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William Friedkin's gritty police drama portrays two tough New York City cops trying to intercept a huge heroin shipment coming from France. Controversial in 1971, a year dominated by violent films like “A Clockwork Orange,” “Straw Dogs,” and especially fellow cop action hit “Dirty Harry,” Friedkin's award-winner is the granddaddy of darker 1980s actioners like “Escape from New York ,” and it paved the way for Friedkin's 1985 “To Live and Die in L.A.” film, which continues in an even denser mood. An interesting contrast is established between 'Popeye' Doyle (Gene Hackman), a short-tempered alcoholic bigot who is nevertheless a hard-working and dedicated police officer, and his nemesis Alain Charnier, a suave and urbane gentleman who is nevertheless a criminal and one of the largest drug suppliers of pure heroin to North America. During the surveillance and eventual bust, Friedkin provides one of the most gripping and memorable car chase sequences ever filmed. “The French Connection” has a lot of street credibility of shabby New York in the early 1970s, and the long chase filmed in Brooklyn is considered one of the most legendary in film history. The screenplay for the film from Robin Moore's nonfiction was made by Ernest Tidyman. Based on a true story, this action-packed thriller, with its iconic chase scene, earned Oscars in 1971 for Best Picture, Best Director (William Friedkin), Best Actor for Hackman, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing. These features are from two-disc Blu-ray edition, published in 2009 and now sold out.

Part 2 The Poughkeepsie Shuffle Tracing the French Connection

A BBC TV special with information about the real French Connection case and the history of the movie's production. Critic Mark Kermode examines the making of the seminal Oscar-winning thriller The French Connection. As well as interviewing stars Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider and director William Friedkin , Kermode looks at the sixties drugs bust that inspired the film, and talks to officer Sonny Grosso about his involvement in the case. The film also retreads the course of the car and train chase that many regard as the greatest in cinematic history. (SD, 54 min.)

Full Version Available Upon Request