The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971)

[brundlefly]

For whatever reason, the version currently streaming on Max includes the offending language.

Having not seen it for so long and having only skimmed the controversy, I'd assumed there was a lot more of that -- plenty of opportunities! -- and that maybe the revision left the single instance and Doyle's actions to speak to his character and removed other instances as egregious. But if that's all there was, it's available there.

[hearthesilence]

Someone on Facebook who attended a screening of a 35mm print of The French Connection at the Library of Congress also learned that Janus and Criterion are sourcing the print for a confirmed 4K release in 2025. He did not ask which month, but it’s 100% coming next year.

[beamish14]

Someone on Facebook who attended a screening of a 35mm print of The French Connection at the Library of Congress also learned that Janus and Criterion are sourcing the print for a confirmed 4K release in 2025. He did not ask which month, but it’s 100% coming next year.

So they’re using it to color grade? I assume the OCN still exists, too. Shame Owen Roizman isn’t around to grade Stop and ensure it’s properly preserved the way it was meant to be seen

[nicolas]

This could then be the first Fox title to emerge from the Disney vaults since the merger without a living director being the catalyst for the release, so either the vault’s slowly opening or Friedkin worked this out before his death and Criterion’s only now getting around doing the restoration. I guess 2025 will be very interesting re. Fox titles.

[domino harvey]

You’re forgetting some titles, unless Henry King is still with us

[yoloswegmaster]

I think Nicolas may have been referring to the new deal with Fox, since we've only seen 2 Fox titles get licensed this year and both are from directors that are still alive. I believe the last time Criterion released a Fox title from a deceased director was back in 2022 and then we didn't see any Fox titles come out in 2023.

Someone on Facebook who attended a screening of a 35mm print of The French Connection at the Library of Congress also learned that Janus and Criterion are sourcing the print for a confirmed 4K release in 2025. He did not ask which month, but it’s 100% coming next year.

So they’re using it to color grade? I assume the OCN still exists, too. Shame Owen Roizman isn’t around to grade Stop and ensure it’s properly preserved the way it was meant to be seen

I would assume the same since it would be bizarre to use a 35mm print as the source for a 4K release. It's a bit amusing how all these 4K releases of Friedkin's films are coming out once he sadly passed, presumably not wanting to deal with his revisionist streak. Speaking of which, was there anything wrong with the previous blu for The French Connection?

[domino harvey]

What “new deal” with Fox?

[yoloswegmaster]

That's just an assumption on my part.

[Mr.DarjeelingLimited]

I heard from someone last year that this could be coming. They (the person I know) were working on trying to setup screenings but couldn’t get a good time for it.

[Finch]

If there is a new deal with Fox, I hope it includes a BD upgrade of The Steel Helmet.

[nicolas]

You’re forgetting some titles, unless Henry King is still with us

Sure he is. Rumor’s going round that he’s currently at L’immagine Ritrovata in Italy supervising the grades of a couple of his color films.

[dwk]

If there is a new deal with Fox, I hope it includes a BD upgrade of The Steel Helmet.

That one is with Janus Films. But, yes those three in the Samuel Fuller Eclipse set are long overdue for Blu-rays.

[beamish14]

I wish both French Connection films would be released together. It really feels like one extended work, and Hackman is incredible in both. The final 10 minutes of Frankenheimer’s sequel are so unbelievably satisfying

[yoloswegmaster]

MifuneFan on the other forum (God bless him) was able to find a listing for the screening at the LoC on the 7th, which provides some vital information:

This Weekend at the Library of Congress Culpeper Theater!
• Rare Un-Cut / full grain Version of THE FRENCH CONNECTION on 35mm that you cannot see anywhere else!
• Very rare screening of this classic with the original look, un-cut and on 35mm!

It sounds like Criterion are going to use the print as a guide on the color-timing. A bit surprising that any 35mm prints of the uncut version are considered to be rare.

[beamish14]

MifuneFan on the other forum (God bless him) was able to find a listing for the screening at the LoC on the 7th, which provides some vital information:

This Weekend at the Library of Congress Culpeper Theater!
• Rare Un-Cut / full grain Version of THE FRENCH CONNECTION on 35mm that you cannot see anywhere else!
• Very rare screening of this classic with the original look, un-cut and on 35mm!

It sounds like Criterion are going to use the print as a guide on the color-timing. A bit surprising that this is considered to any 35mm prints of the uncut version are considered to be rare.

Yeah, new prints of both films were struck during the 2000s

[therewillbeblus]

I never loved this growing up, but revisited it recently and was completely won over by its sheer grit, forsaking stock expectations for more dramatic narrative or characterization. I'm still surprised that Hackman walked away with an Oscar - he plays glimpses of a 'character' but not a fleshed-out Character - though I have to imagine this was primarily due to his intensity during some of the action set pieces. Still, he’s authentically fantastic and deserving of the statue, just not in a traditional Best Actor sorta way. Kudos to the academy. I forgot how the foot-chase before the infamous car-chase practically matches its zeal, and the charred-bleak ending of messy solipsistic compulsion is the hot-blooded logical endpoint to Popeye's hungover daze that jumpstarted the last act

[captveg]

I wish both French Connection films would be released together. It really feels like one extended work, and Hackman is incredible in both. The final 10 minutes of Frankenheimer’s sequel are so unbelievably satisfying

I'd love a set of the two French Connection films and The Seven-Ups on 4K UHD.

[olmo]

I never loved this growing up, but revisited it recently and was completely won over by its sheer grit, forsaking stock expectations for more dramatic narrative or characterization. I'm still surprised that Hackman walked away with an Oscar - he plays glimpses of a 'character' but not a fleshed-out Character - though I have to imagine this was primarily due to his intensity during some of the action set pieces. Still, he’s authentically fantastic and deserving of the statue, just not in a traditional Best Actor sorta way. Kudos to the academy. I forgot how the foot-chase before the infamous car-chase practically matches its zeal, and the charred-bleak ending of messy solipsistic compulsion is the hot-blooded logical endpoint to Popeye's hungover daze that jumpstarted the last act

Why anyone would place any importance on the Academy award in terms of a performance or the relative merits of a film is beyond me.

The performance stands on its own, the film stands on its own, they are both subjective. Were one to follow the logic then we are into the hoary old argument of Ordinary People v Raging Bull.

As a Brit, I also include the BAFTA (even though most Americans disregard it anyway) in my argument. There are films that are made with the Oscar in mind (most historical epics, biopics (the awful Gandhi springs immediately to mind), films depicting illness (Philadelphia) and American imperialism revised as heroism (the despicable The Deer Hunter).

All of the above and more are best avoided. The Academy mean zip.

[therewillbeblus]

Just an observation, not placing importance or developing a logic by which to undermine the performance or film...

[gcgiles1dollarbin]

Why anyone would place any importance on the Academy award in terms of a performance or the relative merits of a film is beyond me.

It was clear to me that therewillbeblus was putting Hackman's performance in a cultural context rather than using the Oscars as some objective yardstick of excellence or overvaluing the significance of awards in general. And even if it wasn't clear, then certainly all of his discerning posts over the years would lend him the benefit of the doubt from most people.

[flyonthewall2983]

Dirty Harry is better. Friedkin even gives it some due in the Decade Under the Influence documentary.

[olmo]

Why anyone would place any importance on the Academy award in terms of a performance or the relative merits of a film is beyond me.

It was clear to me that therewillbeblus was putting Hackman's performance in a cultural context rather than using the Oscars as some objective yardstick of excellence or overvaluing the significance of awards in general. And even if it wasn't clear, then certainly all of his discerning posts over the years would lend him the benefit of the doubt from most people.

It wasn't clear to me that that's what he was saying. I found it a rather pretentious & contradictory post if I'm honest, 'a stock expectation for more dramatic narrative or characterisation' - The French Connection has this in spades, this is not a subjective observation, action & dialogue dominate the film.

Okay, expressing surprise that Hackman won the Oscar is not tantamount to an endorsement of the award but he then states that he was deserving of the Oscar, which is. This after calling the performance 'not fleshed out' and then 'fully authentic' in the next breath, the two are mutually exclusive. If the role didn't require a fully fleshed out character (which it didn't, the film is not a character study it's a Police procedural/thriller) then why invoke that as a criticism?

I didn't understand the post one bit, I've no personal axe to grind it just baffled me.

[therewillbeblus]

I gave the Academy props for awarding a performance that was not traditionally rewarded. Not being fully fleshed out was not a criticism, it was a passing observation that this isn't the kind of performance that would normally be recognized by the institution. My point was that the two were mutually exclusive, that's why I made it!

If it isn't obvious by now, I've generally changed from making predominately "pretentious" posts to ones from a place of leisure, loose with scattered thoughts. You're reading wayy too much into this

[Mr Sausage]

Unless I’ve missed something, Blus doesn’t say the performance is “fully authentic”, he says it’s “authentically fantastic.” And there is nothing contradictory in his post. A character can be both flattened and subject of a great performance. Blus even says how: through a projection of energy and momentum. And that’s how I would describe Hackman’s performance: he doesn’t draw you into the depths of this character, he sweeps you away with him. That’s crucial, too, because Popeye Doyle is not a likeable person, so there has to be something to keep you watching him. Hackman finds that in momentum.

Calling Blus pretentious would be wrong on any post, but this small, off-the-cuff thing? Baffling. You haven’t contributed a tenth of what he’s brought to the forum, Olmo. You should show him more respect.

[domino harvey]

I like that someone coming in here and throwing a fit with their extremely fresh and novel take on the Oscars (an awards show many of us follow for various reasons but which not one of us on this forum, to my knowledge, views as an ultimate arbiter of value) is accusing someone else of making a pretentious post