Ever want to know how they shot that amazing subway/car chase scene in The French Connection, or how Linda Blair won the part of Regan, the possessed young woman in The Exorcist? This memoir by the director of both films reveals all of this and much more. There's enough in those two chapters alone to keep film buffs happy for a long time, and Friedkin's account of his early days as a floor manager at a Chicago television station who rose to prominence in Hollywood in the late 1960's is worth a read, as well. Friedkin writes briskly and remains focused on his work—there's no mention of his four wives nor much else that's personal. Later chapters focus on other projects such as Cruising and then dwindle down to his account of directing the television version of Twelve Angry Men, which just can't compete with The Exorcist. But Friedkin's memory for the process of filmmaking elevates this book above the usual score-settling Hollywood memoir; film buffs will be pleased with what he offers here. (Apr.)
A fascinating appraisal—and a reminder of how much of a maverick Mr. Friedkin has turned out to be, willingly or otherwise. . . . ‘I embody arrogance, insecurity and ambition that spur me on as they hold me back,’ he writes. ‘And while I’ve been healed of physical wounds, my character flaws remain for the most part unhealed. There’s no point in saying I’ll work on them.’ But there is a point to immortalizing them, which this book so colorfully does.” — Janet Maslin, New York Times
“Entertaining. . . . This memoir is at its most engrossing when describing the solid, unpretentious entertainments its author once made so well.” — Wall Street Journal
“Movie fans will celebrate the natural storyteller at work in the pages of The Friedkin Connection, a welcome reminder that it takes so much more than talent to make a movie—and to keep making them.” — Associated Press
“Hardcore film geeks will salivate over this time capsule from a grateful and still-brilliant legend.” — Booklist
“For aspiring directors, a glimpse into the school of hard knocks, but there’s plenty of good stuff, lean and well-written, for civilian film fans, too.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Friedkin’s book does the unthinkable: It relates the behind-the-scenes stories of his triumphs but also sees Friedkin take responsibility (brutally so) for his wrong calls. . . . He captures the gut-wrenching shifts of a filmmaker’s life.” — Variety
“Friedkin’s memory for the process of filmmaking elevates this book above the usual score-settling Hollywood memoir; film buffs will be pleased with what he offers.” — Publishers Weekly
“Friedkin’s against-all-odds success story is compelling reading from the start.” — LA Weekly
“Friedkin captures all the ups and downs of his distinguished film career. . . . Filled with insights into the art of film and its practitioners and honest assessments of his work—and the work of others in the film industry—this is terrific stuff. After reading it, you’ll be anxious to see all the Friedkin movies you’ve missed.” — Shelf Awareness
“Even in print, Friedkin still knows how to thrill.” — NY1.COM, "The Book Reader" review
Even in print, Friedkin still knows how to thrill.
"The Book Reader" review NY1.COM
A fascinating appraisal - and a reminder of how much of a maverick Mr. Friedkin has turned out to be, willingly or otherwise.
Friedkin’s book does the unthinkable: It relates the behind-the-scenes stories of his triumphs but also sees Friedkin take responsibility (brutally so) for his wrong calls. . . . He captures the gut-wrenching shifts of a filmmaker’s life.
Movie fans will celebrate the natural storyteller at work in the pages of The Friedkin Connection, a welcome reminder that it takes so much more than talent to make a movie - and to keep making them.
Friedkin’s against-all-odds success story is compelling reading from the start.
Filled with insights into the art of film and its practitioners and honest assessments of his work—and the work of others in the film industry—this is terrific stuff. After reading it, you’ll be anxious to see all the Friedkin movies you’ve missed.
Entertaining. . . . This memoir is at its most engrossing when describing the solid, unpretentious entertainments its author once made so well.
Hardcore film geeks will salivate over this time capsule from a grateful and still-brilliant legend.
Entertaining. . . . This memoir is at its most engrossing when describing the solid, unpretentious entertainments its author once made so well.
Hardcore film geeks will salivate over this time capsule from a grateful and still-brilliant legend.
The book is valuable for its candor on a variety of fronts. . . . Leanly satisfying.
Friedkin’s book does the unthinkable: It relates the behind-the-scenes stories of his triumphs but also sees Friedkin take responsibility (brutally so) for his wrong calls. . . . He captures the gut-wrenching shifts of a filmmaker’s life.
Hardcore film geeks will salivate over this time capsule from a grateful and still-brilliant legend.
Entertaining. . . . This memoir is at its most engrossing when describing the solid, unpretentious entertainments its author once made so well.
Filled with insights into the art of film and its practitioners and honest assessments of his work—and the work of others in the film industry—this is terrific stuff. After reading it, you’ll be anxious to see all the Friedkin movies you’ve missed.
Friedkin’s against-all-odds success story is compelling reading from the start.
Movie fans will celebrate the natural storyteller at work in the pages of The Friedkin Connection, a welcome reminder that it takes so much more than talent to make a movie - and to keep making them.
Friedkin’s narration of his memoir is intensely and deliriously frenetic. The reading is very much like the writing—brutally individualistic and personal. With roots in early live television, the noted director of "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist" reveals little of his personal life while still being otherwise quite candid. The listener will sense an unsettling quality to his performance, which he would likely argue is consistent with an unsettled life well lived. Friedkin is very self-critical, and his highly dramatic vocal tone seems self-recriminatory throughout. Many behind-the-camera anecdotes offer a welcome education in classic films, such as the well-deserved acclaim that surrounds Welles’s "Citizen Kane." This memoir is informative and entertaining, while not being sensational or especially revelatory. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
The Oscar-winning director of The French Connection and The Exorcist looks back at his life and work. Friedkin writes that his career began accidentally, interviewing for the wrong job but landing a spot in the mail room at WGN in Chicago ("By the way, kid, are you stupid?" his interviewer asked), and from there working his way from one job to the other, learning the crafts necessary to make a show--and then a film--through trial and error: "Will the floor manager please keep away from the camera?" he was once asked. Lessons learned, he moved west to Los Angeles, where he fell into friendly competition with his contemporaries, foremost among them Francis Ford Coppola, and steadily built a résumé as a reliable filmmaker able to coax the best performances out of actors. There's plenty of inside baseball here, but Friedkin is more interested in discussing the technical details of his films; we learn, for instance, that "there was not a lot of dialogue looping" in The French Connection , for all the noise on the New York streets, and that Max von Sydow was so tall that he "had to develop a slouch and arthritic movement" for the character he played in The Exorcist . A surprise, given Hollywood's secular nature, may be the revelation of the depth of Friedkin's religious faith--even though William Peter Blatty, who wrote the story of that spooky flick, accused him of "having undercut the film's moral center." For aspiring directors, a glimpse into the school of hard knocks, but there's plenty of good stuff, lean and well-written, for civilian film fans, too.
