February 5, 2002
Contact: George Yatchisin
(805) 893-3494
e-mail: yatchisin-g@sa.ucsb.edu
Director William Friedkin to present his film Sorcerer at UCSB
Summary Facts:
- William Friedkin, Oscar-winning director
- Film: Sorcerer
- A return visit after Friedkin’s evening presenting The Exorcist in Fall 2001
- Monday, March 11
- 7:30 pm / UCSB Campbell Hall
- UCSB students $5, General public $6
- For information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at 893-3535
William Friedkin, the Oscar-winning director of The French Connection, will present his film Sorcerer on Monday, March 11 at 7:30 pm in UCSB Campbell Hall. Friedkin is returning to UCSB after the October 2001 presentation of his horror classic The Exorcist, an evening that not only dished up scares but also provided a rare glimpse into the workings of Hollywood and a filmmaker’s mind.
Visually impressive and packed with astonishing moments of suspense, Sorcerer follows four mercenaries hired to drive trucks hauling nitroglycerine across treacherous roads in Latin America. A 1977 remake of the French film Wages of Fear (1953), directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, Sorcerer is “hauntingly unforgettable, fueled by an atmosphere of dread and the forceful powers of nature,” according to Amazon.com. Friedkin will answer questions after the screening in a session moderated by UCSB Film Studies professor Constance Penley.
William Friedkin’s five-decade career in Hollywood has spanned genres and themes. He’s directed The Night They Raided Minsky’s (1968), a period piece about burlesque and the invention of the striptease, The Boys in the Band (1970), a landmark film with an all-gay theme, The Brink’s Job (1979), a comic caper film, and Twelve Angry Men (1997), the Emmy-nominated television remake of the classic courtroom drama. It is in action and horror genres, however, that Friedkin has made his mark, from The Exorcist (1973) to Rules of Engagement (2000). The French Connection (1971), a sharp, gritty exposé of the drug world, not only features one of film history’s most exciting car chases, but also won Friedkin a Best Director Oscar and was named Best Picture. His follow-up was The Exorcist, the all-time horror box office champ until recently being dethroned by The Sixth Sense.
The title of Sorcerer perhaps misled Friedkin fans expecting another horror opus; it turns out the name refers to one of the trucks hauling the nitroglycerine. Starring Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, and Amidou, the film features a mood-setting electronic score by Tangerine Dream.
Friedkin’s work evoked the following appreciation by Gary Morris, editor of Bright Lights Film Journal: “Friedkin’s perfectionism alienated some actors and crew members, but his dynamic cutting and subtle sound manipulations force the viewer to live the action in a way few other modern filmmakers have achieved. This is Friedkin’s genius: making audiences come to terms with what the title character in Jade calls “the darkness within us.” This “darkness” pervades the films; in Sorcerer what starts as a dangerous trek through the jungle soon becomes an exercise in existential terror, made real by the director’s superb staging of this difficult material and his gradual envelopment of his characters in chaos.”
William Friedkin and Sorcerer are presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, the Department of Film Studies and the Office of Chancellor.
Tickets, $6 for the general public and $5 for UCSB students, are available at the Arts & Lectures Ticket Office and will be sold at the door the night of the film, beginning at 6:30 pm, if available.
For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.
Editor: For photos, please call
George Yatchisin at (805) 893-3494.