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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 3 Making the Connection The Untold Stories of The French Connection

A Fox Movie Channel special that examines the involvement of Officer Sonny Grosso on both the film and the real-world case. We follow Sonny Grosso, the New York City cop portrayed by Roy Scheider in the film, through the streets of New York and meet a few of the stars and filmmakers of William Friedkin's The French Connection. Film examines the stories behind of the 1961 drug bust that lead to the 1969 bestseller and the 1971 motion picture. Included are TV-coverage clips, outtakes from the movie, actual crime-scene photographs and interviews with Gene Hackman, director William Friedkin, author Robin Moore and New York Supreme Court Judge Edwin Torres. (SD, 57 min.)

Full Version Available Upon Request