seemed more assured as a storyteller. Then came "The French Connection."
In 1971, American cinema was undergoing a revolution, both creatively and conceptually. "Bonnie & Clyde," made by Arthur Penn in 1967, paved the way for director-driven films, rather than studio-driven ones. Not only the film itself but also the manner in which they were produced and marketed. Works as diverse as "The Graduate," "Rosemary's Baby," "Night of the Living Dead," and "Easy Rider" also cultivated a new audience.
However, nothing matched the impact of "The French Connection." Based on Robin Moore's book, the film depicts two police officers, played by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, busting a drug cartel that ran a connection from Marseille in Southern France to the streets of New York. The script drew from the real-life efforts of two narcotics division detectives who investigated heroin trafficking into the US during the 1960s.
Rather than conforming to the traditional buddy-cop narrative, Friedkin sought a bold realism - utterly shocking at the time. Leveraging his documentary background, he directed "The French Connection" in a morally ambiguous style that captivated audiences. Hackman's character, Popeye, wasn't shy about bending the law - even breaking it when needed.
This urgency and danger sense, intensified by the fresh narrative terrain in a mainstream movie, made "The French Connection" a hit - not to mention featuring the most breathtaking car chase in cinema. The film's accolades culminated at the following year's Oscars, where the thriller scooped awards for best film, director, actor (for Gene Hackman), adapted screenplay, and editing. This heralded the decline of the major studio era.
In turn, "The Exorcist" again saw Friedkin pushing boundaries. Until then, horror films were largely relegated to niche circuits, catering to drive-in and grindhouse audiences. Riding the success of "The French Connection," however, the studio backed Friedkin's adaptation of William Peter Blatty's book.
But production was fraught. Friedkin cast relatively unknowns - Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, and young Linda Blair - alongside the Swedish Max von Sydow. Filming delays were frequent, the budget ballooned, and several crew members were injured during the shooting. Some even died. All these setbacks only added to the film's mystique.
Its modest release, due to the studio's apprehension about debuting such an intense horror film, was quickly reconsidered. Queues were endless, as were reports of audience members vomiting or fainting during screenings. "The Exorcist" transcended its expectations, becoming a phenomenon. Alongside "The Godfather," it ushered in the blockbuster era in American cinema, solidified two years later by the release of "Jaws."
The excitement and creative explosion that marked the dawn of New Hollywood were eventually overshadowed when this period came to an end. It took Friedkin four years after "The Exorcist" to direct another film, with the calm assurance of one who knew he had transformed the industry. He chose "Sorcerer," a reinterpretation of the Franco-Italian thriller "The Wages of Fear," based on Georges Arnaud's novel.
The studio had high hopes for their star director's next project. However, Friedkin went over budget, clashed with his team, and faced issues at every location, particularly in the Dominican Republic. Mirroring the success story of "Jaws," the release was scheduled for the American summer of 1977. "Sorcerer" seemed another hit for Friedkin.
But he hadn't anticipated a space fantasy overlooked by his own studio, which would become not only the biggest pop culture sensation but also a force that swallowed cinema competition. The programmer of the Chinese Theater, the iconic cinema at the heart of Hollywood Boulevard, after previewing "Star Wars," called and delivered the blow: "Bill, you're screwed."
"Sorcerer" sank, and with it not only Friedkin's aura of invincibility but also the unchecked freedom of Hollywood's hottest auteurs. "New York, New York," "At Long Last Love," and especially "Heaven's Gate" failed with audiences, marking the end of arguably the finest era in American cinema. Interestingly, time was kind to "Sorcerer," a film that gained cult status and a new generation of fans.
William Friedkin continued working in subsequent decades, never recapturing the brilliance of his one-two punch that cemented him in cinema's pantheon. He still made great films like "Cruising" (1980) and "To Live and Die in L.A.," and produced several decent, albeit forgettable works, and returned to TV. Only in 2011 did he match the vigor of his finest films with the outstanding "Killer Joe."
Two films ensured William Friedkin's place in cinema's biggest revolution. "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist" will stand the test of time as foundational works to understand a cultural and social moment, not to mention as exceptional films in their own right. He had one more project lined up, the action drama "
Blow Out," inspired by Antonioni's "Blow Up," which he offered to Brian De Palma, preferring to take a rest. De Palma transformed it into one of the 1980s' most accomplished thrillers, and for Friedkin, it was yet another reminder of how one door can close but another can open.
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