French Connection Director Regrets Illegal & Dangerous Car Scenes

[Animous]

The French Connection director William Friedkin regrets the way he approached certain unsafe aspects of the film, notably the film’s illegal car chase sequence. The 1971 crime thriller follows Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman) as he investigates a drug-smuggling ring in New York City that has ties to a notorious French heroin smuggler. The film, which won several Oscars, including Best Picture, is widely considered one of the best films ever made and has been added to the U.S. National Film Registry.

One of the most iconic sequences of the film is the breathtaking car chase through the streets of Brooklyn. Widely considered one of the best car chases in film history, the sequence features Doyle commandeering a civilian’s vehicle and chasing a hitman who is escaping on an elevated train. The high-speed chase was shot without permits on uncontrolled streets, meaning pedestrians and other drivers were on the road – and in harm’s way – as Doyle’s Pontiac hit speeds of 90mph. The scene still holds up today and remains a thrilling piece of filmmaking, but it was incredibly dangerous.

RELATED:Why Gene Hackman Retired From Acting

In a recent interview with the New York Post, Friedkin acknowledges that, if he was shooting the same chase today, he wouldn’t put people at risk in the same way. Friedkin stepped in and took over as cameraman for the chase and had a consulting New York City policeman crouched in the backseat in case the car got pulled over. Short on money and time, Friedkin took a lot of dangerous shortcuts filming The French Connection, but notes that “As successful as the film was, I wouldn’t do that now. I had put people’s lives in danger.” The French Connection managed to avoid any serious injuries to pedestrians or cast and crew members and Friedkin acknowledges that: “It was only by the grace of God that nobody was hurt or injured in any way — or died because of that.”

It would seem that the New York City Police Department – or at least certain members of its staff – were more than happy to help Friedkin film his movie. In addition to Jurgensen, the cop who hid in the back of Doyle’s car, several other officers helped Friedkin film a dangerous traffic jam scene. To create the scene, several off-duty policemen drove their cars onto the Brooklyn Bridge and parked in the middle of it, backing up traffic in both directions. Friedkin recalls a police helicopter coming to investigate but, after Jurgensen flashed his badge, the helicopter left them to it. “They were furious,” Friedkin recalls, “I would not do anything like that today.”

If anything remotely similar to the car chase scenes in The French Connection were attempted today without the proper permitting on unclosed streets, the police would shut everything down pretty quickly. Thankfully, film set safety has undergone massive changes since the 1970s. That said, what’s done is done, and, much to the joy of film lovers everywhere, The French Connection car chase remains one of the most thrilling car chase scenes ever captured on camera. While it’s a miracle nobody was hurt and Friedkin is right to regret his lax attitude towards the safety of New York City’s pedestrians, no modern movie car chase has – or likely ever will – capture the same chaotic and pulse-pounding energy as the one in The French Connection.

[Silent Watcher]

Avoid unnecessary posts such as 'Thank you', 'Welcome', etc. Such posts will be deleted and user will be warned if it happens again. If caught spamming, the following actions are applicable -

• First time - Warning
• Second time - 5000 Points will be deducted
• Third time - Ban for 7 days
• Fourth time - Permanent Ban

If the post helped you, reward the user by reacting to the post like this -