The French Connection (film)
| The French Connection | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | William Friedkin |
| Screenplay by | Ernest Tidyman |
| Based on | The French Connection by Robin Moore |
| Produced by | Philip D'Antoni |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Owen Roizman |
| Edited by | Gerald B. Greenberg |
| Music by | Don Ellis |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | 20th Century-Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Languages |
|
| Budget | $1.8–2.2 million[3][4] |
| Box office | $75 million (worldwide theatrical rental)[5] |
The French Connection is a 1971 American neo-noir[6] action thriller film[7] directed by William Friedkin and starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, and Fernando Rey. The screenplay, by Ernest Tidyman, is based on Robin Moore's 1969 book of the same name about narcotics detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso. It tells the story of their fictional counterparts, New York Police Department detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo, in pursuit of wealthy French heroin smuggler Alain Charnier (played by Rey).
At the 44th Academy Awards, the film earned eight nominations and won five, for Best Picture, Best Actor (Hackman), Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Scheider), Best Cinematography and Best Sound Mixing. Tidyman also received a Golden Globe Award nomination, a Writers Guild of America Award, and an Edgar Award for his screenplay. A sequel, French Connection II, followed in 1975, with Hackman and Rey reprising their roles.
The French Connection appeared on the American Film Institute's list of the best American films in 1998 and again in 2007, placing 70th the first time and 93rd the second. In 2005, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".[8][9]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
AFIwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "THE FRENCH CONNECTION (18)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- ^ Bart, Peter (August 8, 2011). "'Alien' territory: an economics lesson". Variety. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ "The French Connection". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- ^ Solomon, Aubrey (1989). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, p. 167, ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.
- ^ Silver & Ward 1992
- ^ "The French Connection (1971) - William Friedkin". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
- ^ "Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2020.