The Friedkin Connection

A Memoir

By: William Friedkin

Narrated by: William Friedkin

""[This book] captures the gut-wrenching shifts of a filmmaker’s life—the bizarre whipsaw from success to disaster.” —Variety

An acclaimed memoir from William Friedkin, a maverick of American cinema and Academy Award–winning director of such legendary films as The French Connection, The Exorcist, and To Live and Die in LA. The Friedkin Connection takes readers from the streets of Chicago to the suites of Hollywood and from the sixties to today, with autobiographical storytelling as fast-paced and intense as any of the auteur's films.

In this book, William Friedkin, offers a candid look at a thrilling era of Hollywood cinema, when traditional storytelling gave way to the rebellious and alternative; when filmmakers like him captured the paranoia and fear of a nation undergoing a cultural nervous breakdown.

Friedkin's own

This is a unique conversation with one of the great filmmakers. Passionate, tough, and with a relentless drive. A true filmmaker and artist. Viva William Friedkin.

Time to go watch them all

Great storytelling. Very interesting to hear his point of view when I sounded like he was really tough to work with … which he admits

Honest, candid and real

I really enjoyed listening to William freaking tell his life story in an unabridged way. You could tell he was a Chicagoan, with a real strong sense of place propriety a fair amount of arrogance but he was always searching for that perfect cinematic image. He may have never found it but the fact that he knew what he was looking for was remarkable. His films stand the test of time which is in itself his greatest achievement.

What A Storyteller!

You don't have to be a fan of Friedkin to enjoy his autobiography- the way he tells stories is what makes this book great. I'm so glad he read it himself, as his distinct way of speaking adds immeasurably to the entertainment value -- and emotion. You can hear Friedkin reliving the situations while he's telling it, and I felt like we were sitting together, and he was telling me his life's story.

Brilliant talk about film

This book is a brilliant talk about William Friedkin’s films. It is a love letter to art of making film.