About the Author

William Friedkin (1935 - 2023) was the Academy Award-winning director of such iconic films as The Exorcist and The French Connection.

Reviews

"For aspiring directors, a glimpse into the school of hard knocks, but there's plenty of good stuff, lean and well-written, for civilian film fans, too." - Kirkus Reviews
"Hardcore film geeks will salivate over this time capsule from a grateful and still-brilliant legend." - Booklist
"Friedkin's book does the unthinkable: It relates the behind-the-scenes stories of his triumphs like The French Connection and The Exorcist, but also sees Friedkin take responsibility (brutally so) for his wrong calls, like Sorcerer and Cruising. In doing so, he captures the gut-wrenching shifts of a filmmaker's life--the bizarre whipsaw from success to disaster." - Variety
"Friedkin's book does the unthinkable: It relates the behind-the-scenes stories of his triumphs but also sees Friedkin take responsibility (brutally so) for his wrong calls. . . . He captures the gut-wrenching shifts of a filmmaker's life." - Variety
"Movie fans will celebrate the natural storyteller at work in the pages of The Friedkin Connection, a welcome reminder that it takes so much more than talent to make a movie--and to keep making them." - Associated Press
"Friedkin's memory for the process of filmmaking elevates this book above the usual score-settling Hollywood memoir; film buffs will be pleased with what he offers." - Publishers Weekly
"Friedkin's against-all-odds success story is compelling reading from the start." - LA Weekly
"Friedkin captures all the ups and downs of his distinguished film career. . . . Filled with insights into the art of film and its practitioners and honest assessments of his work--and the work of others in the film industry--this is terrific stuff. After reading it, you'll be anxious to see all the Friedkin movies you've missed." - Shelf Awareness
"Entertaining. . . . This memoir is at its most engrossing when describing the solid, unpretentious entertainments its author once made so well." - Wall Street Journal
"A fascinating appraisal--and a reminder of how much of a maverick Mr. Friedkin has turned out to be, willingly or otherwise. . . . 'I embody arrogance, insecurity and ambition that spur me on as they hold me back, ' he writes. 'And while I've been healed of physical wounds, my character flaws remain for the most part unhealed. There's no point in saying I'll work on them.' But there is a point to immortalizing them, which this book so colorfully does." - Janet Maslin, New York Times
"Even in print, Friedkin still knows how to thrill." - NY1.COM, "The Book Reader" review
"The book is valuable for its candor on a variety of fronts. . . . Leanly satisfying." - The A.V. CLUB/THE ONION