I didn't even know he died until I read your comment. Shows how shameful our political climate and the media is right now, that he doesn't even get a mention anywhere. Probably because in life as well as his films, he spoke too much truth.
@@MilesjDoyleHere s a fun one in response to your ridiculous non Sequitur; Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT) Your Jesus had no issue with slavery and never made any proclamation forbidding it, rather he told his followers he had come to enforce the laws of the Old Testament. Even if he did exist he was an immoral man no one should have followed.
Instead of film school, do what Orson Welles did before he made CITIZEN KANE. He watched John Ford's STAGECOACH 30 times. Pick a film you admire and learn every edit, composition, staging, rhythm, performance etc.
Films loved by William Friedkin: -Onibaba -Rosemary's Baby -Z -Alien -Bladerunner -Blood Simple -No Country for Old Men -Bullitt -Blow Up -L'Avventura -La Notte -L'Eclisse -8-1/2 -American in Paris -Bandwagon -Singing in the Rain -Gigi -All About Eve -Treasure of Sierra Madre -Birth of a Nation -Citizen Kane -Rashomon -The General -Jason Bourne films -Breathless
Of course, the original French version is perfection, and has a sophistication about sexuality that only foreign films had. And look at the year it came out. The U.S. got stepped on by the Hayes code. Precode films were very sophisticated. It seems to me the Code was more interested in keeping big city sophistication out of the burbs, as the sophistication came from Europe with immigrants. If you don't believe me, look at "American" cookbooks from the 1950's. Especially those little publications. The most bizarre crap you ever saw, and the covers of them are hilarious. (I collected them for a while) Remember, ladies, if you don't have pimentos on tap and little wieners in cans, and hubby brings the boss over for dinner, you're screwed. Meanwhile, fabulous food was being cooked by people who came from Italy, Spain, France, South America, Mexico, India, Morocco, etc. It was a cultural boycott. yes, I'm saying the Hayes code was racist. Probably something to write more about, no?
When you're worth a billion dollars and one of your assets is your very own aesthetics, what do you do? You spend money on your body's maintenance, yes? You guys are both sagacious Einsteins I see, pretty amazing huh? And oh, the 40 year old that looks older than William, who makes your wages, shame on him!
Such amazing movies, and I can’t believe he pretty much discovered William Peterson as a movie actor. He was so bad ass in to live and die in LA. You should listen to his interview about the end of sorcerer did he die or did he not. Friedkin says he possibly lived
Those are my favorites as well. Everybody is always talking about The Exorcist and The French Connection (which are also amazing) but Sorcerer and To Live and Die in LA are my favorites. Killer Joe is also phenomenal as well.
+JeanP there is that and whats more is its a script pattern now idealism and good endings and such ways to turn stuff around, but i think he mainly was talking about the crap, junk as he says, that is being repeatedly made and watched and that is superhero movies and super productions like that, the ones that really speak of nothing not even through metaphores or symbolism or analogies but that are just strictly entertainment through a mass of unseeable action coupled with dumb archetyped plots like marvel shit and such ..
***** not even certain what you re saying, why dont you enlighten us as to what you think he meant by what he said ? directors like friedkin have enough notoriety and network that they can make movies that locate between the commercial and the author poles, for sure as far as im concerned what he meant by what he said when speaks of junk is souless films that are none but products meant to make money, he s saying he d like to have more different films more daring films not the average always the same stuff made by hollywood and its not like there is many directors who get the finance to make movies like that on a big commercial scale so its an issue of big producer choices and strategy actually. now as far as im concerned the most noble form of cinema is that which conveys emotion, or educate or at least get people thinking; as far as movies that dont try to do that, anything that does what it meant should be ok though sometimes it tries to do complete crap and then its not ok. open mindedness will let you see what is actually really bad, and then there is the rest which locate on different levels. so truth can be found in film yes but not necessarily through artistic lay out, and horror can be fun of course. also dont be putting words in my mouth you know the films you cited are not truth revealing films obviously neither did i say or imply that, just cuz he talks about these films in the video doesnt mean my cinema knowledge is limited to that k ? my comment refered to the video only as far as an explaination of what he meant by junk in us commercial cinema nowadays. you dont have to bother answer or reading btw.
+fook yu Idealism isn't a bad thing, necessarily. I mean that's basically the message of Rashomon. The problem is a skewed worldview that works to a person's detriment, rather than his benefit ("We crossed swords thirty times!" versus "I saw the whole thing as an objective spectator would..."). Another example is The West Wing, which positively relishes in idealism as an antidote to cynicism.
+sof Symbolism and metaphors aren't things to be applauded unless they're in service to entertainment and the rest of that jazz - do you even like movies? Or did someone very clever convince you that you could be just like a literary snob in a third the time if you watched this thing called A Space Odyssey? You realize Singin' in the Rain is practically devoid of metaphors besides the painfully obvious one (maybe two), and that all the sexy symbolism in Alien services the rawer, more visceral fear factor in it?
I love how whenever someones racist people just describe it as "Telling it like it is and being super honest." This whole "We all think it but he is the one saying it." approach to racism.
William Friedkin is a man who pulls NO punches in either his films, or his brutal honesty. Notice how he calls out the very people interviewing him, regarding their "out of focus, jump-cut" methods. No other director would probably have the balls to say that to them directly...brilliant!
I had to go to the comments to see if I just heard what I just heard. I was in disbelief like some sort of dream. That's insane he was calling them out! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
🤣 And doesn't watch movies or pull books off the shelf to get his history right... So I give him props for spewing pea soup and jumping bed and picking you feet in Poughkeepsie but he sucks ass as a historian....
Nobody ever talked so eloquently and passionately about film like Friedkin, I could've listen to him talk for hours. Something about his voice is so calming. R.I.P one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.
@@MilesjDoyle Please take your religious garbage somewhere else, this is not the time nor place. Friedkin was an an agnostic, so you preaching about god on comments regarding his death is just disrespectful.
I mean, i love Friedkin and i love listening to him but... have you ever listened to how Scorsese talks about movies? I'm pretty sure even Friedkin, who was a friend of Martys, would agree with me that there has never been anyone in history who talks more beautifully, knowingly, eloquently, lovingly and passionately about motion pictures than Marty. Watch his documentary about American cinema and the one about italian cinema, or any interview, lecture or speech you can find. Friedkin himself would appreciate you doing it. May i send you much cinematic love, from an old guy living in Switzerland.
I love Friedkin but his era of getting into filmmaking is very different than today. It was far easier to get into the industry than today and getting even a PA job on a set requires some academics including those at film school are required.
@@arlosteiner8382 Film School, i.e. college, is like college sports are to the major leagues. It's a cycle. And with people like Lucas and Spielberg donating close to $1 billion, they sure aren't going to let the cycle break, even if it is good for the industry to have fresh blood from outside the circle. They peddle formulas. That's why the average joe can go see pre-screenings to test out ideas. It's all by method and statistics now. Translation: Commercial appeal.
Just study fine art for the frames,scene lighting understanding,study William burke poetry for descriptions and great writing,read the bible for extreme morals and understanding or cause and effect and boom you have film school ,I wasted 4 years trust me it's not worth it
@@arlosteiner8382 It wasn't really easier back then to get into the industry than today. I think it was actually harder. While maybe there's a lot more 'competition' for jobs today, back then there wasn't nearly as much 'content' being produced back then and having connections to the industry was much more important in those days too. George Lucas had an extremely hard time getting a job in the industry at first even with the recommendation of Haskell Wexler (his first industry connection). I'm talking about a PA job or crew job. His professors at USC were discouraging, telling his class on the first day "You'll never get a job in this industry. At best, you'll be a ticket taker at Disneyland". Something like that. It was ALWAYS a difficult industry to get into. In one way or another, it always will be. The one advantage younger kids have today is it's so much cheaper and easier to just go out and shoot, edit and complete a film. Spielberg was told he'll never be taken seriously by the industry unless he made a professional level film shot on 35mm. You don't have that expensive worry. A phone has good enough quality. You just have to make something good. Back even 20-30 years ago which is when I started, you had to shoot on film to be taken seriously (35mm, but 16mm was acceptable, but less so). Film was so much more expensive. $1000 for 10 minutes 35mm. You pretty much had to rent cameras for hundreds, even thousands a day (to buy a camera would set you back $80,000-$100,000). Never mind post-production which was also outrageous. You want a simple dissolve in your film. $10 for each. Never mind sound mixing. Now you just slap it on in your NLE software which you can get for FREE. FREE post production software. Shooting on a relatively inexpensive, but high quality camera and not worry about how much footage I'm shooting because of cost? I would've killed for all that 25 years ago.
+dcanmore He comes across as being such a cool, intelligent and 'street' guy (that combination ain't easy!) that he deserves to look that good for his age!
Billy's autobiography 'The Friedkin Connection' is just wonderful. He keeps his private life out of it but gives awesome, invaluable stories about the making of his movies. And he's very open about how arrogance and hubris ultimately derailed his career. Essential reading for any filmmaker out there. You're not going to learn where to put a camera but you'll learn a lot about dealing with actors and producers.
If he's worried about making a film that will be immortal. He can rest easy. The Exorcist is still the scariest, most unnerving film I've ever seen. Great interview.
It truly is the only horror film that came close to moving me the The Exorcist did is Hereditary and it took 50 years for anyone to even come close to The Exorcist. It’s in my top 5 possibly number one of all time
A guy at my office is 64 and looks 40. Some people are just lucky. An old college friend of mine, whom I haven't seen face-to-face since he was 23 in 1986, regularly posts photos on Facebook. He doesn't look a day older. *sigh*
I feel blessed to have lived at a certain time, being a film buff and to have watched and loved most of Williams favorite films. And the few I have missed; I will look for because I know it will be time well spent. RIP Mr Friedkin, you made an impression with your films!
Crimes & Misdemeanors is truly outstanding, I'm glad he mentioned it. I have never seen a film that encompasses morality, philosophy, theology, sexuality, marriage, suicide, lying, affairs, success, loneliness, social class, psychology, war, religion, family, and fantasy vs. reality. The movie not only touches on these themes but stares them directly in the face! Seriously, see it if you haven't already.
I agree. Among Woody Allen’s astonishing run from Annie Hall, Hannah & Her Sisters via Zelig etc etc, Crimes & Misdemeanours rings like a heavy bell. I’m pleased he picked it out and (what I know but) there’s some monumental painful reality in it which is also in The French Connection and The Exorcist (and L’Avventura!). I also love that he loved Singin In The Rain and Gigi which are the opposite of all the above: pure joy, but equally intense and immaculate.
Love what he says about Steve McQueen. He's so right - Steve as an inventor of minimalism. I know you can do that only in film, not on stage. But anyhow - great actor.
He mentions "Z" from 1969. Saw it on television the first time and finally in a revival.Powerful film for its day- may still hold up-but something definitely worth seeing.
@@HoldenNY22 You are right it was. My sister who was older knew about the truth behind the film. Its been a while since I have seen it. I should watch it again!
I could listen to this guy for hours. Smart, insightful, truthful, and one of the most brilliant filmmakers of all time. To me, he's on the Mt Rushmore of directors along with Hitchcock, Spielberg, and De Palma.
William Friedkin has made some excellent films, but has maintained his humility, with an amazing appreciation of the cinematic works of others. His ability to recall details, and conjure up scenes with his lucid vocabulary, makes his talks always packed with information . I could listen to him all day, just as he did with the viewing of Citizen Kane. Thanks Mr. Friedkin and Fade in Magazine. Much appreciated.
Finally someone, who REALLY knows film, calls attention to the greatness of Crimes and Misdemeanors. Woody Allen seamlessly combines his usual witty humor with a riveting, dark moral drama, which asks if there is a God who will ultimately punish those who knowingly choose to do evil. It’s like 2 completely different movies in one, but the characters and scenes from each are intertwined in a way that conveys how real life is full of comedy, farce, tragedy and horror all at once.
You cannot be an American film maker and not pay homage to the genius of Woody Allen. Annie Hall was shot like a documentary. Not at all unexpected that Billy would love Allen's films.
He is a class act BECAUSE he is honest. He can swear up a storm and be a bit unhinged, I’m sure, a little rough around the edges maybe, but he tells it like it is.
I love The Exorcist because he does not reveal everything.. just layer by layer the story as it unfolds . He took all the best bits of filmmakers before him and put them to excellent use
Crimes and Misdemeanors. Absolutely!! What a great summary of knowledge from a director who is relatively unmentioned nowadays. "Very little truth to be found"
01. Onibaba 02. Rosemary's Baby 03. Z 04. Alien 05. Blade Runner 06. Blood Simple 07. No Country For Old Man 08. Bullitt 09. Blow Up 10. 8 1/2 11. American In Paris 12. Bandwagon 13. Gigi 14. Singing in the Rain 15. All About Eve 16. Treasure of Sierra Madre 17. Birth of a Nation 18. Citizen Kane 19. Breathless 20. Rashomon 21. Buster Keaton's films 22. Bourne Ultimatum 23. Alfred Hitchcock's films 24. Crime with Mr Miller Anything I miss?
Such an intuitive, clever actor, Matthew McConaughey. KILLER JOE was a wild ride. I hope him and Friedkin do another film together. Great ensemble cast, veterans and newcomers. William Friedkin is the master of drama.
Antonioni -movies are absolute treasures.Especially the wind blowing through the trees in "Blow up" and the things that you feel when you´re in an empty city, great space and...silence around the midday and the woman walks around:You push the Stop-button anywhere you like and you´ll see where you want to be...! I ask you :Whoever did such things? This is art at its Finest!
Did I miss any?: Onibaba Rosemary's Baby Z Alien Blade Runner Blood Simple No Country for Old Men Bullitt The Great Escape Blow-Up La Notte L'Eclisse L'Avventura Eight and a Half American in Paris Band Wagon Gigi Singin' in the Rain All About Eve The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Birth of a Nation Citizen Kane Breathless (1960) Rashomon Bourne Ultimatum Vertigo Psycho North by Northwest The Wrong Man Notorious Crimes and Misdemeanours
I always thought that with Crimes and Misdemeanors Woody Allen came closest to achieving what he most admired in other directors. The final scene in which Martin Landau talks about his "friends" guilt and how it faded over time is as true as anything I've ever seen.
I really loved many of the movies that you directed. Recently, I became enamoured with Sorcerer. Thanks William for the greatness you brought to the art!!!
Sorcerer is such a great movie. It's weird to think that that movie was a massive bomb when it came out. It came out right at the peak of Star Wars' popularity.
When you listen to truly intelligent people the words just flow and flow and draw you in. No thinking time pauses. He makes you want to watch every film he mentions. He looks incredibly good for his age and not in a botox way.
So he hasn’t made a Citizen Kane? He has made The French Connection, The Exorcist, and Sorcerer. Maybe they’re not on the historical level of some that he mentioned but they’re incredible achievements nonetheless. Love how he takes a jab at CGI while praising silent films. Sadly people like him, the unimpressed with modern films are few and far between.
Literally everyone I’ve ever talked to about films, has said that they thought “No Country For Old Men” was a masterpiece. I think it’s gotten to the point where we can say it’s truly one of the greatest films ever. And I think we can say that the Coen Brothers are the greatest filmmakers of our generation. I just saw “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” and I thought it was fantastic. Check it out if you haven’t yet.
@@jamesmurphy1389 Try living in _Afghanistan, North Korea, Somalia, Ukraine, Brazil, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen…_ Then, come back and tell me how “depressing” America is.
But surely the point is that America is, as we speak, in the process of becoming as benighted as the beleaguered countries you mention. Try living in downtown LA and tell me how uplifting America is. @@CipherSerpico
I guess he's probably one of the few people in the world that The Exorcist can't have any effect on. It's hard to get scared of your own work, because everything reminds you of the process behind it. I think when we see shots of Reagan, we're engrossed in the movie and it's story, but when Friedkin sees the same shot, he's probably reminded of all the times they had to redo it because something went wrong, or how he didn't manage to get it quite like he wanted it, or something that had to be changed last minute because of time/budget/higher powers. He also probably saw it hundreds of times in the editing process, out of context with the rest of the movie. There's nothing easier to ruin magic for you than making it, and artists are usually their own worst critic.
I absolutely loved Killer Joe. One of those movies that I just didn't want to end. I have yet to watch Sorcerer but it's on my list of must sees. This director seems to have a very unique and consitent way of building a foreboding sense of anxiety and dread. Things just seem to escalate downhill at an ever increasing speed.
I love Killer Joe. I wasn't sure what to make of the movie the first time...until the line at the very end! Then it hit me, the movie is a black as night comedic farce! Crazy to think Billy was in his 70s making it.
Sorcerer is his best film, in my opinion. I know a lot of people will completely disagree, but I’ve seen everything he did, and of all my favorites, I loved it the most.
Thank you so much for this wonderful footage. Such a great film person. Love his commentaries on DVDs. On his films and also on Val Lewton's "The Leopard Man" too. Love to hear him talk. At the end here, he was so right. Thanks to all the greed of the industry, today we are all being SPUN, to the point of turning so dumb to all the realities our parents experienced in their lives.
wow I didn't know he did a commentary on The Leopard Man. Will have to look that up, as I have an old French DVD of that movie and the other Jacques Tourner/Val Lewton ones.
@@iangrant3615 Thanks. Should mention that this version of "The Leopard Man" is the one included in the Val Lewton box set. That came out about 15 years ago. Maybe a local library can get it for you on loan.
I'm seriously shocked. I had no idea how intelligent, insightful, and encyclopedic this guy is. He is super-sharp and at once disarming. Due to this interview alone, my opinion of him has done an about face.
Onibaba, Rosemary's baby, Z ., Alien, Blade Runner, No country for Old men, Bullitt, Blow-up, L'aventura, L'eclisse, La notte, 8 1/2, The Band Wagon, Singin in the Rain, Birth of Nation, Citizen Kane, Breathless, Rashoman, Buster Keaton, Hitchcock, vertigo and psycho are my two favourites. Great list of films.
I found him charming....I watched so many interviews with him, I felt as if I knew him. He will certainly be missed. Rest with the angels, Mr. Friedkin.
1) Hana-Bi by Takeshi Kitano 2) 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick 3) Ran by Akira Kurosawa 4) Chinatown by Roman Polanski 5) Magnolia by Paul Thomas Anderson 6) Once Upon A Time In America by Sergio Leone 7) Eraserhead by David Lynch 8) Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo 9) The Big Lebowski by The Coen Brothers 10) Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola There's my 10 favorite movies. I'm not saying that they're the best movies of all time, and some shit like, say The Exorcist, Taxi Driver, Pulp Fiction, The Wild Bunch, etc etc. I'd have a hard time arguing against if anyone wanted to tell me they belonged, as well as other personal favorites like Freebie And The Bean, Chungking Express, Glengarry Glen Ross, Hard Boiled, and on and on. So many amazing fucking movies, so few spaces... Maybe it should be top 25, haha
All The Presidents Men, Klute, The Red Circle, Do The Right Thing, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Brazil, Blade Runner, Holy Mountain, The Godfather (1&2), Spinal Tap, Dr. Strangelove, Dog Day Afternoon, JFK, Touch Of Evil, Vertigo.... See, still going, nowhere near out of movies to rattle off. Too many good ones, haha.....
Terrific list. Magnolia in particular had a huge effect on me when I saw it. It's not actually in my own top ten but I saw it when I was 19 the opening day it came out, and it was an utterly overwhelming experience. Cinematically on a purely technique level it's astonishing, but it's just incredibly moving isn't it. It's about loneliness and loss and feeling marginalised and confused, about losing yourself in hate and drugs and booze and all these fucked up decisions you make. I recall feeling light headed when I came out of the cinema. You could tell people didn't quite no what to make of it. Aimee mann's songs as well, beautiful. I've never been able to get away with the narcissism of cruise but Anderson used him brilliantly, and channelled his persona into a framework where he was entirely right. He should've won the Oscar, that heartbreaking scene with Robards and his dead eyed contempt in the interview sequence are incredible. But he'll everyone's great in that film.
Anyhow my top ten as follows The assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert ford (dominik) Let the right one in (alfredson) Goodfellas (Scorsese) Mulholland drive (lynch) Deep red (argento) Aliens (Cameron) The devil's backbone (del toro) Don't look now (roeg) Chinatown (Polanski) Dark water (nakata)
Naming Breathless as the last super influential film classic is bold and to the point. Not sure everyone would agree with that assessment (2001 Space Odyssey, Taxi Driver, Jaws, Star Wars, Godfather, Silence of the Lambs, Trainspotting + Mr. Friedkin's own masterworks), but Breathless is a beautiful film. Can watch it over and over. It's immediate ancestor, Elevator to the Gallows (plot lines and general style are so similar, I often confuse them when referencing them - even after having seen each well over a dozen times lol. Or maybe Im just dense), is also awesome, with more of a classic cinema feel than New Wave feel.
One of my favourite director “personalities” you really don’t know what he’s gonna say next. Share his sadness at the whirlwind of lies the population is subject to on a daily basis.
I like most of what Mr. Friedkin says in this interview, and I like some of his films, but I have to object to something he said about Birth of a Nation. Saying that the film was a justification of the Ku Klux Klan, in our politically correct environment, today you couldn't make a film on the same subject, or even talk about one. However, at the moment of it's release in 1915, the film was protested throughout the country, and banned in eight states, its influence contributing to segregation through much of the South into the 1960s. The content of the film was controversial from the get-go. So calling Birth of a Nation racist today is not being politically correct, nor was it upon its release. The film is racist, period. But technically speaking, Friedkin is correct, in that it influenced American filmmakers and filmmakers in Europe, especially in Russia.
My favorites. 1. L'Age d'or--Luis Bunuel 2. A Clockwork Orange--Stanley Kubrick 3 Eraserhead--David Lynch 4. Manhattan--Woody Allen 5 Last Tango In Paris 6 The Dicreet Charm of the Bourgeosie---Luis Bunuel 7. All That Jazz--Bob Fosse 8. Apocalypse Now---Francis Ford Coppola 9. Barry Lyndon---Stanley Kubrick 10 Roshomon---Akira Kurosawa 11. Blue Velvet--David Lynch 12 The Nights of Cabiria---Federico Fellini 13.Barton Fink--Ethan Coen 14.Brazil--Terry Gilliam 15 Life of Brian--Terry Jones
My Top Ten: Troll 2 (1990) Batman & Robin (1997) Catwoman (2004) Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004) Foodfight! (2012) Run for Your Wife (2012) The Hottie and the Nottie (2008) Shark Attack 3: Megladon (2004) Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) Gilgli (2003)
First and foremost Friedkin is a documentary filmmaker, so his craft is going to be centred as such. 2001 is of course influential, however not every stroke of genius has a place for every creator. Like all of us we recognize brilliance in whatever genre whether or not we engage it is a different matter .
Killer Joe is the role Matthew McConaughey was born to play. He had a very clever, deliciously evil, entertaining and layered understanding of this character. Talk about showmanship.
he's a director who's always challenged himself. most of his films have been ambitious films, the type that might not always appeal to a broad audience.
