William Friedkin 1935 - 2023

William Friedkin has passed away at 87. 

 

One of the elite group of “New Hollywood” directors of the 1970’s, and the helmer of two of the best films out of that era, William David Friedkin was born in Chicago in 1935. He cited CITIZEN KANE as one of his earliest influences, and started his directorial career doing live television shows and documentaries. His documentary THE PEOPLE VS. PAUL CRUMP won an award at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1962. 

 

In 1965 he directed one of the final episodes of THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR. That same year he directed his first feature film, GOOD TIMES starring Sonny and Cher. 

 

In 1971 he released what is considered to be his best film, THE FRENCH CONNECTION starring Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider. Filmed in a gritty style that was akin to documentaries at the time, the film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and Best Director for Friedkin. His very next film was THE EXORCIST, a horror film which would redefine the genre for generations. Starring Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, and Jason Miller, THE EXORCIST would be nominated for 10 Oscars, winning two. 

 

His following films would not see success right away. His thriller film SORCERER in 1977 would be overshadowed by the success of STAR WARS that same year, but the film would find an audience and earn a cult following in the decades to come. He would team up with Chevy Chase for the critically panned DEAL OF THE CENTURY in 1983, but would rebound in 1985 with the acclaimed TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. crime thriller. 

 

He would dip back into the supernatural with THE GUARDIAN (1990), put Shaq on the big screen with BLUE CHIPS (1994), put Tommy Lee Jones and Sam Jackson against each other in the military drama RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (2000), and would turn Matthew McConaughey into a hitman in KILLER JOE in 2011. 

 

His final film, THE CAINE MUTINY COURT MARTIAL, is set to premiere at the Venice International Film Festival this September. 

 

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When the conversation moves to the best filmmakers that came out of the heralded 1970’s, William Friedkin is often overlooked in favor of names such as Coppola, Spielberg, Lucas, and Scorsese. This is a shame, as Friedkin deserves to be up there with the best. His incredible action scenes in THE FRENCH CONNECTION and his un-nerving touch in THE EXORCIST captures dread and gets the heart pumping every time, and his boldness kept us squirming. He sadly passes in the same year that THE EXORCIST turns 50 years old (December), and this year we will certainly be celebrating the film and man who made it.