I just watched this for the first time. Yes this was a fine film with good acting for 1971 standards.
However, I do not get why this won 5 Oscars for best picture, best director, best actor, etc.
I also loathe the type of cheesy late 1960's/early 1970's background music that was in this movie. Other examples of this kind of background music is Dirty Harry, Bullitt, etc.
I am over 40. However, maybe I'm just too new fashioned???
Hackman gave one of the grittiest, determind performances ever.
...what more do you want.
Something not yet mentioned. Competing for an Academy Award is somewhat like a beauty pageant. The prettiest girl might also be the least ugly. That year the other best picture nominees were Clockwork Orange, The Conformist, Garden of Finzi-Continis, and Last Picture Show. I recently re-watched French Connection and agree the film though entertaining does not seem that great.
He killed sixteen Czechoslovakians. Guy was an interior decorator.
What an astonishingly great list of nominees that is. Not a loser or a pat "Hollywood" picture in the bunch. French Connection, great as it is, is almost certainly the least of that group.
I remember at the time it was a bit of a surprise winner, because genre pictures just didn't (and still don't) win Academy Awards, no matter how excellently they're made. However, it was the most conventional film nominated, and compared to an even more depressing and rather unconventional American film, 2 challenging Italian movies, and an uncomfortably disturbing (and X-rated) film shot in Britain, French Connection probably seemed like the most comfortable choice to a lot of Academy voters. Hackman's win of his very deserved Oscar over Peter Finch, Walter Matthau, George C. Scott, and Topol was also not a given (against all those 1971 standard actors!).
Actually, you were right on three of the other four that were nominated for best picture nominees. Fiddler on the Roof was nominated along side A Clockwork Orange, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis and The Last Picture Show. The Conformist was nowhere to be found.
shareThe French Connection won over Nicholas and Alexandra, Fiddler on the Roof, A Clockwork Orange and The Last Picture Show. The Garden of the Finzi-Continis won the Best Foreign film Oscar. The Conformist wasn't nominated for any Academy Awards that year.
shareI agree you have bad taste in film. Which is alright, not everyone has a discerning eye for it. Cheesy music???? You're out of your depth. It's a superb film but I guess it comes up to whether or not you like Clockwork Orange over this for it to be worthy of its oscar. I think it is.
shareI prefer The French Connection to A Clockwork Orange and feel the greatest injustice was that Malcolm MacDowell was not nominated and Walter Matthau for Kotch was! MacDowell's performance is what I like about the film. His facial expressions and narration make the film bearable for me; he's foxy and sexy and gets the audience on his side. Also unjust, The French Connection should have won Best Cinematography. The Oscar went to Fiddler on the Roof which was filmed with a stocking over the lens to soften the image!
shareIt was given an 'R' as well, today it would get a PG or '12'.
"Round trip ticket to Washington please"
"Write your name on the ticket before you board the plane please"
How times have changed.
I partially agree with you, I think it's a good movie but not a great movie worthy of Oscars. But then again I'm over 40 too lol
shareNot old fashioned, just plain stupid. Sorry.
shareI just watched it and thought it was great: fantastic acting (by any standards) and a thrilling story. However, I do agree with you that this is a bit of a weird Best Picture winner in the history books - on the face of things it's more like an action thriller - not the sort of thing the Academy would normally go for...
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