Product: French Connection [VHS] (1971)
Rating: 5.0
One word: GREAT!
While I do not agree with some of The French Connection's Oscar wins (A Clockwork Orange was the Best Picture of 1971), I still believe that this is one of the best action movies ever made. Gene Hackman deservedly won an Academy Award for his performance as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, who along with his partner "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider) attempt to bring down a narcotics ring. The Elevated train-car chase has gone down in cinema history as possibly the best car chase ever filmed. One of the things that make this film so great is its gritty realism. All the sets used are actual interiors and there was hardly any lighting. Director William Friedkin (Who won an Oscar) had a background in documentary. His technique gives a realistic feel to the movie, as if we are there.Recently, when my family decided to purchase a DVD player, the first DVD I got for it was the recently released "Five-Star Collection" Two Disc set of this movie. The picture quality is excellent. Not a single scratch and no `jittery' frames. There are some scenes that are grainy, especially the opening shots in Marseilles. But this is probably because it was filmed this way.The second disc is loaded with features. There are seven deleted scenes, which can come with or without William Freidkin's commentary. Most of these scenes are character development scenes. But while fascinating to watch them, after you see them you'll understand why they were cut out. There are also two documentaries: BBC's "Poughkeepsie Shuffle" and a special 30th anniversary documentary that covers the French Connection case, Robin Chases's book and the movie's making.Overall, this is an excellent DVD that is well worth investing in.