William Friedkin (1935-2023)
Oscar-winning director William Friedkin, who was best known for directing famous movies like "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist", had passed away. He was 87 years old. Friedkin ascended to A-status in the seventies as part of a new generation of dynamic, risk-taking filmmakers alongside Peter Bogdanovich, Francis Ford Coppola and Hal Ashby during the "New Hollywood" movement. Throughout his career, he drew praise for bringing a gritty, haunting, more independent style of filmmaking to blockbuster films, helping films such as "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist" achieve both commercial and enduring critical success.
He was born in Chicago in 1935. At age 18, he began his directional career with live shows and documentaries, including "The People vs. Paul Crump", which caught the attention of other filmmakers and other agents, and this helped him land a job working on "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" in one of its final episodes in 1965. That same year, he landed his big break in directing his first movie, "Good Times", with Sonny and Cher starring in the lead roles. He did "The Birthday Party", "The Night They Raided Minsky's", and the adaptation of "The Boys in the Band".
It was then in 1971 that Friedkin made his breakthrough with the now-classic neo-noir crime thriller "The French Connection", widely regarded as one of the most influential films ever. The film won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. His next big hit arrived two years after "The French Connection" was the occult horror film "The Exorcist". The film forever changed the genre and was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture. But "The Exorcist" would be his last major success at the box office.
Friedkin would not direct another film again until he made "Sorcerer" in 1977. It was way over budget and disappointing due to being mostly overshadowed by the success of "Star Wars", although it has since won acclaim. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, Friedkin continued to direct more films such as "Cruising", "Deal of the Century", "Rampage", "Guardian", "Jade", and "To Live and Die in L.A.", the latter of which remains a favourite with critics.
His last movie, "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial", will be screened at this year's Venice Film Festival.
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