When William Friedkin tried to beat his own iconic cars persecution

However, when he found the right film that facilitated the addition of his idea of ​​persecution of cars that defies death, he had already flown people’s minds with a scandalous sequence. In 1971 The French connectionHe threw caution in the wind and endangered the lives of his actors, crew and hundreds of innocent passers -by from New York firing that classic Oscar winner legendary persecution under an elevated train.

For years, it seemed that Friedkin was happy to let that persecution be his decisive contribution to what he called “the purest form of cinema, something that cannot be done in any other medium, not in literature either in a stage or in a Painter canvas “. However, that moving idea of ​​a persecution against traffic flow would never leave his mind, and On the 1985 set Live and die in Los AngelesThe notion floated his Buddy Acrobatics Coordinator, Joe Hooker. He told him that he would only promise to make another car persecution if he could be feasible The French connection – And Hooker faced the challenge.

During the last six weeks of shooting, Friedkin and Hooker enlist at 40 tricks and their two main actors, William Peterson and John Pankow, for a persecution that would be legitimately terrifying. Surprisingly, the film director of the film, Robby Müller, refused to get involved because he felt he was too dangerous. Then, Friedkin simply agreed the cameraman of the second unit, Robert D Yeoman.

The sequence extends eight minutes in the film, with an extensive section of Peterson and Pankow through the streets of Los Angeles before exploding on the highway on the wrong lane. Peterson revealed: “I could do many driving things and wanted to do everything. He came to the point where it was much more fun to make the acrobatics than to do any of the things of action. “However, his co -star Pankow did not believe that the experience was” fun. “” I really didn’t have to act, “he admitted.” terrified most of the time. “

For the persecution highway section, the production rented and blocked a part of the Island terminal highway near Wilmington, California, for three weekends and filled it with 900 vehicles to give the printing of traffic of the peak hour. Interestingly, although this part of the persecution is remembered with more love, it was the only time Friedkin got less dangerous for all involved.

In the film, it seems that Peterson and the car that is chasing lead against traffic, but the opposite is really true. Actually, I was driving in the right direction, and through Hollywood Smoke and Mirrors, the rest of the traffic flowed back on the wrong side of the road.

Funny, Hooker confessed that Friedkin may not have been motivated mainly by ensuring that everyone was going through him in one piece. Instead, he said: “There were these beautiful oil refineries with all the lights, and it was a dusk taking. Friedkin wanted to see that in the background with the cars, and the only way he could do it was to reverse the flow of traffic. “

Ultimately, it is debatable if Friedkin headed he French connection chase – Possibly the greatest of all time – with Live and die in Los AngelesDemolition bonds backwards Derby. However, they are probably the neck and neck, which means that it made two of the best car persecutions ever committed to the celluloid, which is not bad.

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