The discourse surrounding the increasing number of classic texts across film, television, and print being edited for sensitivity in order to move with the times has thrown up debates that range from the furious and fanatical to the thought-provoking, but it’s one that isn’t going to quieten down anytime soon now that The French Connection has been added to the list.
Whether it’s the literary works of murder mystery extraordinaire Agatha Christie, children’s staple Roald Dahl, James Bond creator Ian Fleming, or any other content that’s either coming with a disclaimer or having its poorly-aged moments excised, the purists are always guaranteed to be thrown into disarray and chaos whenever alterations are made.
In the case of William Friedkin’s classic crime thriller – which is rightfully deemed as one of the greatest movies of all-time – it’s the racial slurs being thrown around by Gene Hackman’s iconic Popeye Doyle that have been censored on the Criterion Channel’s version of the 1971 great, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why so many people are upset.
Older titles have added disclaimers and warnings at the beginning to outline why they may not play too well through a modern lens, but outright censoring, bleeping, or removal can be a jarring experience. There’s also the irony in the much-lauded Criterion taking such an approach to the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay winner, but The French Connection is just as great as it ever was regardless of which lines of dialogue you can or can’t hear.