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William Friedkin
Eighty-seven-year-old William Friedkin first directed a film in 1962, and 60 years later he’s still working. His first four works were documentaries, but in 1967 he directed Good Times, a musical satire starring Sonny and Cher. Maybe more unexpected, his next effort was a cinematic adaptation of Harold Pinter’s play The Birthday Party, followed by the musical comedy The Night They Raided Minsky’s and the drama The Boys in the Band.
In 1971, Friedkin’s career exploded with The French Connection, which earned five Oscars including Best Director and Best Picture. Two years later came the success (and controversy) of The Exorcist, which achieved two Oscars. And more than a year ago I wrote here about his next film, Sorcerer, a critical and commercial failure when released, but now re-assessed far more positively.
Since then, Friedkin has continued to direct comedies, dramas, and the supernatural. For television in 1985 he directed “Nightcrawlers,” a 30-minute episode of The Twilight Zone which, at his request, contained no commercial interruptions. In 2017, he returned to documentaries with The Devil and Father Amorph, in which Friedkin appeared both on screen and in voice-overs with an investigation of contemporary real-life exorcisms. And this past summer Friedkin agreed to direct a film version of Herman Wouk’s play The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.
Herewith my Completely Subjective List of preferred films (and one television show) directed by William Friedkin:
The Devil and Father Amorph
The Exorcist
The French Connection
The Hunted
Jade
”Nightcrawlers”
Sorcerer
To Live and Die in L.A.
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Each week, author Charley Walters shares some interesting information surrounding either one of the films coming up at The Dreamland, or provides some top notch recommendations on how to beef up your movie pedigree at home.
