Is the French connection based on a true story? The French Connection (1971) The French Connection is based on a real case that took place in New York in the 1970s. Friedkin calls the film an “impression of that case,” but the main characters of Popeye Doyle and Buddy Russo are based on real-life detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso.
Is the connection based on a true story?
The Connection is the European side of a story made famous by Gene Hackman’s Popeye Doyle on the streets of New York. But this is a very different film to The French Connection, as the characters in The Connection are all real.
Are the characters in the French Connection Real?
But this is a very different film to The French Connection, as the characters in The Connection are all real. The sense of realism is added to by director Cédric Jimenez, himself a native of Marseille, whose father owned a beachside nightclub frequented by gangsters.
Is the French Connection 2 the best movie ever made?
A sequel, French Connection II, followed in 1975 with Gene Hackman and Fernando Rey reprising their roles. Considered one of the greatest films ever made, the American Film Institute included The French Connection in its list of the best American films in 1998 and again in 2007.
What is the French Connection and how did it start?
It was this heroin network that eventually became known as "the French Connection". The Corsican Gang was protected by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the SDECE after World War II in exchange for working to prevent French Communists from bringing the Old Port of Marseille under their control.
Was Popeye Doyle a real person?
The character is based on a real-life New York City police detective, Eddie Egan, who also appeared in the film as Walt Simonson, Doyle's supervisor. Doyle, as played by Hackman in The French Connection, is ranked number 44 as a hero on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains list.
Is The French Connection 2 Based on a true story?
French Connection II is a 1975 crime drama film starring Gene Hackman and directed by John Frankenheimer. It is a fictional sequel to the initially true story of the 1971 Academy Award winning picture The French Connection.
Is Alain Charnier a real person?
In addition to the two main protagonists, several of the fictional characters depicted in the film also have real-life counterparts. The Alain Charnier character is based upon Jean Jehan who was arrested later in Paris for drug trafficking, though he was not extradited since France does not extradite its citizens.
What does picking your feet in Poughkeepsie mean?
The most sane and rational meaning is that the line is simple a confusion/interrogation tactic where someone utters accusatory nonsense like that to confuse the person they are interrogating so that when they ask a real question, their defenses will be down and they will utter “the truth” or confess to a crime.
Why is he called Popeye Doyle?
The character based on Egan, Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, was played by Gene Hackman who won an Academy Award for his performance (the film also won Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Editing). The character was called "Popeye" because that was Egan's nickname in real life.
Who was Popeye Doyle chasing?
The story follows NYPD detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Hackman) and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider) in pursuit of a wealthy French heroin smuggler named Alain "Frog One" Charnier (played by Fernando Rey).
Is the French dispatch a true story?
Set in 1960s France, The French Dispatch is a sort-of true story about an outpost of an American Magazine stationed in the small, fictional town of Ennui-sur-Blasé.
Who was The French Connection based on?
The real story behind “The French Connection”—the slightly fictionalized film account of the smashing of heroin‐smuggling ring—goes back to 1962. The leader of the ring was a tall, dapper Frenchman named Jean Jehan, who was known to his American connections (who could not pronounce his name) as “the Giant.”
How old is William Friedkin?
86 years (August 29, 1935)William Friedkin / Age
Who turned down The French Connection?
Both James Caan and Peter Boyle turned down the role of Popeye Doyle. One of the main reasons Boyle decided not to make the film was the reaction to his work in Joe (1970).
Why is it called The French Connection?
The French Connection was a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Indochina through Turkey to France and then to the United States and Canada, sometimes through Cuba. The operation started in the 1930s, reached its peak in the 1960s, and was dismantled in the 1970s.
What I learned from watching The French Connection?
2:0222:41What I Learned From Watching: The French Connection (1971) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWithout getting bored which is utilized here but our heroes are also introduced in an exciting wayMoreWithout getting bored which is utilized here but our heroes are also introduced in an exciting way the first time we see Popeye and cloudy they are about to make a bust. We don't see their HomeLife.
The Real-life Cops Who Inspired The French Connection
Hackman’s “Popeye” Doyle and Scheider’s “Cloudy” Russo are each based on real-life members of the New York Police Department.
Sonny Grosso
Scheider’s Russo is based on Sonny Grosso, Egan’s partner. Grosso’s New York Times obituary makes clear that while Scheider portrays a more subdued detective, the real cop was “no pushover.” Friedkin is quoted in the obit as saying:
The Real-life Bust of The French Connection
Just like in The French Connection, Jehan’s drug smuggling operation began to unravel, in part, at the Copacabana. As is recounted in the 2000 BBC documentary The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing The French Connection, after a long day on the job, Egan and Grosso stopped at the famed club for a drink.
The Mystery
The ending of The French Connection involves a famously ambiguous scene in which Hackman as Popeye chases after Charnier in the basement of an abandoned warehouse. Popeye runs into another room, a shot fires, and the screen fades to black.
Who was the leader of the French connection?
The leader of the ring was a tall, dapper Frenchman named Jean Jehan, who was known to his American connections (who could not pronounce his name) as “the Giant.”.
Who was the man who smuggled heroin into New York?
Through his underlings, Jehan persuaded a French television performer named Jacques Angelvin to smuggle 97 pounds of heroin into New York, concealed in his 1960 Buick, which arrived here aboard the liner United States on Jan. 10.
How long did the Fuca brothers go to jail?
The Fuca brothers were sentenced to 7 to 15 years and 5 to 11 years in prison, Angelvin to 3 to 6 years, a Corsican conspirator named Francois Paul Scaglia to 11 to 22 years, and a longshoreman named Nicholas Trovato to 2½ to 5 years after their convictions in the case.
How much was the French connection worth in 1973?
One such French seizure from the French Connection in 1973 netted 210 pounds (95 kg) of heroin worth $38 million. In February 1972, French traffickers offered a United States Army sergeant $96,000 (equivalent to $593,947 in 2020) to smuggle 240 pounds (109 kg) of heroin into the United States.
When was the first French connection case?
The first major French Connection case occurred in 1960. In June, an informant told a drug agent in Lebanon that Mauricio Rosal, the Guatemalan Ambassador to Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, was smuggling morphine base from Beirut, Lebanon to Marseille.
Why was the Corsican Gang protected?
The Corsican Gang was protected by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the SDECE after World War II in exchange for working to prevent French Communists from bringing the Old Port of Marseille under their control.
Where was heroin first discovered?
Illegal heroin labs were first discovered near Marseille, France, in 1937. These labs were run by Corsican gang leader Paul Carbone. For years, the Corsican underworld had been involved in the manufacturing and trafficking of heroin, primarily to the United States. It was this heroin network that eventually became known as "the French Connection".
Where did the French underground ship heroin?
The convenience of the port at Marseille and the frequent arrival of ships from opium-producing countries made it easy to smuggle the morphine base to Marseille from the Far East or the Near East. The French underground would then ship large quantities of heroin from Marseille to New York City .
Who was the kingpin of the French Connection?
Former New York City Police Department Narcotics Bureau detective Sonny Grosso has stated that the kingpin of the French Connection heroin ring during the 1950s into the 1960s was Corsican Jean Jehan. Although Jehan arranged the famous 1962 deal gone wrong of 64 pounds of "pure" heroin, he was never arrested for his involvement in international heroin smuggling. According to Grosso, all warrants for the arrest of Jehan were left open. For years thereafter, Jehan was reported to be seen arranging and operating drug activities at will throughout Europe. According to William Friedkin, director of the 1971 film The French Connection, Jehan had been a member of the French Resistance to Nazi Occupation during World War II and, because of that, French law enforcement officials refused to arrest him. Friedkin was told that Jehan died peacefully of old age at his home in Corsica.
Who is the narcotic trafficker in the French Connection?
Pasquale "Patsy" Fuca, nephew to Tuminaro, involved in the narcotic trade. Anthony DiPasqua, was a narcotic trafficker. Vincent Papa, was the mastermind behind the "Stealing of the French Connection". Anthony Loria, partner with Vincent Papa in the "Stealing of the French Connection".
What is the French Connection based on?
1. "The French Connection" is based on a real-life 1961 drug bust made by New York cops Eddie "Popeye" Egan and Sonny "Cloudy" Grosso. The bust netted 112 pounds of heroin with a street value of $32 million. Egan (the inspiration for Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, ...
How much did it cost to make the French Connection?
But Friedkin has said that the heroin shown in the scenes involving the chemist's purity test is the real thing. 17. "The French Connection" cost $1.8 million to make, a pittance by today's standards but considered risky in 1971. (In fact, 20th Century Fox panicked because the film went $300,000 over budget.)
Why was Jehan being shielded?
Friedkin claimed Jehan was being shielded because of his history as a resistance fighter during World War II. 23.
How did Friedkin take advantage of the actor's anti-authoritarian streak?
Friedkin also took advantage of the actor's anti-authoritarian streak by behaving like a tyrant and goading his star into rage. By the end of the shoot, Hackman had fully inhabited the character. He reshot the vacant lot scene and nailed it. 6.
How much did the movie Z cost?
The film came in $300,000 over budget at a total cost of $1.8 million. In an audio commentary track recorded by Friedkin for the Collector's Edition DVD release of the film, Friedkin notes that the film's documentary-like realism was the direct result of the influence of having seen Z, a French film by Costa-Gavras.
Does Nicoli kill Popeye?
Charnier, however, wants to conclude the deal quickly. On the flight back to New York City, Nicoli offers to kill Popeye, but Charnier objects, knowing that Popeye would be replaced by another policeman. Nicoli insists, however, saying they will be back in France before a replacement is assigned.
Who is the police detective in Marseille?
In Marseille, a police detective follows Alain Charnier, who runs the world's largest heroin-smuggling syndicate. The policeman is assassinated by Charnier's hitman, Pierre Nicoli. Charnier plans to smuggle $32 million worth of heroin into the United States by hiding it in the car of his unsuspecting friend, television personality Henri Devereaux, who is traveling to New York City by ship.
When was the French Connection released?
The French Connection has been issued in a number of home video formats. On September 25, 2001, the film was released on VHS and DVD, with both formats being released in box sets featuring both the film and its sequel, French Connection II.
Where was the movie The Chase filmed?
The scene was filmed in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn roughly running under the BMT West End Line (currently the D train, then the B train) which runs on an elevated track above Stillwell Avenue, 86th Street and New Utrecht Avenue in Brooklyn, with the chase ending just north of the 62nd Street station.
Where did heroin come from in the 1960s?
The plot centers on drug smuggling in the 1960s and early 1970s, when most of the heroin illegally imported into the East Coast came to the United States through France ( see French Connection ).
Who was the actor in Belle de Jour?
Friedkin had seen Luis Buñuel 's 1967 French film Belle de Jour and had been impressed by the performance of Francisco Rabal, who had a small role in the film. However, Friedkin did not know his name, and remembered only that he was a Spanish actor.
What is the French connection?
1. The real detectives are in the movie. The French Connection is an adaptation of Robin Moore’s book of the same name, which was itself the true story of one of the biggest drug busts in American history, led by NYPD detectives Eddie Egan ...
Why did Friedkin make the French Connection?
Because he was taken by the street-level feel of The French Connection ’s story, Friedkin wanted to infuse a sense of “induced documentary” into his film by making it look as often as possible like the camera operators just happened to witness two cops working the streets of New York. This was achieved, in part, by searching for the most authentic locations possible, but it was also achieved by never choreographing the film’s shots.
Why was Fernando Rey cast?
Fernando Rey was cast because of a mixup. To cast much of The French Connection, Friedkin came to rely on a “character around New York” named Robert Weiner. It was Weiner who initially brought Roy Scheider, who was cast without even auditioning, to Friedkin’s attention.
How long was the car chase in The French Connection?
The car chase almost didn’t work. The now-legendary chase scene in The French Connection was shot over the course of five weeks, with the shoot divided between time on the train and in the car and working around New York rush hour schedules. Even after all that work, though, Friedkin was concerned about the footage.
How many Academy Awards did The French Connection win?
The French Connection won five Academy Awards, including Best Pictures, after its 1971 release, and still stands as one of the greatest films of the 1970s because of its gritty visual style, powerhouse performances, and one of the greatest car chase sequences ever put on film. Here are 14 facts about the making of The French Connection, ...
Who was the actor who took the ride with Gene Hackman?
Though Friedkin wasn’t necessarily that interested in the narrative as laid out by Robin Moore’s book, he was very interested in the actual street-level day-to-day existence of a narcotics detective in New York City. Taken by Egan and Grosso, Friedkin wanted to get an up close view of how the two detectives worked, and arranged frequent ride-alongs with them for both himself and his eventual stars, Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider. As the director later recalled, these trips were often about much more than observing.
When did D'Antoni start the French Connection?
In early 1969 , D’Antoni managed to set up The French Connection at National General Pictures, seemingly cementing backing for the film.
