A Philip D'Antoni group of material for The French Connection
20th Century-Fox, 1971. Comprising Philip D'Antoni's personal scrapbook containing 18 black-and-white stills, assorted press clippings, and reviews; 8 color front-of-house stills, 10 x 14 in.; a group of approximately 110 black-and-white stills and photographs, some of the Academy Awards® presentation ceremony, some of Philip D'Antoni, Gene Hackman, and director William Friedkin on set during production; and a group of production paperwork including production budgets, press releases, inter-office memos between D'Antoni and 20th Century-Fox, some mimeographed; and a quantity of press clippings regarding the film.
The French Connection tells the story of two gritty NYPD cops trying to intercept a huge shipment of heroin from France; it was based on actual events recalled by real life cops, Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso. The car chase rivalled that seen in 'Bullitt' three years prior and, as there was limited budgets to obtain the proper permits, off-duty cops helped the production crew control the traffic, many of whom had been involved in the original case. D'Antoni remained firm friends with many of the cops who helped out on the film.
Front-of-house stills: 10 x 14 in.; photographs: 8 x 10 in.; scrapbook: 12 x 11.5 in.