William Friedkin's DVD Picks

[@swagswagimadolphin]

RIP to a true legend

[@beatboxbandit9842]

No, Thank you Mr. Friedkin for all the incredible work you have provided to the world of cinema, may you forever rest in peace

[@SpaceCattttt]

Work such as Cruising...

[@jameshally1441]

I love how Billy is so moved by these great films. Speaks to how enamoured he was with the art form. RIP William Friedkin.

[@trajcejovanovski5272]

This man looks great for 80 years old.

[@totallybored5526]

Trajce Jovanovski that’s because he’s always looked 80 years old

[@mikeisapro]

Besides sheer appearance, his energy alone makes you think of him as far from elderly, at least in these shots.

[@dukem991]

He looks awesome for his age

[@hankerino]

Yes

[@outsidethepyramid]

This man age 84 years

[@CinemaniacSeventy7]

This is one of the best DVD Picks videos. Only wish it was longer, because I can listen to Friedkin for hours. He and Scorsese always talks so passionate about films.

[@abacus912]

who's Scorsese?

[@CinemaniacSeventy7]

Martin Scorsese: the director of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, to name a few. Those films ring a bell?

[@abacus912]

***** no they don't, maybe i should watch them.

[@bennoclassico]

abacus912 can't tell if being sarcastic...

[@dandeldan]

velocirapta ...or in for a transformative experience....

[@theurbangentry]

He is so cool. A true legend.

[@lnvenum]

TGV, I love your channel!

[@borisnegrarosa9113]

One of my favorite film makers.

[@nickycotton6137]

Aye, proper 'Commentary' on The Exorcist aswell. Top bloke.

[@whatevershebrings]

Ellen Burstyn's spine might disagree!

[@oneAndyHicks]

One of my favorite directors. Nobody talks about film as eloquently and with as much love and passion as Friedkin does, I could've listened to him talk for hours! R.I.P a legend.

[@gsal22]

The moment I heard the news I immediately thought of this video. Rest in peace Mr. Friedkin. Thank you for all the emotions you gave us and for your incredible love for cinema, which is on full display here.

[@IgnatiusThorogood]

He only takes two movies, and yet I still feel like I learned more from this than any other closet video. Legend.

[@ww1980kolo]

I was very fortunate to meet him about 20 years ago at a rerelease screening of Sorcerer. What an absolute joy to talk to. One of the greatest American directors.

[@grizzlywhisker]

Sorcerer is probably the most underrated movie ever in the history of filmmaking. It's still pretty obscure and almost never talked about after nearly 50 years, partly thanks to it being released next to Star Wars in 1977, but people are rediscovering it.

[@zetetick395]

It's a great movie, but I can't help but feel it was let down by a highly misleading title, keeping many from seeing it at the time (Sorcerer being the name of the truck in the film)

[@markv1274]

​@@zetetick395 _Sorcerer_ is an *excellent* title for a movie. What, people can't look at the trailer or read a few words from a review to realise it's not a fantasy flick? _The China Syndrome_ was released less than two years after _Sorcerer_ and was a hit, despite people at the time not being familiar with the term used as the title of the movie. _Chariots of Fire_ was a massive hit and didn't have a single chariot in the movie. Nothing in the title suggests that it's a film about the Olympics. The title would suggest a sword-and-sandal epic. I don't think people are misled so easily by film titles, although the name of the film *is* important. The thing about _Sorcerer_ is the name just *sounds* good. There were many other factors against _Sorcerer_ finding a huge audience. I don't think the title was one of them, that's just a theory put forth by film critics. What did they do, go around asking people? Do you think _Avatar_ is a good name for a movie? I rest my case.

[@1380Bruno]

RIP Mr. Friedkin, always inspiring generations of cinephiles and filmmakers, always a pleasure to see his films, his masterclasses, just to see him talking about cinema is already a great school - Rest In Power

[@Simone-Bucn]

This specific video is one of my absolute fave videos on KZbin. I wish it went for the length of a movie. Just hearing him so articulately & passionately describe the movies is so captivating.

[@reelblack]

Rest in power ❤

[@helvete_ingres4717]

something only horrible people say. What is wrong with peace, exactly?

[@LeGronk]

@@helvete_ingres4717 something wrong with your brain if you think that's a negative thing to say.

[@jamescarr4662]

@@helvete_ingres4717 what a horrible, needlessly argumentative thing to say- something only an argument-seeking, triggered, horrible person would say. What is wrong with just accepting a nice sentiment on its face, exactly?

[@MattC78]

It does sound like something Hitler would say.@@helvete_ingres4717

[@filmbuff4]

@@helvete_ingres4717 insane that this dumb comment got 9 likes

[@boredom245]

The power of Criterion compels you!

[@KevinStriker]

You ever pick a film in Poughkeepsie?

[@tomasandrew9354]

boredom245 Haha!!!

[@chicobiabia]

Literally lol’d

[@oblivion2967]

You'll sew your mama's socks in hell!

[@paulkevinkoehler9490]

Well said!

[@jacksonwright5145]

His Criterion mentions: - Sunday Bloody Sunday (Schlesinger, 1971) - The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (Cassavetes, 1976) - Vampyr (Dreyer, 1932) - Pickpocket (Bresson, 1959) - Umberto D. (De Sica, 1952) - The Devil and Daniel Webster (Dieterle, 1941) - M (Lang, 1931) - Brute Force (Dassin, 1947) - Rififi (Dassin, 1955) - 81/2 (Fellini, 1963)

[@bryanalcantarfilms]

Thank you for doing this. So much.

[@randomrecipes5007]

I would love to know your favorite films, and your favorite filmmakers... if willing to share. Also thank you for listing the director/year next to each film.

[@massi6528]

You dropped "He Who Must Die" (1957) also by Jules Dassin. 👍 Not a Criterion release I suppose but its blu-ray is available.

[@clintstewart5545]

THANK YOU

[@alexdavies7394]

R.I.P William Friedkin. No one could have directed "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist" like you.

[@6EndlessNameless9]

The Sorcerer

[@marcosdoniseti2981]

William Friedkin is another great master of cinema who has left us, but his work remains. Thank you for the fantastic films he made, Master!

[@machtnichtsseimann]

It's beautiful to see and hear Mr. Friedkin truly savor these films that catch his eye and heart. As we get older may we all the more deeply appreciate the Art and Beauty humanity has contributed for all of us to enjoy. His ending comments on "8 1/2" and that he won't look at any more titles, how leaving with it on Blu-Ray has made his day, week, possibly his year, brought tears to my eyes. Thank you, sir. R.I.P.

[@warlockofwordschannel7901]

I'll be watching your great works for years to come, rest in power William Friedkin.

[@buffery333]

"I guess in this little room you call a closet, is the history of world cinema"

[@ShanghaiRooster]

Just four and a half minutes, but his love for the subject overwhelms. Great video clip.

[@omerresnikoff3565]

"[...] and if it isn't here, it will be someday"

[@skirm123]

Mr. Friedkin made some of the coolest films back in the day, especially street crime movies. Cant believe he's going to be 80 years old, the man looks fantastic.

[@RagedContinuum]

well he's 86 now

[@alcd6333]

Not only a great director, but a great film aficionado.

[@gun1987gunn]

This guys must be on some amazing diet and have a stress free life. He looks fucking amazing for 80 years old. I thought he was around early 60's. Fucking full head of hair too.

[@wwb2081]

Yeah. It's strange that that is the same man who brought us the horrifying Exorcist.

[@metalandhorror]

+gun1987gunn lol they don't call him Hurricane Billy for nothing, he's mellow now sure, back in the day tho he was all fire and brimstone.

[@metalandhorror]

+myautomobilefunk really ?! i have yet to read Hurricane Billy.. i mean i know he could be very direct and he would do things to get the most out of people's acting etc. I know he was i guess bold but heartless ? idk. do you have a source of him stating that ?

[@Igrozavisimy]

Can't rememeber where but i read information about people who keep intensive intellectual work in old age, like composers, professional mathematics, chessmasters, they look younger.

[@nisus8]

Friedkin's a devout practicing vegan and (I think) a Buddhist, so that would definitely be a contributor to his youthfulness and longevity, yeah.

[@hengulbarua5256]

RIP William Friedkin, an absolute titan of cinema!

[@michaelleslie5312]

Hands down one of the best closet vids y'all have posted. A true legend. I love how much he appreciates the sheer amount of cinematic preservation being done by Criterion.

[@niptuck117]

RIP to one of the world's greatest directors. What a legend that will be missed.

[@creepshowcrate]

Bill seems so humble and mellow, and has great taste in films, whether obscure or mainstream.

[@gnalkhere]

Someone should make a T-Shirt of William Friedkin with the 8 1/2 Blu-Ray

[@waynej2608]

I'd buy that!

[@Ihy744ppp]

@@waynej2608 Isn't he holding the dvd version/package?

[@Meesterlijker]

I'd buy that without a second thought. Somebody, please make this!

[@alexalvarado144]

With his head spinning.

[@gnalkhere]

@@Ihy744ppp That's the Blu-ray

[@gardetto265]

I miss him so much but I never knew him. I loved him since his commentary on the redone exorcist dvd that came out in like 2000 or something, when I was a little kid. I was poor and I watched the exorcist probably 50 times as a kid and half the time with his commentary. I will never forget his voice

[@thatguyrubenn]

3:35 when Friedkin says I never thought I would see this again and has that smile on his face. CHILLS

[@KevinJohnson-yz2tb]

Farewell to one of the greatest of all time. RIP

[@positivelySlime]

Friedkin is one of the great American filmmakers. To me, he's right up there with Scorsese, Coppola, etc. He had some serious balls to do what he did. His films went places that few other directors in the world would have the courage to go to. Very happy to see him in this series.

[@TOAOM123]

And what a freaking level of consistency! His worst flicks are better than MANY "bests" of lesser filmmakers

[@FrancoisDressler]

His last 3 films (so far) are fantastic too, which is rare for a master at his age.

[@jackofhearts1056]

Truth.

[@cordan305]

That’s one of the things I admire the most about Friedkin: he’s really never played it safe. The entire car chase sequence and the ambiguous ending of “The French Connection,” having a little girl say all of the heinous shit that she does while possessed in “The Exorcist,” pretty much all of “Cruising,” suddenly killing off the protagonist toward the end of “To Live and Die in L.A.,” refusing to cut “Killer Joe” for theaters which resulted in it getting an NC-17 rating… I could go on but you get the point. Whether you love or hate his movies, the guy deserves credit for having a vision for all of his films and seeing it through to the end.

[@markv1274]

@@cordan305 You ought to edit your comment. Don't assume that everyone has seen those films and wants to know the endings. Read your own post, you'll see what I mean. You rave about William Friedkin, yet you undermine the ending to one of his films.

[@nickfalletta661]

RIP to a legend! Thanks for the art, Bill.

[@johnboy32064]

Friedkin's vast knowledge of film and subjects in general is so impressive. He's great.

[@JurassicLion2049]

Watching movie people collect movies like this standing amongst shelves of movies is a weird ASMR for me.

[@music4now]

The Flying Lion ASMR?

[@chicobiabia]

music4now Autonomous sensory meridian response, look up videos. People making quiet noise.

[@whambam01]

same here! every time

[@hailsnail7652]

me too

[@heleneh.6055]

Definitely!

[@TheJordanHageman]

His knowledge and love for film is heartwarming. What a great man.

[@quatz1981]

Friedkin's passion of film shines through here, regardless what you think of his movies or the kind of movies he loves there's no doubt he knows his stuff.

[@RocketRaccoon-o2l]

RIP William Friedkin. Your movies will be remembered for years to come.

[@gterrymed]

It's like he's still here through these appearances on KZbin. ❤ so generous and open about his profession. Life is mostly about extending ourselves to others like Friedkin is doing; "why live otherwise," I can almost hear him saying. ❤

[@bizchazlien]

I've watched many of these . this is one of the loveliest for sure . Whatta cool well spoken Gentleman! thanks for making these . Criterion, Janus and Eclipse? Just FANTASTIC magic!

[@technodroog]

Friedkin was a perfect choice to do something like this - he's great! and a lovely tribute to "8 1/2," too

[@TIMESFOX]

What a grand list!! His love of film reminds of a Frank Capra quote that I love "Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream, it takes over as the number one hormone; it bosses the enzymes; directs the pineal gland; plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to film is more film."

[@waynej2608]

Great quote from Capra. Actually, I could envision David Lynch saying that, too.

[@doctorpretender]

What a charismatic guy

[@makienxhemmiktar]

This is exactly what i miss these days....browsing in a physical shop and talking about movies I love with friends...

[@cellphonekid2]

This is my favorite closet vid. The passion and intelligence just flows out of this man. And The Exorcist deserves its place in the Collection.

[@SimplyGimpy]

I always enjoy conversations with Billy Friedkin, whatever the topic, but especially on film. A pleasure to see him do his tour of the Criterion closet. Well earned, indeed. Cheers to you, Billy.

[@mattcolvin338]

One of the GOATs! Rest in peace, sir. Thank you for everything.

[@MazBringsby]

My favourite director.

[@jessediaz1293]

I think when I hear William Friedkin talk about film I feel that he is happy. I know he had troubles and was always controversial in his filmmaking and in his conversations but he is one of the last filmmakers who truly loved doing what he did and keeping film alive.

[@JohnLutherable]

the most European American filmmaker, and it's a compliment. Truly a legend, RIP Mr Friedkin

[@JohnRose-zf6nm]

Rest in peace Mr Freidkin, you and your films will live forever and be spoken about in the way you speak about the films and directors here for generations to come. Thank you for your masterworks, truly one of the greats, documentarian style, master of exposition and visual narrative, your style and technique will be seen, surely, in many films for decades to come. Thank you sir, rest in eternal peace.

[@JohnRose-zf6nm]

My apologies for Mr Friedkins spelling mistake in my comment. Respectfully rectified.

[@arghyashubhshiv3239]

Mr. Friedkin says so elegantly about films; his words are saturated with experience. Would love to hear more of him.

[@wolfstar675]

You guys should have Martin Scorsese in here.

[@jakewestbrook3214]

+Enrique Godinez He'd lose it if he went in there. I'd love to see that.

[@lamecasuelas2]

he probably owns all of the Criterion titles

[@aluisioleite3074]

That would turn into an amazing 8-hour documentary, and there's no way Criterion could post only 4 minutes of it...

[@juicyi3ig]

If only...

[@DuncanUdaho67]

He'd probably have a heart attack. I don't wanna see that.

[@DeanOfDVD]

Friedkin was impressively reverent in the Criterion closet! Give me ten minutes in that closet...Criterion should offer that to a "regular" movie lover. I would definitely watch a contest winner choose movies!

[@videobytesjacobbradley]

Awesome idea!

[@paulb111]

You have to earn an invite to the closet. Not that I don't like the idea of a regular movie lover getting a chance in the closet but those invitations are awarded to achievers who have enriched the culture.

[@DeanOfDVD]

+Paul Beauparlant Currently that's what they've chosen to do...they could change that.

[@bennoclassico]

contest winner would go in there with a trolley and wipe the shelves off, let's be honest

[@Theomite]

velocirapta A trolley? I'd run in there with an empty HDTV box: thin enough to fit through the door, big enough to fit 80 blu-rays easy.

[@mikekutz5776]

Best one of these visits that I have seen so far. Bravo.

[@juanaltredo2974]

yeah, 8 1/2 is an utter masterpiece that keeps getting better as years go by

[@DollHeart-fc4cz]

RIP Mr Friedkin 🖤

[@grkdude405]

I love what he said about 8 1/2 ..here is a great filmmaker who is in love with his trade and to see him geek out over Fellini is just amazing

[@fernandooliveiralino]

And thank you to you dear Billy Friedkin.

[@doelette7400]

Agreed, nothing will ever top 8 1/2! It perfectly encapsulates the art of cinema and all it has to offer

[@zantigar]

This is one of the best informal pieces with Billy Friedkin I've ever seen. He seems so humble, yet is so inspiring - you just gotta love this guy who brought us The Exorcist and The French Connection - in spite of the stories of how nasty he was on set so many years ago.

[@ShadowMaster713]

I want to be in that room. My God.......

[@cineastasolaris]

I agree.

[@hunmiliengtipi9218]

Become a filmmaker :)!

[@Eminoglu03]

I wanna make a room like that.

[@alexchiasson322]

You were a class act William! Many of your movies belong in the collection!!!

[@serristori]

There's the day before you see 8 1/2 and then there's the rest of your life.

[@JenniferBrigitteOpticalVortex]

Javier Carmona I agree!

[@miguelmarrero3383]

I love 8 1/2.. haunting, beautiful... but as far as Fellini goes ...La Dolce Vita takes it for me ... La Strada and Nights of Cabiria are great as well

[@JenniferBrigitteOpticalVortex]

He and Kubrick have some of the greatest films of all time--- it's hard to pick their best when they are all perfect.

[@waynej2608]

Well said.

[@kengruz669]

And there's the long, extended moment you are watching 8 1/2.

[@PierluigiPuccini]

An audacious filmmaker. A living legend.

[@skyavalanche]

Often overlooked, how brilliantly he translated “The Boys In The Band” from a stage play to the big screen, all the while capturing the pathos of the original cast and script, in a powerful, claustrophobic way that stands the test of time. RIP one of Cinema’s Best.

[@1coopjsn]

I could listen to him talk about cinema for hours. What an amazing knowledge and quite a cool demeanor, I might add! I was so surprised he pulled Daniel Webster.

[@fuiers]

The knowhow he shares after picking up a dvd staggers me. That man is one of my heroes as a filmmaker.

[@seanisthegood]

One of the best all time! underappreciated!

[@Deepurplerain]

The first time i watched this one it urged me to see more of the gentleman,i've watched Friedkin uncut, great interview/documentary, check it out with A decade under influence if you never heard, both important outlines on the last greatest decade a cinema of which Mr Friedkin is an important part.

[@matthewstompkins]

Love the fact that this makes his day, week and year!

[@ankanghosh5272]

For me his The Exorcist and Sorcerer is the oscar worthy creation. Although exorcist got that. But after watching sorcerer i was numb for a moment...What a film.....And what a director he is.

[@JohnnyFriendly]

Really inspiring & heartfelt. Thanks for this.

[@hallson2917]

Rest in Peace Mr Friedkin ❤🙏🏼

[@NickMichalak]

Delightful video. I might not agree with some of Freidkin's radical methods as a director, but the man knows film and loves it with a clear grace and passion. Great to hear this man talk so lovingly about these classics. I say get Michael Mann in there. That "Thief" Blu Ray was awesome!

[@binkytube]

William Friedkin recommended, Kuroneko (1968), in one of his film's commentaries. It is now one of my favourite movies!

[@conorfurlong]

He’s such a great talker. And his love of film is so apparent.

[@paulpiacentini]

Why do I hang on your every freaking word Mr Friedkin? I can't help myself. Your relentless and utterly compelling. Give the Angel's an interesting time Sir.

[@eyeseer1]

Friedkin was a polite firebrand. Rampage (1988) deserves a Criterion tab. To Live & Die in L.A. deserves a shelf.

[@nerffan1]

OMG You can't go wrong with "8 1\2" I couldn't put it in better words!!! It is indeed what of the grandest movie experiences. He should've taken a bag like Cuarón.

[@GnCFilms]

Two people came here expecting him to walk outta there with Troll 2.

[@joshmaxin7188]

When he said I'd thought I would never see this again, that should be the slogan of Criterion. That is my thoughts on Speedy's upcoming release.

[@mauricioduron3193]

Exploring William Friedkin and many filmmakers responding to '8 1/2' (1962). It concerns the degree to which filmmakers -- and audiences familiar to Fellini's early career -- will relate to it. Out of that context, it resonates little, if not not at all. Just as 'Citizen Kane' or 'Psycho' are landmarks not to see first in their respective directors' canon, the wonder of '8 1/2' in Fellini as a creator comes into play. Fellini's 1962 success came after a career spanning about ten years. 'White Nights', 'La Strada' and 'Nights of Cabiria', each conveying a legitimate sense of social awareness, came out in rather quick succession in the early-to mid 1959s, to great and well-earned acclaim in award ceremonies. After about a two-year pause, social concerns as the immediate subject matter in his movies became the unconventional observations of the life of celebrities and leisure in 'La Dolce Vita' in 1959 broke all expectations in Europe and earned Fellini a second Academy Award in 1960. The tribulations of success immediately became inescapable. On both sides of the Atlantic, the media and admirers voraciously demanded a new masterpiece from him. Fellini experienced the expectations that successful artists in art, literature, theater, or in any such fields have known -- filmmakers included -- but cannot deliver. Two more years and, as it was told, nothing came to him, until he conceived exploring the concerns of "Guido", an alter ego with a similar creative quandary. What to do and how to go about making art from it. Mindful of it all, the brilliance of '8 1/2' is how unexpectedly honest it us. Fortunately for Fellini, the cinema allows for more manners of expression than do other arts, with the possible exception of music. It became all about Maestro Federico/Guido living through recollections or projecting unfulfilled fantasies, banal or meaningful. The earliest sequence allows us to find Guido unintentionally suspended in mid air. Further along, it will matter little if places and people are real, because to the artist, they all are authentic: the sum part of his existence, personal or artistic, through a career spanning eight and a half features through 1961. Which might be the reason for which the best in movies are genuinely grateful (and envious) of Maestro Fellini's inspiration out of the creative void.

[@alloeloise]

Wow, he is super passionate and charismatic about his medium. Also, one of my dream Criterions would be a two-pack of Bug and Killer Joe.

[@c.a.savage5689]

Thank you. The end is perfect.

[@merlinho0t]

This man is one of the master filmmakers. The Exorcist will stand as one of, if not the best horror films ever created and ever will be created.

[@andym28]

Watch the film come and see best war film ever and pretty scary.

[@HFritzson]

I love his purr and relaxed manner. I am certain he is different on set but he is absolutely the essence of charm here. I wish the film were longer.

[@zuhachan]

A LEGEND!! RIP. he will be missed. thank you for your contribution to cinema

[@brandothecatmeow]

To Live & Die in L.A. needs a Criterion version. I love his voice and remarkable filmmaker

[@samferguson9171]

I just love his voice and the way he expresses his thoughts

[@flamingoseatshrimps1361]

For a guy who directed such dark movies, he seems pretty wholesome

[@lukedoyle2770]

Closet Picks marathon drinking game: drink every time 8 1/2 comes up

[@rufashaochicken]

the way he talked about Eight and Half really touched me. true LEGEND yet very humble

[@panderjitsinghvv8199]

Strange sort of time compression can be experienced by looking at so many great films on a shelf. Decades of evenings spent in the local cinematheque, at film festivals and repertory theatres all brought back to mind by boxes on a shelf.

[@kpec3]

I just like listening to Bill talk, he's so intelligent and articulate.

[@dynjarren7523]

Willam Friedkin is a great Filmmaker! . The Exorcist is a classic that has been remade and copied endlessly to no Avail. The original is still the gold standard and still one of the scariest films ever made!. When it came out people were throwing up in the theaters and walking out because they couldn’t take it. Many had to go seek counseling because it was so psychologically disturbing. Once you see it you can’t unsee it. Certain scenes just stick in your brain forever! Spoiler Alert 🚨 the scene where Regan comes down the stairs on all fours freaked me out! I still can’t get that moving image out of my head! And the cold air when the Priests talk! It was literally chilling and I heard he added Pig Squeals and Bees buzzing in the soundtrack just to add Anxiety to the soundtrack. No human being likes to hear those noises and Friedkin knew exactly what he was doing as a Director. When Art affects you that much, that means it’s powerful. And the fact that Demonic possession may be real makes it even scarier.

[@michaelscribe4827]

Charming, and low key. Great voice, too. I even liked some of his choices.

[@spencersuen3360]

this might be my fave closet picks episode

[@TheBigStinko]

Back in the good old days of dual format... :(

[@kzinful]

8 1/2. I'm there with you William, that opening sequence, the stares... The flight