Common enough, but he's kind of mixing his metaphors. "Al Pacino can take a flying fuck at a rolling donut for allI care." would make a bit more sense..
Thats from a Kurt Vonnegut book, I can't remember which one. But the actual quotation I think is "go take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut, go take a flying fuck at the mooooooooooooon". I don't hear a lot of people quoting that Vonnegut line except me:) But I didn't think Tommy Lee Jones was actually even a 'professional actor'. Once an actor makes it big they are usually just playing variations of themselves anyway.
In Pacino's defence, he was just coming off his 70's streak and even I would've had some level of ego because with the string of acclaimed movies Pacino did back then who wouldn't?
@goodbadbill You just made Up Another One ! What "On the Set Behavior" ?? All this Foul Mouth Idiot accused Him of... is Not coming to the set prepared with Brilliant ideas!
Never went to film school. He learned by doing. Some of his movies are great, some not so great, but he had great instincts. And he didn't suffer fools gladly.
Always admired Friedkin's honesty. It takes a lot of strength of character to go stand your ground and not be distracted and derailed by the agendas of others. There is a balance to be struck - I think he probably learned that as he mellowed in later life, but always an inspirational character.
I never admired Friedkin as a PERSON. As a DIRECTOR yes. He has his own style which I like and respect. The LAST thing he is NOT IS BEING HONEST. He's a lying Narcissistic bullshitter. He is narrow minded and likes to have ABSOLUTE control over everything. He likes to destroy and hurt people who have DONE NOTHING to hurt him. Just like Steven Seagal VS Van Damme. Fuck him. Good movies though! 😉😉😉
Seems it also takes strength of character to not coast on your stardom as an actor once all the parasites keep telling you what a brilliant genius you are.
To be honest he could have all the same honesty and strength of character without bordering on abuse. That said, it would help to see the entire context of the interview. You claim the interviewer has an agenda and if so, such a response is more understandable, but I have only your word and that’s not enough. It’s certainly not in the interviewer’s question here in this clip.
@@MDK2_RadioVery well said. No need to abuse, ridicule or insult anyone to make a statement. This is typical Narcissistic behavior to attack someone to feel superior to others. John Boorman NEVER insulted William Friedkin...but Friedkin have insulted Boorman for more than 45 years. Like Seagal does with Van Damme.
“His intelligence is what I noted first. He knows how to use his gifts,” says Coppola. “He uses what he has, this striking magnetic quality, this smoldering ambiance.He’ll write out the whole part, the text of the dialogue, then interpret in the terms of language he would normally colloquially use,” Coppola says. “Then he translates it into the language of the script.” "He loves the whole aspect of making movies, and he's sort of fearless," says filmmaker Barry Levinson, who co-wrote the 1979 courtroom drama " . . . and justice for all" and directed Pacino in "You Don't Know Jack" and "The Humbling," a 2014 movie made for less than $2 million. "He's easy to work with. It's fun. He'll just say, 'Let's try this.' You keep playing with it, keep trying and seeing what else is there." This could be a problem for this director. AL likes to do so many retakes. Maybe that bothers some directors very much?
Sorry for your loss. Without wanting to intrude, I wonder if there is anything you're able to share about your correspondence with him over that period that you found most interesting or enlightening about either Mr. Friedkin or his work? I admired him greatly.
This is the reason why in my opinion BILLY FRIEDKIN was one of the most unapologetic, brilliant directors of our time & forever. Straight up - NO BS, get it done or get out of my way. 10/10
He made the best horror film of all time. He scared the shit out of me. Brilliant filmmaker. I hope he is now up there having a chat with Hitchcock, probably about ties.
He made 2 that scared the shit out of me, that alone puts him in an class of his own with horror. I dont scare easily. So based on that. But the exorcist and Bug. Are 2 of the most terrifying films I've ever seen.
'I have found that people who say they always tell the truth invariably have a streak of cruelty about them' -William Blake QED and case in point Billy Friedkin!
Friendkin is my favourite director. Everything he directed has a horrific element to it. Cruisin that film scared me more than i think the exorcist or the bug. Hes awesome. Hes passionate 👍🏻
It was unsettling. Powerful. It was the kind of movie that you saw once. You did not want to see it again. It was not entertaining; it wasn't meant to be. It was one of the few movies that told the bold truth about an era that has been lied about ever since. William Friedkin was the only filmmaker in the world who had the nerve and talent to make such a stunning work.
1989 waited on Broadway for Pacino to show up for shooting on Sea of Love, he showed up couple hours late, looked around then got back in his Teamster driven car and left
If there was one director I could hang out with in a coffee shop or hang around and smoke joints with an listen to stories, it'd absolutely would've been William Friedkin....every single interview I've watched where he talks about making his classics and the actors he worked with I always laugh my ass off..he really just didn't give a fuck at all and I LOVED that about him...RIP William Friedkin.
I know, billy is awesome. he smacked one of his actors across the face to get an emotion. if your boss did that to you, I'm sure you'd love him too, ESPECIALLY if he was asked about Pacino, and he "shot him down in flames" ...
William Friedkin was one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. His one and only goal was to tell a story that will weigh on minds of people for decades to come. Few other directors have been able to accomplish this goal. But Friedkin wasn't interested in the popularity contests that most people chose to live and die by. He said exactly what he wanted and couldn't care less what everyone else thought about him. He chose to live and die by the experiences and memories that he had given to those who have been privileged to see his films. Not such a terrible legacy at all to leave behind.
What I find interesting about Friedkin's work is, he didn't seem to impose himself among his films. He didn't have common themes. He just did his best to tell a great story.
@@ricardocantoral7672 You are absolutely correct about that. He was a true storyteller. I saw a documentary about him not long ago he said "Any director that thinks he's an artist is fucking nuts! Though great art that comes out of films."
@@vincecommando7575 Orson Welles said something similar. He said that being a director is the last refuge for a hack. This is true, many directors are really journeymen. Most of the time, it's simply a writer's vision on screen. However, there have been a few great visionaries like Alfred Hitchcock or John Ford.
@@vicferrari4046 Well he did tell to Al Pacino to go Fuck himself JUST because he thought the ending of "Cruising" was ambiguous. Which I agree with Pacino. The ending is NOT clear.
Friedkin is one of the greats.. So is Pacino.. One side of a fight is always just that.. Many directors love pacino. Many actors had a hard time with Friedkin.. Humans are flawed
I believe the period when actors had hard time with Friedkin was in the 1970s when Friedkin like every young hotshot thought he could conquer the world. Gene Hackman especially had miserable time because Bill purposely irrited him between shots in order for Hackman to act angry.
I think Gene Hackman was more annoyed between shots by the constant advice from the real Popeye Doyle and he asked Friedkin to keep him away from him. @@m1lst3r89
I loved Sorcerer and Cruising. Likely his most hated movies. But I don't I don't give a flying fuck into a rolling donut about what critics have to say....
Honestly I’m not homophobic I have a gay friends but to see Pacino a man who played micheal corleone & Tony Montana play that role really was hard to watch i was disgusting
"I love Friedkin's work on The Birthday Party. One of the reasons I cast Robert Shaw in this film is because of The Birthday Party." -Steven Spielberg from Take One Magazine 1974
How many truly great movies has AL Pacino really made over the past twenty years? Just like Robert De Niro, he has coasted for years, and has turned out dozens of movies that are close to being unwatchable.
@@philiphatfield5666 Last 20 years? The Irishman, Paterno, Phil Spector, You Don't Know Jack... Before that many many more. Does it matter? Al is one of the best to ever do it, but just like DeNiro the scripts they've chosen and amounts of movies they've made is a recipe for a couple of stinkers. Seems they just want to, or need to work. Does not mean that they are not great actors.
@@matszombiekillb9223all Hollywood garbage. :) but hey ones man trash in another’s treasure. He’s a coke head that can go from mundane to yelling in a second. A one trick pony if you will.
he smacked one of his actors hard on the face in exorcist to get an emotion... imagine your boss smacked you in the face, how awesome would that be? if that same boss also hates Pacino, then that's awesome too... no matter what, your boss should be liked above them all
No, al pacino is not a great actor.. so limited in range, either sullen or screaming.. it's sort of like Brando: other than Vito Corleone what's the attraction? He mumbles, not particularly bright, and frankly doesn't connect with an audience.. pacino was lucky and never a good actor..watch him with the sound off: he is thoroughly unimpressive
I love it !!! I think GREG just ran to hide under the couch when Friedkin told him something he just wasn’t prepared to suddenly hear from the MASTER of cinema. Go Billy!
He made a long series of pretty terrible films, but also two masterpieces ("Exorcist" and "French Connection") and two other genre classics ("Sorcerer" and "To Live and Die in L.A."). As a movie lover I'll be forever grateful to his memory for making those four.
Sorcerer deserves way more recognition. I recently re-watched Sorcerer and The French Connection and couldn't believe how well Sorcerer holds up and how slow and boring The French Connection is...
I actually think the opposite haha, the first hour of Sorcerer is too slow for me, and I say that ofc having watch Wages of Fear first, which I think is better except for the ending. @@The99thCondition
got that completely wrong: he made three masterpieces (The Exorcist, Sorcerer -- the best, The Hunted) and two seminal classics (The French Connection, To Live and Die in LA)...but you're right that he made several terrible films...he'd be the first to tell ya 😂😂...he'd even tell you his good ones were bad 😂😂
This directer was truly amazing. The Exorcist obviously being his main masterpiece. He reached for the stars with his ambitious and talented art. Because of that he created a masterpiece and a movie that took the world by storm and scared people right into church. 😅
remembered when he slapped the shit out of his actor in the exorcist. maybe one day your boss will do that to you too. I'd like him too after any words that come out of his mouth. you might not, but who cares
He was right , Pacino was having a bad time , was always late etc etc, but he himself admitted that Pacino performance was great, he hit the right note
@@Jb667-y6q Richard might have been better choice but he was doing American Gigolo at the time. He might fixed Pacino's ridiculously low key, mousy performance.
"Having seen the film at special screenings, I’ve come to realise [Pacino] is still pretty damn effective in it, but he gave me a rough time for reasons other than the normal actor-director relationship. He wasn’t on time and often didn’t know what we were doing on a particular day.” -- Wm Friedkin
@@wayneoneill5265Friedkin did a remake in 1997. It wasn’t half bad. Jack Lemon, George C Scott, James Gandolfini, Edward Olmos, William Peterson among other cast members.
@@ricardocantoral7672 Well, Lumet’s original was about 40 years before Friedkin’s, and his cast was also superb. It included Lee J Cobb, who Friedkin did get to direct in 1973, as the policeman in The Exorcist.
In the genre of horror Im rarely frightened or made uncomfortable. He did it twice to me, the exorcist when I was young and Bug when I was an adult. RIP.
Bug I need to watch again, but Killer Joe I absolutely love! Crazy to think Billy was in his 70s when he adapted those two Tracy Letts plays! A maverick till the end.
@@highwaystar3780 if that's all you focused on in that movie that's a bit strange but okay lmao that's like saying oh you like broke back mountain because theres gay sex? Peeyuh 🤧 and thats not why I go to watch cruising it's a great murder mystery and pacino gives an amazing performance
@@gozerthegozerian9888 it's a Shit movie. Horrible screenplay, and Terrible acting to boit with sub television production values. Those scenes were shot for shock value for sure as they'rein ur face, but fuck Friedkin...so he made a couple of good films. Overrated dick head like so many.
We are in the last days of the notion of a two hour movie that we see in a movie theater. Everything is going the way of streaming series we view on TV . In the year 2060 we will think “remember all those great movies that used to be made ? We’d go see them in a big theater and eat popcorn and it was a great escape. But we haven’t had any of those since 2030”. When we are at that point, we very well may be praising all the movies, the good and the bad.
Friedkin was a world class director like Kubrick all good directors seem straight forward and hard for subpar actors to work with I like Al Pacino but Friedkin offered more to the film world imo
he directed an episode of the 2nd TWILIGHT ZONE series in 1985....it went big with a lot of visual effects...NIGHTCRAWLERS....I couldnt believe they got him!
hahahahahaha imagine your boss smacks the shit out of you in front of everyone, and then films your reaction for "authenticity". then a few of us find a video of your boss saying "fuck that other actor" ... and the few people who see that clip, say "yea he's awesome for saying that"... meanwhile, that other actor would have had YOUR back, after you got smacked, and now think about how you're calling him mediocre, knowing damn well that shit aint true
Five? Who the heck needs five? The Sex Pistols only ever released one album. The French Connection invented the gritty, violent, cop as anti-hero, crime drama genre. And The Exorcist was nothing less than a phenomenon on its release. That's plenty.
Longevity is the true test of greatness. The Exorcist passes that. It's director does not. The sex pistols one album passes that. The band does not.@@yellowjackboots2624
@@yellowjackboots2624 I agree. I think this importance of having a great quantity of masterpieces in a filmography is dumb. Nicholas Ray directed quite a few poor films but a couple of his best, Rebel Without a Cause and Bigger Than Life, wipes the floor with the lifeworks of many directors!
To Live and Die in L.A, The Exorcist, SORCERER and The French Connection are all films of rhe highest order. And films such as Cruising, Killer Joe and Bug are also great.
I'm sure if it existed I'd have seen it by now, but I'd love to hear a long form in depth discussion between William Friedkin and Quentin Tarantino. Similar to the "Sorcerers" chat he did with NW Refn.
I respect his unabashed honesty. I can see how Pacino, Hoffman, Deniro, etc. could get on a competent directors nerves. There's a difference between input and deliberate conflict, it all boils down to egos IMO.
It depends on how strong the director is and their style. And the relationship they have with the actor. Lumet and Coppola had no problem with Pacino. And Lumet, I believe, is a bit of a taskmaster.
Coppola also worked with Brando, who was famously hard to work with. And on Apocalypse Now he wouldn’t even read the script or the book. He just rambled nonsensically and Coppola worked it into the film.
Okie dokie then. I still like Pacino. Friedkin was a creative genius for sure. And he had his dark side. He manipulated and tricked some of the actors to get the performance he wanted on the set of The Exorcist. Like slapping one of the actors really hard across the face. Ellen Burstyn has said she thought there were some strange and dark things happening during the filming. I think it was really the vibes of an obsessed director that was influencing the set atmosphere. Some of the shit he pulled back then would get a director fired these days. WF was really like a man possessed of creative genius and sometimes the dark side came out. I don't think he was probably the easiest guy to work for, not with his bluntness and temper.
That actor Friedkin slapped was an actual Catholic priest who portrayed Father Karris' on-screen colleague Father Dyer. Friedkin apparently wasn't getting the raw emotional performance he wanted for the scene where Dyer gives Last Rites to Karris and smacked him across the chops before filming the take that was used in the film. Friedkin also unexpectedly fired a shotgun off screen to get Jason Miller's (Father Karris) spontaneous response for the scene where Karris' telephone suddenly rings while he is listening to the recordings of Reagan/Pazuzu and startles him. Miller was quite angered by this and told Friedkin that he didn't need such external crap to reach the right tone and that if he (Friedkin) pulled another stunt like that things were going to get physical.
I definitely won't excuse his poor behavior but, it comes down to a matter of a director trying to set impose the right feelings on an actor for the sake of a picture. Hitchcock wanted Joan Fontaine in a nervous state for the sake of her role so he got the crew to treat her rudely. Hitch did this by telling the crew that Joan had a low estimation of all of them.
In my opinion,Thee greatest visual scene in cinematic history,Is Lankester Merrin standing in front of the brownstone in the Exorcist,...Directed by William Friedkin!
Ok. He has my attention. Now I want to hear more. Can we get some examples of how he came to this conclusion about Al Pacino. It is contrary to his public persona so it'd be fascinating to hear his perspective on this. He seems like he'd be willing to share. He doesn't seem shy. ha :)
This kind of questioning drives me nuts. What is he supposed to say? Pacino didn't like the movie and especially the ending, so what is Friedkin going to say?
"I don't give a flying fuck into a rolling donut" is an amazing turn of phrase.
RIP
Common enough, but he's kind of mixing his metaphors. "Al Pacino can take a flying fuck at a rolling donut for allI care." would make a bit more sense..
Ok Karen
@@cannibalholocaust3015 Oh ouch, Ivan.
Thats from a Kurt Vonnegut book, I can't remember which one. But the actual quotation I think is "go take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut, go take a flying fuck at the mooooooooooooon".
I don't hear a lot of people quoting that Vonnegut line except me:)
But I didn't think Tommy Lee Jones was actually even a 'professional actor'. Once an actor makes it big they are usually just playing variations of themselves anyway.
@@mikearchibald744 It's from Slaughterhouse five. But apart from KV2 using it there, it was a common enough expression before the book was published.
A flying fuck into a rolling donut was one of the controversial scenes they had to cut from "Cruising."
😂😂😂😂😂 👏
winning the internet with that one, bravo!😂
👏❤️🤣
I’m glad the interviewer didn’t ask William about his own homosexual tendencies
"Is that an answer to your question, Greg?"
Greg, essentially: "thank you sir, may I have another?"
legend.
😂😂😂
Friedkin says in his autobiography that Pacino often came to the set late and unprepared, which led to arguments
Well He was Looking for a Killer in gay clubs
In Pacino's defence, he was just coming off his 70's streak and even I would've had some level of ego because with the string of acclaimed movies Pacino did back then who wouldn't?
@goodbadbill Thers nothing mentioned here about His Ego. You made that up !
@@highwaystar3780 it was just a theory towards his on set behavior.
@goodbadbill You just made Up Another One ! What "On the Set Behavior" ?? All this Foul Mouth Idiot accused Him of... is Not coming to the set prepared with Brilliant ideas!
"Is that an answer to your question, Greg?" 😂
RIP, Billy Friedkin.
Never went to film school. He learned by doing. Some of his movies are great, some not so great, but he had great instincts. And he didn't suffer fools gladly.
Always admired Friedkin's honesty. It takes a lot of strength of character to go stand your ground and not be distracted and derailed by the agendas of others. There is a balance to be struck - I think he probably learned that as he mellowed in later life, but always an inspirational character.
I never admired Friedkin as a PERSON. As a DIRECTOR yes. He has his own style which I like and respect. The LAST thing he is NOT IS BEING HONEST. He's a lying Narcissistic bullshitter. He is narrow minded and likes to have ABSOLUTE control over everything. He likes to destroy and hurt people who have DONE NOTHING to hurt him. Just like Steven Seagal VS Van Damme. Fuck him. Good movies though! 😉😉😉
Seems it also takes strength of character to not coast on your stardom as an actor once all the parasites keep telling you what a brilliant genius you are.
To be honest he could have all the same honesty and strength of character without bordering on abuse. That said, it would help to see the entire context of the interview. You claim the interviewer has an agenda and if so, such a response is more understandable, but I have only your word and that’s not enough. It’s certainly not in the interviewer’s question here in this clip.
@@MDK2_RadioVery well said. No need to abuse, ridicule or insult anyone to make a statement. This is typical Narcissistic behavior to attack someone to feel superior to others. John Boorman NEVER insulted William Friedkin...but Friedkin have insulted Boorman for more than 45 years. Like Seagal does with Van Damme.
you should read what he said about david gordon green and that new exorcist movie he did lol
RIP to an absolute fucking Legend
“His intelligence is what I noted first. He knows how to use his gifts,” says Coppola. “He uses what he has, this striking magnetic quality, this smoldering ambiance.He’ll write out the whole part, the text of the dialogue, then interpret in the terms of language he would normally colloquially use,” Coppola says. “Then he translates it into the language of the script.” "He loves the whole aspect of making movies, and he's sort of fearless," says filmmaker Barry Levinson, who co-wrote the 1979 courtroom drama " . . . and justice for all" and directed Pacino in "You Don't Know Jack" and "The Humbling," a 2014 movie made for less than $2 million. "He's easy to work with. It's fun. He'll just say, 'Let's try this.' You keep playing with it, keep trying and seeing what else is there." This could be a problem for this director. AL likes to do so many retakes. Maybe that bothers some directors very much?
@@michaelmiller7160 *💌I´ve loved thIs William (about) my whOle life💜*
What was his problem with Al Pacino?
Met him and corresponded for 10 years. Amazing, passionate, warm guy.
Sorry for your loss. Without wanting to intrude, I wonder if there is anything you're able to share about your correspondence with him over that period that you found most interesting or enlightening about either Mr. Friedkin or his work? I admired him greatly.
Amazing. yes. Passionate. hell yes. Warm, uhhh.......................
Oh damn, Al Pacino must be a real piece of work on set.
Wow Vittorio Storaro the great cinematographer himself. 😮
Wait, are you THE Vittorio Storaro? 😮
This is the reason why in my opinion BILLY FRIEDKIN was one of the most unapologetic, brilliant directors of our time & forever. Straight up - NO BS, get it done or get out of my way. 10/10
Yes but he suffered the consequences of being like that.
@@space.midnight.cowboyso what
@@ericaward702 so read his memoir.
Him cursing is the reason?
…..
Genius= no husband material.
Rest in peace king
Great to hear Tommy Lee Jones getting his flowers, awesome actor.
He made the best horror film of all time. He scared the shit out of me. Brilliant filmmaker. I hope he is now up there having a chat with Hitchcock, probably about ties.
Nah, he’s just dead.
He made 2 that scared the shit out of me, that alone puts him in an class of his own with horror.
I dont scare easily. So based on that.
But the exorcist and Bug. Are 2 of the most terrifying films I've ever seen.
It's from Vonnegut, if anyone wasn't familiar.
Hahaha, of course it is. I can see how Friedkin would be fan of Vonnegut.
Brilliant director, wonderful storyteller and raconteur. Missed but never forgotten.
I love Friedkin's earliest movies. By mid-80's he had run out of ideas. After To live and Die in LA he never again made any movie worth watching.
@@borisnegrarosa9113this is bullock. All of his work in the 2000 and killer are all fantastic. Don’t be a dumb bell
@@borisnegrarosa9113 mmm The one with TLJ was pretty good.
I don't give a flying fuck into a rolling donut...I have to remember this one 🙂
“Write that down! Write that down!”
It can Only come from a Secular Jew !
My gran used to don't give a monkeys shit.
@@highwaystar3780 what? Lol
@m1lst3r89 One mo' time..."it can only come from a Secular Jew"
Friedkin is an absolute boss
Alas...
He really is. Brutally honest and really insightful just to listen to.
We lost a fine filmmaker.
'I have found that people who say they always tell the truth invariably have a streak of cruelty about them' -William Blake
QED and case in point Billy Friedkin!
RIP William Friedkin
RIP ya fucking legend.
Friedkin was so utterly honest its amazing.
Friendkin is my favourite director. Everything he directed has a horrific element to it. Cruisin that film scared me more than i think the exorcist or the bug. Hes awesome. Hes passionate 👍🏻
That film is now so difficult to find!
@@historyandhorseplaying7374Arrow Video has an amazing physical release of Cruising that I highly recommend and is readily available on their site 👍
It was unsettling. Powerful. It was the kind of movie that you saw once. You did not want to see it again. It was not entertaining; it wasn't meant to be. It was one of the few movies that told the bold truth about an era that has been lied about ever since. William Friedkin was the only filmmaker in the world who had the nerve and talent to make such a stunning work.
@@historyandhorseplaying7374which film?
@@space.midnight.cowboy Cruising
RIP to a one-of-a-kind director.
1989 waited on Broadway for Pacino to show up for shooting on Sea of Love, he showed up couple hours late, looked around then got back in his Teamster driven car and left
If there was one director I could hang out with in a coffee shop or hang around and smoke joints with an listen to stories, it'd absolutely would've been William Friedkin....every single interview I've watched where he talks about making his classics and the actors he worked with I always laugh my ass off..he really just didn't give a fuck at all and I LOVED that about him...RIP William Friedkin.
Friedkin seems more like a weird coffee guy, not cannabis. What you described should be you and John Carpenter lol
RIP Willam Friedken.
😂 It's funny because everyone basically kisses Pacino's arse and Billy just shot him down in flames.
I know, billy is awesome. he smacked one of his actors across the face to get an emotion. if your boss did that to you, I'm sure you'd love him too, ESPECIALLY if he was asked about Pacino, and he "shot him down in flames" ...
Friedkin hits us with some honesty - it’s so rare these days .. RIP
It's called rudeness.
William Friedkin was one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. His one and only goal was to tell a story that will weigh on minds of people for decades to come. Few other directors have been able to accomplish this goal. But Friedkin wasn't interested in the popularity contests that most people chose to live and die by. He said exactly what he wanted and couldn't care less what everyone else thought about him. He chose to live and die by the experiences and memories that he had given to those who have been privileged to see his films. Not such a terrible legacy at all to leave behind.
What I find interesting about Friedkin's work is, he didn't seem to impose himself among his films. He didn't have common themes. He just did his best to tell a great story.
@@ricardocantoral7672 You are absolutely correct about that. He was a true storyteller. I saw a documentary about him not long ago he said "Any director that thinks he's an artist is fucking nuts! Though great art that comes out of films."
@@vincecommando7575
Orson Welles said something similar. He said that being a director is the last refuge for a hack. This is true, many directors are really journeymen. Most of the time, it's simply a writer's vision on screen. However, there have been a few great visionaries like Alfred Hitchcock or John Ford.
Billy Friedkin was not just a brilliant filmmaker, he was a brilliant person. And I’ll tell you, he was better at swearing than anyone I have known
Stories pleas......
@@vicferrari4046 Well he did tell to Al Pacino to go Fuck himself JUST because he thought the ending of "Cruising" was ambiguous. Which I agree with Pacino. The ending is NOT clear.
Ahh yes ole Billy and I …….
I can relate with his colorful vocabulary. I myself have come up with some interesting words and phrases to say the least.
100% true. Top five smartest guy I’ve ever met.
A true maverick & a truly incredible filmmaker.. watching Sorcerer as we speak.. what a mesmerising movie.. so tense.
Love his honesty! R.I.P. William Friedkin
Friedkin is one of the greats.. So is Pacino.. One side of a fight is always just that.. Many directors love pacino. Many actors had a hard time with Friedkin.. Humans are flawed
I believe the period when actors had hard time with Friedkin was in the 1970s when Friedkin like every young hotshot thought he could conquer the world. Gene Hackman especially had miserable time because Bill purposely irrited him between shots in order for Hackman to act angry.
I think Gene Hackman was more annoyed between shots by the constant advice from the real Popeye Doyle and he asked Friedkin to keep him away from him. @@m1lst3r89
@@m1lst3r89 That is the point, Friedkin in the 70's, early 80's was a different Friedkin than after that period...
They are both awesome!!! Hahaha.
@@dansyver that word is stupid "awesome" what are you a 17 year old?
Friedkin's annoyed dad look the whole time the question is being asked is the cherry on top of this
Brilliant director. R.I.P. to the Legend.
And that's why we loved you...always will! Friedkin forever!
Best response ever - loved how unapologetic he was RIP 🥰
I loved Sorcerer and Cruising. Likely his most hated movies. But I don't I don't give a flying fuck into a rolling donut about what critics have to say....
Sorcerer isn't hated .
@@evo5dave Well, I should have said "least liked"
Honestly I’m not homophobic I have a gay friends but to see Pacino a man who played micheal corleone & Tony Montana play that role really was hard to watch i was disgusting
@@steviedub9370 Your whole statement screams homophobe.
I am not homophobic and I have dear gay friends, but those scenes in gay bars were very hard to stomach thru.
He was an amazing director
We lost one of the greats. RIP.
"I love Friedkin's work on The Birthday Party. One of the reasons I cast Robert Shaw in this film is because of The Birthday Party." -Steven Spielberg from Take One Magazine 1974
For someone who was unprepared he sure made great movies.
How many truly great movies has AL Pacino really made over the past twenty years? Just like Robert De Niro, he has coasted for years, and has turned out dozens of movies that are close to being unwatchable.
@@philiphatfield5666 Last 20 years? The Irishman, Paterno, Phil Spector, You Don't Know Jack... Before that many many more. Does it matter? Al is one of the best to ever do it, but just like DeNiro the scripts they've chosen and amounts of movies they've made is a recipe for a couple of stinkers. Seems they just want to, or need to work. Does not mean that they are not great actors.
@@matszombiekillb9223all Hollywood garbage. :) but hey ones man trash in another’s treasure. He’s a coke head that can go from mundane to yelling in a second. A one trick pony if you will.
@@matszombiekillb9223 he is the GOAT. But, I didn't think he was that good in "The Irishman." Robert Blake was the best Hoffa.
@@scottodonnell7121 Jack Nicholson has entered the conversation
I’m stealing his answer, and I’m going to try my hardest to slip it in on a job interview !
Pacino has done great work. Willy has done great work. Love it all
"Don't beat about the bush Billy, tell us how you REALLY feel!"
Friedkin was just a brilliant director, an artist really. Such a loss.
R.I.P - What a film maker he was! 29/8/35 - 7/8/23
Friedkin was such a badass. One of the best directors ever!
he smacked one of his actors hard on the face in exorcist to get an emotion... imagine your boss smacked you in the face, how awesome would that be? if that same boss also hates Pacino, then that's awesome too... no matter what, your boss should be liked above them all
Refreshingly candid -
Hey he spoke his mind I respect that but Pacino is one of the greatest actors to ever do it .
Pacino has been a one note snooze machine for 40 years. He and Deniro are both hugely overrated
@@phil8528 I'm not sure which way you mean that but ok).
No, al pacino is not a great actor.. so limited in range, either sullen or screaming.. it's sort of like Brando: other than Vito Corleone what's the attraction? He mumbles, not particularly bright, and frankly doesn't connect with an audience.. pacino was lucky and never a good actor..watch him with the sound off: he is thoroughly unimpressive
@@mitchelll3879 don’t be silly Mitchell , who asked you anyway FOH son
Gotta love his honesty, even if you love Al as well!
I love it !!! I think GREG just ran to hide under the couch when Friedkin told him something he just wasn’t prepared to suddenly hear from the MASTER of cinema. Go Billy!
He made a long series of pretty terrible films, but also two masterpieces ("Exorcist" and "French Connection") and two other genre classics ("Sorcerer" and "To Live and Die in L.A."). As a movie lover I'll be forever grateful to his memory for making those four.
Sorcerer deserves way more recognition. I recently re-watched Sorcerer and The French Connection and couldn't believe how well Sorcerer holds up and how slow and boring The French Connection is...
I actually think the opposite haha, the first hour of Sorcerer is too slow for me, and I say that ofc having watch Wages of Fear first, which I think is better except for the ending. @@The99thCondition
Sorcerer was boring for me, but I love his redneck drama/dark comedy Killer Joe
@@The99thConditionFrench Connection is boring?! 😂😂😂 Errrrr....no.
got that completely wrong: he made three masterpieces (The Exorcist, Sorcerer -- the best, The Hunted) and two seminal classics (The French Connection, To Live and Die in LA)...but you're right that he made several terrible films...he'd be the first to tell ya 😂😂...he'd even tell you his good ones were bad 😂😂
The problem with Cruising is that it should have been a 4 or 5 hour film. Too much was lost on the editors floor.
Best director, brutally honest man. And has humor.
A true Hollywood legend.
This directer was truly amazing. The Exorcist obviously being his main masterpiece. He reached for the stars with his ambitious and talented art. Because of that he created a masterpiece and a movie that took the world by storm and scared people right into church. 😅
Yeah not sure scaring people into the cult of pedophilia is something to be lauded! Religions are cancer!
His masterpiece would be Sorcerer. It’s absolute perfection.
@@Pastrychef90210 Entirely this
R.I.P. Legend
as soon as he opens his mouth i liked him
remembered when he slapped the shit out of his actor in the exorcist. maybe one day your boss will do that to you too. I'd like him too after any words that come out of his mouth. you might not, but who cares
RIP ,master
He was right , Pacino was having a bad time , was always late etc etc, but he himself admitted that Pacino performance was great, he hit the right note
Pacino was terrible.
@@m1lst3r89 no he wasn’t
@@Coconutyorkie the worst performance of his career.
@@Jb667-y6q lol
He would fit the part better because many reasons but pacino did great
@@Jb667-y6q Richard might have been better choice but he was doing American Gigolo at the time. He might fixed Pacino's ridiculously low key, mousy performance.
0:21 Words of wisdom! God I love Billy!
I could listen to friedkin all day
RIP Mr. Friedkin. Thank you for French Connection, Sorcerer and the movie that we couldn't sleep after - The Exorcist.
If I wake up at 3AM you know who pops up in my mind …Regan!!!
"Having seen the film at special screenings, I’ve come to realise [Pacino] is still pretty damn effective in it, but he gave me a rough time for reasons other than the normal actor-director relationship. He wasn’t on time and often didn’t know what we were doing on a particular day.”
-- Wm Friedkin
He didn't give a fuck... and always spoke his mind - Always great in interviews ... he is missed.
That is my new catch phase. I have used it many times. Very effective.
You got me on "Friedkin" and "really feels."
Instant click.
12 angry men still is one of my fav of all times; a small room, a script, several awesome seasoned actors and a plot that holds well
Friedkin didn’t direct that movie.
@@wayneoneill5265Friedkin did a remake in 1997. It wasn’t half bad. Jack Lemon, George C Scott, James Gandolfini, Edward Olmos, William Peterson among other cast members.
I wish Fredkin directed that film twenty years earlier with Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott.
@@ricardocantoral7672
Well, Lumet’s original was about 40 years before Friedkin’s, and his cast was also superb. It included Lee J Cobb, who Friedkin did get to direct in 1973, as the policeman in The Exorcist.
Excellent film!
In the genre of horror Im rarely frightened or made uncomfortable.
He did it twice to me, the exorcist when I was young and Bug when I was an adult. RIP.
Bug I need to watch again, but Killer Joe I absolutely love! Crazy to think Billy was in his 70s when he adapted those two Tracy Letts plays! A maverick till the end.
A genius director in my opinion ❤😊
Cruising and To Live and Die in L.A. are his best films in my opinion
R.I.P. Billy Friedkin
An Average Episode of Law & Order is 100.000X superior than Cruising. That's how Horrible it is !
@@highwaystar3780 law and order is for babies dude but whatever that's your opinion I guess 💁🏿♀️
@@gozerthegozerian9888 so you needed to see a guy fisted up the Ass and close ups of a bunch of Hairy Ases? I can understand that .
@@highwaystar3780 if that's all you focused on in that movie that's a bit strange but okay lmao that's like saying oh you like broke back mountain because theres gay sex? Peeyuh 🤧 and thats not why I go to watch cruising it's a great murder mystery and pacino gives an amazing performance
@@gozerthegozerian9888 it's a Shit movie. Horrible screenplay, and Terrible acting to boit with sub television production values. Those scenes were shot for shock value for sure as they'rein ur face, but fuck Friedkin...so he made a couple of good films. Overrated dick head like so many.
Love him. RIP WF ❤.
We are in the last days of the notion of a two hour movie that we see in a movie theater. Everything is going the way of streaming series we view on TV . In the year 2060 we will think “remember all those great movies that used to be made ? We’d go see them in a big theater and eat popcorn and it was a great escape. But we haven’t had any of those since 2030”. When we are at that point, we very well may be praising all the movies, the good and the bad.
Just the "CSI: Vegas" episode he did alone, was brilliant, most certainly R.I.P.
Flying f***s in rolling doughnuts!! 😂 LOL!!
lol at the interviewer "yeah ah the straightest answer I could..ah I could.."
Friedkin was a world class director like Kubrick all good directors seem straight forward and hard for subpar actors to work with I like Al Pacino but Friedkin offered more to the film world imo
Legend.
I think that’s a pretty straight answer
we don't believe you you need more people
Tommy Lee Jones is a tough, tough guy.
who was a prick to Jim Carrey
he directed an episode of the 2nd TWILIGHT ZONE series in 1985....it went big with a lot of visual effects...NIGHTCRAWLERS....I couldnt believe they got him!
Goodbye, Will. 😢
RIP Billy. You will definitely be missed
What a gangster answer. True legend!
I love the guy and his honesty he is missed very much.
hahahahahaha imagine your boss smacks the shit out of you in front of everyone, and then films your reaction for "authenticity". then a few of us find a video of your boss saying "fuck that other actor" ... and the few people who see that clip, say "yea he's awesome for saying that"...
meanwhile, that other actor would have had YOUR back, after you got smacked, and now think about how you're calling him mediocre, knowing damn well that shit aint true
Name 5 truly great movies William Friedkin has directed.
Five? Who the heck needs five? The Sex Pistols only ever released one album.
The French Connection invented the gritty, violent, cop as anti-hero, crime drama genre. And The Exorcist was nothing less than a phenomenon on its release. That's plenty.
Longevity is the true test of greatness. The Exorcist passes that. It's director does not. The sex pistols one album passes that. The band does not.@@yellowjackboots2624
@@yellowjackboots2624 I agree. I think this importance of having a great quantity of masterpieces in a filmography is dumb. Nicholas Ray directed quite a few poor films but a couple of his best, Rebel Without a Cause and Bigger Than Life, wipes the floor with the lifeworks of many directors!
@@ricardocantoral7672 Tobe Hopper is another example. Yes, most of his films were mid, but Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Salem's Lot were iconic.
To Live and Die in L.A, The Exorcist, SORCERER and The French Connection are all films of rhe highest order. And films such as Cruising, Killer Joe and Bug are also great.
Greg: "Just to loop back for a clarification..."
I'm sure if it existed I'd have seen it by now, but I'd love to hear a long form in depth discussion between William Friedkin and Quentin Tarantino. Similar to the "Sorcerers" chat he did with NW Refn.
THAT would be the discussion to end all discussions. ... Holy crap. O_O
I respect his unabashed honesty. I can see how Pacino, Hoffman, Deniro, etc. could get on a competent directors nerves. There's a difference between input and deliberate conflict, it all boils down to egos IMO.
It depends on how strong the director is and their style. And the relationship they have with the actor.
Lumet and Coppola had no problem with Pacino. And Lumet, I believe, is a bit of a taskmaster.
Coppola also worked with Brando, who was famously hard to work with. And on Apocalypse Now he wouldn’t even read the script or the book. He just rambled nonsensically and Coppola worked it into the film.
The feeling was mutual.
Okie dokie then. I still like Pacino.
Friedkin was a creative genius for sure. And he had his dark side. He manipulated and tricked some of the actors to get the performance he wanted on the set of The Exorcist. Like slapping one of the actors really hard across the face. Ellen Burstyn has said she thought there were some strange and dark things happening during the filming. I think it was really the vibes of an obsessed director that was influencing the set atmosphere. Some of the shit he pulled back then would get a director fired these days. WF was really like a man possessed of creative genius and sometimes the dark side came out. I don't think he was probably the easiest guy to work for, not with his bluntness and temper.
That actor Friedkin slapped was an actual Catholic priest who portrayed Father Karris' on-screen colleague Father Dyer. Friedkin apparently wasn't getting the raw emotional performance he wanted for the scene where Dyer gives Last Rites to Karris and smacked him across the chops before filming the take that was used in the film. Friedkin also unexpectedly fired a shotgun off screen to get Jason Miller's (Father Karris) spontaneous response for the scene where Karris' telephone suddenly rings while he is listening to the recordings of Reagan/Pazuzu and startles him. Miller was quite angered by this and told Friedkin that he didn't need such external crap to reach the right tone and that if he (Friedkin) pulled another stunt like that things were going to get physical.
I definitely won't excuse his poor behavior but, it comes down to a matter of a director trying to set impose the right feelings on an actor for the sake of a picture. Hitchcock wanted Joan Fontaine in a nervous state for the sake of her role so he got the crew to treat her rudely. Hitch did this by telling the crew that Joan had a low estimation of all of them.
Friedkin is amazing!
*one hit wonder
In my opinion,Thee greatest visual scene in cinematic history,Is Lankester Merrin standing in front of the brownstone in the Exorcist,...Directed by William Friedkin!
Ok. He has my attention. Now I want to hear more. Can we get some examples of how he came to this conclusion about Al Pacino. It is contrary to his public persona so it'd be fascinating to hear his perspective on this. He seems like he'd be willing to share. He doesn't seem shy. ha :)
Don't hold back! Give it to us straight! Thank you!
This kind of questioning drives me nuts. What is he supposed to say? Pacino didn't like the movie and especially the ending, so what is Friedkin going to say?
Well, I do admire Friedkin's honesty.
Rip 🪦 William Friedkin
The flying/donut thing instantly reminded me GTA III 😂