French Connection Censored

[silverscreenselect]

The latest example of after-the-fact censorship of classic works is the 1971 Best Picture Oscar winning film, The French Connection. The rights to the film are now owned by Disney, and they have removed a brief clip from streaming versions of the movie. (Those who have existing Blu-rays, DVDs, or VHS tapes can still hear the original. It's a brief conversation in the squad room between Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) and his partner, Cloudy Russo (Roy Scheider):

Doyle: You dumb guinea.

Russo: How the hell did I know he had a knife?

Doyle: Never trust a N-word.

Russo: He coulda been white.

Doyle: Never trust anyone.

Of course, in the film, Doyle utters the actual N-word. Now, this conversation is edited out entirely, and the scene picks up immediately afterward. The conversation is probably exactly how two white cops in New York would have talked to each other in 1971 and contributes to the viewers' understanding of Popeye Doyle's character.

Film buffs (who are probably the only ones who know about what's happened) are quite upset about this, and that includes me. I actually remember this scene from the various times I've seen the movie over the years.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi ... ip/674341/

[jarnon]

SSS’s namesake wrote about this too.

Why ‘The French Connection’ Censorship Controversy is the Year’s Weirdest Movie Story