William Friedkin

Who would rather have made them- Rob Williams? Casper Andreas? Q. Allan Brocka?

I'm glad BOYS IN THE BAND exists as a document and as a fairly faithful capture of the play and the original NY cast. That said, it's not great.

Friedkin had a lot of success shortly thereafter with FRENCH CONNECTION and THE EXORCIST, but like some other directors from that era (Mazursky, De Palma) he's nowhere near the visionary talent that some critics thought he was. Most of his other movies are deservedly forgotten. I'm not sure how well even THE EXORCIST has held up over time.

And CRUISING is just bizarre to me. The plot makes no sense. It's sloppily made and hard to watch. And Friedkin's remarks at the time about gay men were (and remain) atrocious. Gay men were right to protest at the time.

I thought Bug (2006) was a disturbing, if not overlooked, slice of psychological horror.

I am the super mother bug!

I love listening to him speak. He’s so blunt, intelligent, and irascible. I find him cute as a result. Plus, he directed two amazing films - The French Connection and The Exorcist - that I can watch repeatedly.

Worth seeing, R3?

I just realized the most recent Friedkin movie I ever saw was JADE in 1995. God help me, that was awful.

Boys in the Band is an excellent film. And all you need to do to understand how great a job Friedkin did on it is to watch the remake.

His autobiography from 2013: The Friedkin Connection: The Movies That Made My Life is one of the very best autobiographies I've ever read. Such a great and at times very funny read.

R6, I watched it as a DVD rental back in the day and enjoyed it -- odd and disturbing yet thought-provoking. It's one of the few films I really enjoyed Ashley Judd in.

Several years ago, I thanked him on Twitter for "The Boys In The Band". He was very kind, addressed me by name, and gave a thoughtful response.

That being said: even as a costume designer, I don't think I would never want to work for him as a director. I haven't heard of him seriously fucking with anyone except the cast (and I'm pretty tough), but I wouldn't want to take that chance.

Costume Designer, Typing Too Fast

Cruising has enjoyed a reassessment over the years. It has gained a lot of respect over the years.

When it was issued on Blu-Ray last year by Arrow Video, there was a very long thread on Blu-Ray Forum about Friedkin tinkering with the color scheme of the film, and many posters were upset about this.

To Live and Die in L.A. is another excellent Friedkin film. Some terrific chase sequences, and generous male nudity.

[quote] "I don't think I would never want to work for him as a director."

Oh, dear, and Goddammit.

Anyway, you get the point. I hope.

I’m strangely attracted to a 70s/80s friedkin. Didn’t he do a lot of “research” for Cruising? I love his work

Great talk below. Also, [italic]Friedkin Uncut[/italic] was great.

What did he say @R2?

[quote] I thought Bug (2006) was a disturbing, if not overlooked, slice of psychological horror.

It’s somewhat underrated.

It's always funny to me that he directed the video for Laura Branigan's SELF CONTROL.

When I was a kid, we lived a half mile up the road from where Friedkin and his then-wife, Kelly Lange, resided. Two rather monstrous-looking "modern Mediterraneans" on a private mound encircled by this huge wall. As I recall, she'd built them both, but he bought the one next door to hers to be near her, then they married, so he put his up for sale. Being a local newscaster seen on television all the time, she seemed more famous to us kids than him.

Anyway, I remember the L.A. Weekly once referred to him as a "notorious womanizer."

William Friedkin has been married four times! Had no idea he was married to Jeanne Moreau and Lesley-Anne Down. Were both these actresses looking for green cards?!

Jeanne Moreau, married February 8, 1977 and divorced in 1979. Lesley-Anne Down, married in 1982 and divorced in 1985. Kelly Lange, married on June 7, 1987 and divorced in 1990. Sherry Lansing, married on July 6, 1991.

While he was filming The Boys in the Band in 1970, Friedkin began a relationship with Kitty Hawks, daughter of director Howard Hawks. It lasted two years, during which the couple announced their engagement, but the relationship ended about 1972.

Friedkin began a four-year relationship with Australian dancer and choreographer Jennifer Nairn-Smith in 1972. Although they announced an engagement twice, they never married. They did, however, have a son, Cedric, born on November 27, 1976.

Friedkin and his second wife, Lesley-Anne Down, also had a son, Jack, born in 1983.

I also recall reading he had a brief relationship with, IIRC, Shirley MacLaine, I'm probably wrong, but if it wasn't her, it was a Hollywood icon of MacLaine's calibre.

Friedkin was raised Jewish, but called himself an agnostic later in life. However, during an appearance and Q&A at a 40th anniversary screening of The Exorcist at the 2013 Dallas International Film Festival, Friedkin revealed that he "believes strongly in God" and "the teachings of Jesus" and other religious figures, and that we are "in God's hands."

He sounds like a total hot mess!

Interesting how OP linked a photo of Friedkin taken in 1970!

He was hot @R22

R20, I had no idea Friedkin was married to Kelly Lange! She was the face of LA NBC news for forever, it seemed.

He seems like a sex addict who wouldn’t turn down a blowjob from a guy.

I believe he’s a Republican now.

R24 Yeah, Lange was probably at the height of her*local fame* during that time (late 80s), and I remember there had even been rumors when her builder was readying the pads for her two mansions that she was trying to get approval to have a helipad on the property .. lol! .. although I'm thinking that may have been made-up and had something to do with her having started out as "the weather girl" at KNBC. Anyway, we used to see her out jogging in the neighborhood frequently. .. Friedkin not so much.

I read Sherry Lansing's book. He is very much a republican but clearly not a piece of shit. I sense it is more fiscal.

He seems like a very interesting and intelligent man.

That’s disappointing @R28

He had the same problems a lot of big 70's directors had. After the 80's, he ran out of things to say and his work suffered for it. Bug and Killer Joe were both pretty good, though.

R28 R29 Campaign finance records indicate that in the last election cycle, Friedkin contributed to "Biden for President". He also contributed to Republican Senator, Sue Collins, so he's probably more or less a moderate on the R-scale.

He gave several donations to Dianne Feinstein in her 2018 Senate re-election run, so that would also indicate he's going for another senator who tries to be something of a centrist.

In the past, he donated to both Obama and Eliot Richardson.

In the late 90s, he donated to both Orrin Hatch and John McCain. And way back when, he also donated to Daddy Bush. Funny thing is, he sent something to Dukakis as well.

bump

He was a pain in my back.

The Making of “The Exorcist” is great and has a lot of Billy.

I think he did a great job with BITB. Thought he was kinda cute for a straight guy.

I want to know about his wife, Sherry Lansing. Has anyone ever met her?

Check the hanky code.

Lansing is a Democrat