If you're a fan of classic cinema, there's a good chance that one of William Friedkin's movies will have crossed your path at some point. Whether it's The French Connection or The Exorcist, he was the master of intense cinema with a documentary-like realism that made his work stand out against his contemporaries like Spielberg, Scorsese, and Coppola. It makes sense then that a filmmaker whose very aesthetic is meant to be intense would take on his own career with a certain honesty and detail that doesn't only debunk the movie magic, but comes to understand what drew Friedkin to film in general. "The Friedkin Connection" is both a love letter to the man who made some of cinema's most exciting films, but also to the hubris that comes with gaining success too early in one's career.
For most people, the chapters on The French Connection and The Exorcist are undoubtedly going to be the selling point. To be fair, Friedkin's knowledge about those two films fills up almost a third of the book, creating a rare look into not only how the films were created, but their various obstacles along the way. Some of them are obvious, but Friedkin's also a man who loves to take chances. He notes that the car chases in The French Connection almost killed people and that it was probably not a good idea. However, The Exorcist is arguably a more interesting passage, as it explores both the making of the film and the 40+ year relationship that he shares with the author and screenwriter William Peter Blatty, who disagreed on the production in spite of its glowing success. It's in the intimate relationships that Friedkin gets personal, and it's here that he becomes compelling enough to warrant the book's purchase.
In some ways, the remainder of the book cannot compare in spite of the fascinating production of the Sonny and Cher film Good Times, or the flawed production of his self-proclaimed masterpiece Sorcerer. It's interesting to listen to Friedkin in part because he's a victim of Murphy's Law, and sometimes he churned out a great movie. Other times he came close and others he simply failed. He's a fascinating read because of how few of his films were cornerstones of pop culture despite generally reflecting an artist whose desire shined through in every moment. He was candid about his failures, and overall he comes across as a globetrotting artist who was never satisfied. Even in his later years, the films Bug and Killer Joe reflect an artist wanting to try and be provocative regardless of his age.
The one note is that this is a book clearly geared at movie fans, and thus reads as name dropping of some of Hollywood's greatest talent. By the end, Friedkin is humble about it all, and that makes him more compelling even as he sounds like he's getting out of control. If the idea of reading about Sonny and Cher's movie, or why Steve McQueen didn't do Sorcerer, then "The Friedkin Connection" will be a satisfying read. If nothing else, it's a solid compendium of self-reflection of an artist who doesn't feel like he's ever gotten his proper due outside of a brief three year span in the 70's as part of New Hollywood. He never keeps trying, though it'll only sound impressive if the films hold any resonance to the reader. If that doesn't, it's an autobiography that sounds a bit didactic and straightforward, revealing details about beloved film that don't mean anything. It's a valuable piece of film history, but how valuable is up to the reader.
"The Friedkin Connection" is evidence that Friedkin is at very least one of the most compelling voices in New Hollywood cinema. Beyond the films that he made, he knows how to detail his life in ways that make for a quick and accessible read. To hear the intimate behind the scenes on how his films came into existence are fascinating, especially early on with films like The Boys in the Band, where he learned his craft and became more of a complicated filmmaker. While there's some films that he briefly discusses or simply ignores, what he does focus on is interesting enough, and he knows that The Exorcist is probably the biggest draw. He doesn't allow for a dull moment because he knows what matters to film fans, and that's essentially why this book works so well.
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