French Connection 45th anniversary screening set with William Friedkin

William Friedkin is reconnecting with the film that won him an Oscar. The director will attend a 45th anniversary screening of the acclaimed police thriller The French Connection and participate in a post-show discussion, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday.

Christopher McQuarrie (screenwriter of The Usual Suspects) will moderate the conversation with Friedkin, to be held Oct. 7 at the academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Based on Robin Moore’s 1969 nonfiction book of the same name, The French Connection stars Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider as two NYPD detectives doggedly pursuing the ringleader of a global heroin smuggling syndicate (Fernando Rey).

Distinguished as the first R-rated film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, The French Connection also took home trophies for director (Friedkin), actor (Hackman), adapted screenplay (Ernest Tidyman), and editing (Gerald B. Greenberg).

In addition to its Oscar haul, the movie is known for containing one of the greatest car chase scenes ever captured on film (by cinematographer Owen Roizman). Friedkin once said of the kinetic sequence, “It’s only by the grace of God we didn’t kill ourselves or somebody [else].”

For event tickets and more information, go to the academy website.