Friedkin Uncut

I have to agree with most of the commenters about how disappointing this so-called documentary is. I have a theory about it, though. William Friedkin was a gigantically talented man, a man of great intelligence and taste. Look at his art collection. Look at his wives (Jeanne Moreau and Sherry Lansing). Look at his work! (French Connection is a film that I can watch whenever it's and never tire of.)

But I think Mr. Friedkin was also a vain and controlling individual, not surprising in one of his Olympian gifts. I think he felt extremely parsimonious in the presence of the makers of this film. He did not trust or respect them enough to reveal his true self. So he deflected his blessings to Damien Chazelle, Kathryn Bigelow and the city of Venice.

Too late now. Maybe someone with more perspicacity with do a full bio on the man. He (and we) sure deserve it.

I don't want to say that I was disappointed in "Friedkin Uncut" but I kind of was. William Friedkin is a Hall of Famer and he deserves a proper documentary. Unfortunately, "Friedkin Uncut" is not it. There are some good stories in this movie but mostly it's a lot pats on the back. This movie would have been better if they didn't interview William Freidkin at all. That way the filmmakers would have been the ones "Uncut". "Freidkin Uncut" plays more like a tribute movie than an actual documentary. I wish it was better.

Film director William Friedkin opens this documentary on his career by saying, "The two most fascinating people who ever lived were Hitler and Jesus. There's good and bad in all of us." He spends the next few minutes hoping to clarify his viewpoint, not helping himself by adding: "The devil was a creature from God...but he went bad! I've had evil thoughts...I've had good thoughts...it's a constant struggle for humanity...for every human being to have their goodness overcome their dark side." Francis Ford Coppola, presumably a friend, is interviewed about "The Exorcist", saying, "If I were to work on that subject matter, I would have--probably--tried to deal with the evil through metaphor...Billy didn't do that, he just went for it! He didn't mince around. He shows it...over and over again...in the most direct possible way. In Billy's film, it's not implied, it's shown. He doesn't philosophize about evil, he shows you evil." Growing up in a Jewish household in Chicago from Ukrainian parents, Friedkin was poor but didn't know it ("Everyone around us lived the same way"); he was a prankster who got a job in the mailroom of a television station, remaining there for two years before moving into production (his filmmaking ambitions took hold after seeing Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane"). His parents didn't understand his love for the medium because TV was still new, but the future Oscar winner obviously had chutzpah and talent. Interviews with friends, colleagues and the subject himself fill us in on what came after, and fans of the director's films ("The French Connection", "Sorcerer" and "Cruising" among them) will find much to enjoy here. Still, this isn't a moving or enlightening portrait. How could it possibly be? Friedkin is a good talker, a showman--often an arrogant, insufferable one--but not a guy who looks inward for the truth. He's too busy running his mouth. ** from ****

If they had just cut down on some of the shots of him standing and posing in front of signs, or maybe some of the film festival stuff, they could have, I dunno COVERED MORE OF HIS CAREER than just 5 movies? Like I get it, French Connection, Exorcist, Sorcerer, To Live and Die in LA, and Killer Joe were his best but it would have still been nice to hear about the rest, at least a bit.

I did appreciate his wearing his pants like a grandpa (high up on the gut) though. And he's totally unfiltered, but this was way too slight to be a career overview. More like a conversation.

William Friedkin, actors and film makers who have worked with him and admire him, and Zubin Mehta talk about Friedkin.

The writer Gene Wolfe once said that you never learn how to write a novel; you just learn how to write the novel you're writing. Friedkin's philosophy of directing a movie seems to consist of doing as much research as possible, casting right, seeking spontaneity, and taking chances. I'm not sure there's much more insight to his creative process than tat on view, but there is a lot of admiration on offer, not only for Friedkin, but for other film makers by Friedkin, including Fritz Lang and Buster Keaton.

I also learned that Friedkin directed operas, which is how Mehta comes into this mix.