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When picking potential helmers for The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty had become interested in the film The French Connection directed by one William Friedkin, who had won the oscar for best director a year earlier. Friedkin read the novel, he claims, in one night, and instantly became interested in directing. After a battle to get the studio heads to agree, Friedkin was on board. From the start, it was clear Friedkin had his own ideas, and the relationship between he and Blatty was rocky to say the least. Blatty's original draft of the script was ordered cut down by Friedkin, meaning several scenes had to be sacrificed. Later while filming, Friedkin would prove difficult to work with by being loud and having a tendency to explode on set. To get the right reactions from actors, Friedkin would fire guns on set. When editing time rolled around, Friedin cut several scenes he felt were not needed in the film. Blatty was horrified that scenes he thought were necessary to get the right mood in the film were being so unnecessarily scissored. Friedkin stood his ground (and still does today) and even though rumors abound that these scenes could be reinstated, it may be a long time in doing so. Since The Exorcist, Friedkin's
career has not flourished. He directed a maligned TV remake
of Twelve Angry Men and made a sleazy Eszterhas film Jade.
He now plans to make a film about Jack the Ripper.
WILLIAM FRIEDKIN FILMOGRAPHY
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