WHAT AN EXCELLENT DAY FOR AN EXORCISM!
New Hollywood director William Friedkin nourished his love of film with repeat viewings of Citizen Kane and Psycho, though cut his craft with TV and documentaries for years before hitting the big screen. After an inauspicious start with a Sonny & Cher vehicle, Friedkin established himself as a leading director with classic narcotics chase thriller The French Connection. With its documentary-esque grit and unforgettable car chase, it won a slew of Oscars, including Best Director for Friedkin (he was the earliest surviving winner of the Best Director gong).
Off the back of Popeye Doyle, Friedkin continued to define genres with horror juggernaut The Exorcist. The head-spinning, Pazuzu-possessed Regan has ensured Friedkin pop cultural immortality regardless of how the rest of his career would pan out. And sure enough, he’d never come close again commercially, with his personal favourite work Sorcerer struggling at the box office and not receiving critical recognition until recent years. He continued to direct thrillers and horror films of varying quality and was even among the first Oscar-winning directors to helm a MTV music video (Laura Branigan’s “Self Control”). His final film, a modern adaptation of The Caine Mutiny, is set for release this September. Friedkin was 87 and the only team to possess him was From Here To Eternity.
William Friedkin
29 August 1935 – 7 August 2023, aged 87
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