Product: French Connection [VHS] (1971)
Rating: 5.0
Merci Beaucoup 20th Century Fox!
This review refers to the Five Star Collection(20th Cent Fox)DVD.....In 1971 audiences were thrilled by this high action film and especially it's still now famous chase scene,which by many is considered the best ever(or maybe tied with "Bullet").Now we can again be thrilled by this fine edition of the DVD."The French Connection" is based on actual events that concluded with the biggest drug bust ever made. Two New York city cops "Popeye" Doyle(Gene Hackman) and his partner "Cloudy"(Roy Schieder),start tailing a guy they are suspicious of. Soon they uncover an international drug smuggling ring, but proving it is the tough part."Popeye" is a hard core, lecherous,racist, but a cop through and through. "Cloudy" is slighty more laid back. They pull out all the stops to catch these guys, who have come from France to do business. When the dealers realize they are being chased,they go after the cops, and the action really heats up. Lots of chases, on foot, the infamous car chase where Popeye is actually chasing a train through the streets of New York, and there's even a great little cat and mouse scene in the subway.Your heart will be in your throat by the end.It was filmed right in the area of New York City that the events acutally happened, Director William Friedkin makes us feel like it's all happening right then and there. Not only was it a groundbreaking film but it was also an eye opener as to the amount of drugs that were being smuggled into the United States.The film took home five Statues on Oscar night, including Best Picture, Best Actor(Hackman)and Best Director. It was one of the films where the audience used to stand and applaud at the end.Hackman and Scheider WERE these cops! The cast is well rounded out by Fernando Rey and Tony Lo Bianco,and the real Detectives have cameo roles.Thank you 20th Cent Fox for giving this film the treatment it deserves. The DVD is a 2 disc set in a beautiful package. It has been THX digitally mastered, this 30 year old film looks and sounds great. It is in anamorphic widescreen(original theatre aspect), you have the choice of 5.1 Dolby Surround, or Stereo Surround, can be played in French or with English or Spanish subtitles. You can also watch the film with the Director's commentary. Disc2 has lots of extras, documentaries, the one by the BBC is especially informative,Deleted scenes, and more.If you have seen this film already and know how good it is,you'll love the DVD. Seeing it for the first time on this DVD will be a real treat. For those that have seen it I'll just end by saying...Ever been to Poughkeepsie? ...Enjoy...Laurie