Cutting "The French Connection"

A classic of American cinema loses nine seconds. Who cares? A lot of people, that's who.

August 7, 2023 Addendum and Adieu: This was originally published on June 27, 2023. As I pointed out below, director of The French Connection William Friedkin gave no public statement on this controversial censorship of his greatest film. Within the past hour, it’s been announced that Friedkin passed away on Monday, August 6. One obituary stated that Fri…