No one expected William Friedkin's New York thriller-actioner “The French Connection” to either become such a major critical and commercial hit or to win the 1971 Best Picture Oscar. But it did.
Oscar Nominations: 8
Picture, produced Philip D'Antoni
Director: William Friedkin
Screenplay (Adapted): Ernest Tidyman
Actor: Gene Hackman
Supporting Actor: Roy Scheider
Ciematography: Owen Roizman
Editing: Jerry Greenberg
Sound: Theodore Soderbergh and Christopher Newman
Oscar Awards: 4
Picture
Director
Screenplay
Editing
Oscar Context
In 1971, “The French Connection” competed with four other films for the Best Picture Oscar: Kubrick's “A Clockwork Orange,” Norman Jewison's musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” Bogdanovich's period drama “The Last Picture Show,” and the historical drama, “Nicholas and Alexandra.”
Next to “French Connection,” the most nominated films were “Last Picture Show,” with 8 nods, wining two, and “Fiddler on the Roof,” with 7 nominations and three Oscars.
