University of Virginia Library

CINEMA

Dynamite 'Connection' Hits Hard

By PAUL CHAPLIN

There are two things which
make "The French
Connection" the dynamite
movie that it is: Gene
Hackman's acting and the
tightly controlled efforts of
director William Friedkin and
editor Jimmy Greenberg. The
film is easily the slickest film
of 1971, and I would advise
you to see it, and then see it
again.

The story is based on an
authentic incident involving
narcotics agent Jerry Doyle
and several kilos of heroin
smuggled into the country
from France. The switching
back and forth between the
two countries is not as
confusing as the location
switches within the city of
New York. There are also a
couple of scenes which are
hard to believe, and seem
superfluous to the
development of the plot,
specifically the car accident,
and the "arrests" in the bar.
This latter episode is
understandable if you know
that Doyle was eventually
busted himself, and retired
from the force for his
unorthodox methods of law
enforcement.

These two scenes excepted,
the script is quick paced, with
hard-hitting dialogue, which is
almost too realistic, bordering
on naturalism. This is certainly
true with the acting of
Hackman. His portrayal of

Doyle is one of the finest
screen performances I've seen
this year.

I don't mean to imply that
the character of Doyle is the
plum part of the year.
Hackman's acting is so
"refined" and suited for the
part that none of us would be
surprised to meet him in the
street and call him "Doyle."

Hackman, along with
George Segal, is one of the
finest character actors working
in films today, and I hope he
continues playing these
interesting characters instead
of the serious dramatic roles, as
he did in "I Never Sang for My
Father."

Friedkin's direction could
also be called "naturalistic;" it
is frantic and hyper-realistic,
but in a positive sense. He's
come a long way since
directing "Boys in the Band,"
and his camera work shows it. I
would guess that he and editor
Greenberg spent quite a few
hours watching the chase
scenes in "Bullitt" and "Z"
before they made this film.
The subway episode with
Hackman and Fernando Rey,
suavely cast as a Frenchman, is
a memorable scene, a
well-paced blend of comedy
and tension.

The best segment of the
film is the chase between a
killer riding the elevated
railroad and Doyle racing
through the city streets trying
to catch up with him. It may
sound strange on paper, but it
is unquestionably the best
twelve minutes of the film.
Friedkin constantly positions
his cameras in the driver's seat
of both the train and car, and
intercuts with juxtapositions of
vertical and horizontal lines,
which combined with rapid
editing, creates a
heart-pounding effect of
excitement.

I was lucky that I made the
mistake of walking into the
middle of the film. This way I
could watch how Friekin
prepares us for the resolution
(namely, where the dope's
hidden), and also enjoy the
slow build-up to the frenzy of
the last half-hour. "The French
Connection" is not only a great
work of film entertainment,
but an excellent example of a
director applying the skills of
his trade for maximum effect.

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