Francis Ford Coppola honours William Friedkin: ‘lovable, irascible personality’
Friedkin, the acclaimed director of 'The Exorcist', died Monday of pneumonia and heart failure at the age of 87
By Tomás Mier
Francis Ford Coppola is remembering one of his closest friends. On Monday, following news of the death of William Friedkin, Coppola shared a tribute in honor of the Exorcist director on Instagram.
“William Friedkin was my first friend among the filmmakers of my generation and I grieve for the loss of a much-loved companion,” he wrote, sharing photos of Friedkin, later adding, “His lovable, irascible personality was cover for a beautiful, brilliant, deep-feeling giant of a man. It’s very hard to grasp that I will never enjoy his company again, but his work will at least stand in for him.”
Coppola also remembered Friedkin’s greatest work, calling his accomplishments “extraordinary and unique.”
“He is the only colleague I knew whose work actually saved a man’s life (The People vs. Paul Crump),” Coppola wrote. “Billy’s work represents true milestones in Cinema, a list which will never be forgotten; certainly The French Connection, The Exorcist, and Sorcerer, but all of his films are alive with his genius.”
“Pick any of them out of a hat and you’ll be dazzled,” he added.
Friedkin died at the age of 87 of heart failure and pneumonia, his wife and Sherry Lansing, a former head of Paramount Pictures confirmed Monday.
Prior to his death, it was announced that Friedkin would release his first movie in over 10 years, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, later this year. The film, which stars Kiefer Sutherland, is currently scheduled to premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
Rising to prominence in the Seventies, Friedkin came to specialize in gritty, white-knuckle thrillers, often shot through with a healthy dose of documentary-style realism. The French Connection, his breakthrough film, won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Actor for star Gene Hackman. Two years later, he had a box office smash with The Exorcist and would go on to direct favorites like Sorcerer, To Live and Die in L.A., and Rules of Engagement.
Reflecting on the movie in 2018 with Rolling Stone, Friedkin claimed The Exorcist was snubbed at the Oscars because of a “campaign” led by old-school Hollywood directors Robert Aldrich and George Cukor.
“The guy who produced the awards show that year told me they were going around saying, ‘If The Exorcist wins Best Picture, it’s the end of Hollywood as we know it,’” he said. “Fuck them. I think there was a lot of resentment and jealousy. Robert Aldrich wanted to direct The Exorcist. And I think what bothered Cukor was that the film was disturbing and blasphemous, as well as the fact I had recently won it for a little fucking documentary about two cops.”
Friedkin also published a memoir titled The Friedkin Connection in 2013. He also received the honorary Golden Lion lifetime achievement award at the Venice Film Festival that same year.