The movie life of Gene The French Connection''

Philippe D'Antoni, the creator of the work

So, wasn't Roy Scheider loved by movie people? If you ask me, that's not true. In fact, it suggests that he was loved more by his fellow cast members in ``The French Connection'' than by Gene Hackman, the lead actor. To explain that, I must first talk about the producer, Philippe D'Antoni. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the ``creator'' of ``The French Connection.''

Born in 1929, D'Antoni served in the Army during World War II. He has a history of being stationed in occupied Japan. Since the 1960s, he has produced programs in which Elizabeth Taylor visits London and Sophia Loren visits Rome. His debut work as a film producer was the blockbuster movie Bullitt (1968) starring Steve McQueen.

"Bullitt" is synonymous with car chases. The car chase scene in which McQueen, who is known for his love of cars and racing, drives through the hills of San Francisco has had a major influence on subsequent action movies. However, D'Antoni reminisced about the car chase scene in "The French Connection," saying, "I didn't want to do the same thing as ' Bullitt.'"

“Bullitt” preview

"Bullitt" was also a star movie by Steve McQueen. McQueen was so impressed by the stylish direction and powerful car chase scenes of " The Great Train Robbery " (1967) that he hired director Peter Yates, who was practically a newcomer in Hollywood. In other words, it was McQueen, not producer D'Antoni, who controlled the film, as was the case with the selection of the director and the car.

As a result, although ``Bullitt'' was a huge hit, it ended up being over budget on set. Because of this bitter experience, Philippe d'Antoni decided not to use star actors in ``The French Connection.'' This attitude led to the hiring of Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, and also led to the creation of a furious car chase scene in a different sense from Bullitt.

Roy Scheider loved by his friends