"Violence is not funny."

August 7, 2023 3:49 PM

William Friedkin, director of 'The Exorcist' and 'The French Connection,' dies at 87. A Discussion with William Friedkin: ‘I See a Diminishing of All Art Forms These Days’
posted by clavdivs (31 comments total)

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I wouldn’t consider myself a fan, but whole sections of his films remain lodged in my memory, unspooling at the most minute of prompts. A unique filmmaker.
posted by Kattullus at 4:09 PM on August 7, 2023 [5 favorites]

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posted by riruro at 4:09 PM on August 7, 2023

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posted by Silvery Fish at 5:01 PM on August 7, 2023

He’s finally fallen to the bottom of the stairs. Angels carry him away.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:04 PM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

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posted by vverse23 at 5:42 PM on August 7, 2023

I knew from the trailer that I wouldn’t be able to handle The Exorcist, but I read some interesting discussions of Friedkin's surprisingly subtle and effective techniques for intensifying the horror, including that he remixed the sounds of angry bees to the point they weren’t consciously identifiable, but were still terrifying.
posted by jamjam at 5:51 PM on August 7, 2023 [2 favorites]

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posted by queensissy at 5:55 PM on August 7, 2023

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posted by They sucked his brains out! at 5:59 PM on August 7, 2023

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posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 6:01 PM on August 7, 2023

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posted by JoeXIII007 at 6:04 PM on August 7, 2023

If you haven't seen Sorcerer... see Sorcerer.
posted by jason_steakums at 6:37 PM on August 7, 2023 [17 favorites]

I've never seen The French Connection or The Exorcist but I have seen dozens of episodes of Bozo's Circus that he directed for WGN-TV in his early days. And those were pretty good.

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posted by JoeZydeco at 7:27 PM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

"I’ve been in Hollywood for fifty years and I have never met an executive of a television or movie company, or a talent agency, that was prejudiced against people of different colors or against women."

lol well okay. rip.
posted by fleacircus at 7:43 PM on August 7, 2023 [4 favorites]

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posted by detachd at 8:04 PM on August 7, 2023

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posted by dannyboybell at 9:08 PM on August 7, 2023

To Live and Die in L.A. is a better Michael Mann movie than several Michael Mann movies.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:14 PM on August 7, 2023 [12 favorites]

A legend. And working up until the very end.

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posted by brundlefly at 9:26 PM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

If you haven't seen Sorcerer... see Sorcerer.

Sorcerer
posted by philip-random at 9:35 PM on August 7, 2023 [6 favorites]

The Exorcist and The French Connection both changed cinema and pushed the art form forward. I'd argue that the former changed culture itself.

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posted by slimepuppy at 12:47 AM on August 8, 2023

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posted by steganographia at 1:14 AM on August 8, 2023

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posted by Token Meme at 2:15 AM on August 8, 2023

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The Exorcist is one of my all-time-favorite horror films and Friedkin created such as weird and wonderful moody ass film that explores so many interesting ideas and does it with such style and technical craft.
posted by Fizz at 6:03 AM on August 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

It’s interesting that the “restored” version of The Excorcist, which added back a bunch of practical effects (notably, the ”Spider Walk”) is generally felt to have less impact and scares than the relatively restrained original cut.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:15 AM on August 8, 2023

If you haven't seen Sorcerer... see Sorcerer.
posted by jason_steakums

Or watch it yet again. As I shall.

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posted by Splunge at 7:29 AM on August 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

William Friedkin being a god of chaos, a thread

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posted by snuffleupagus at 10:06 AM on August 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

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posted by kitten kaboodle at 10:50 AM on August 8, 2023

He’s finally fallen to the bottom of the stairs

Ah, the Exorcist Stairs. They are literally next to the classroom where I teach, which delights me every single day.
posted by doctornemo at 12:17 PM on August 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

Great thread, Snuffles.

The Exorcist and The French Connection are so, so good. Superb on their own terms and very influential on subsequent movies.

Now I want to see Killer Joe.
posted by doctornemo at 12:42 PM on August 8, 2023

Gene Hackman didn't want to do The French Connection, and Friedkin didn't want to hire him. The casting director practically forced them together. They hated each other, and made a unique work of art together.

Scheider said that shooting Sorcerer "made Jaws look like a picnic."

His memoir is interesting: A film is sucessful or not for reasons having little to do with how good it is. The zeitgeist plays a major role, and what I choose to call "the grace of God."
posted by ovvl at 3:50 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

Now I want to see Killer Joe.

Highly good, and I had honestly forgotten it was one of Friedkin's. I saw it only once, in first release twelve years ago, and there is probably not a month that has gone past from then to now when I have not thought of it again.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:54 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn

good talk about what the hell happened with Sorcerer. Great movie that failed greatly at the box office, and didn't get much critical respect either (at the time).
posted by philip-random at 7:31 PM on August 24, 2023