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Two-Time Academy Award Winner Gene Hackman* Stars As The Gritty New York City Cop On Blu-ray February 24 From Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

–Loaded With All-New High-Def Bonus Material Including Exclusive Interviews

With Hackman And William Friedkin, Deleted Scenes, Featurettes Including A Ride-Along With Friedkin Reliving The Famous Car Chase And More

CENTURY CITY, Calif. Doyle is bad news but a good cop. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment presents one man s tireless determination to break down a ruthless narcotics smuggling ring when The French Connection and French Connection II arrive in stunning high-definition Blu-ray on February 24. Gene Hackman (Behind Enemy Lines, The Royal Tenenbaums) stars as iconic New York City Police Detective Jimmy Popeye Doyle, a man who will stop at nothing to get his man. Directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist) and winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (Hackman), Best Director (Friedkin), Best Screenplay and Best Editing, The French Connection is a dramatic action-thriller featuring one of the most renowned car chases in cinematic history. The French Connection Blu-ray disc is loaded with all-new special features including an introduction and commentary with Friedkin, deleted scenes with optional commentary, seven behind-the-scenes featurettes with both Hackman and Friedkin and much more. The French Connection II Blu-ray disc includes commentary with seven-time DGA nominee for Best Director John Frankenheimer, two all-new behind-the-scenes featurettes including interviews with Hackman and more.

Both The French Connection and French Connection II Blu-ray discs will each be available for the suggested retail price of $34.99 U.S. / $37.99 Canada. Prebook is January 28.

*1972: Best Actor in a Leading Role; The French Connection

**1993: Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Unforgiven

The French Connection Synopsis

New York City detectives Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) hope to break a narcotics smuggling ring and ultimately uncover The French Connection. But when one of the criminals tries to kill Doyle, he begins a deadly pursuit that takes him far outside the city limits. Based on a true story, this action-filled thriller won five Academy Awards in 1971, including Best Picture, Best Director (William Friedkin) and Best Actor for Hackman.

French Connection II Synopsis

While The French Connection was only the beginning French Connection II is the climax! Directed by cinematic visionary John Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate, Ronin), the action moves overseas to Marseilles where Popeye Doyle is tracking the one drug trafficker that eluded him in New York. After being held captive and tortured by the man he pursues, he enlists the help of the French police and the pulse-pounding chase is on once again.

Special Features:

The French Connection and French Connection II Blu-ray discs will be presented in widescreen format (1.85:1 aspect ratio) with newly mastered English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital plus English and includes English, Spanish, French, Cantonese and Mandarin subtitles. All new special features will be presented in high-definition. Special features include:

The French Connection

o Disc One:

NEW HD William Friedkin Introduction to The French Connection

Commentary by William Friedkin

Commentary by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider

NEW Trivia Track

NEW Isolated 5.1 Score Track

Theatrical Trailer

NEW D-Box Motion Control

o Disc Two:

NEW HD William Friedkin Discusses Deleted Scenes

Tailing the Frog

The Whip Girl

Devereaux at Work

Mutchie s Bar

Mutchie s Bar Part 2

Girl on a Bicycle

Street Walker

Hector

NEW HD Featurette: Anatomy of a Chase

NEW HD Featurette: Gene Hackman on Popeye Doyle

NEW HD Featurette: Friedkin and Grosso Remember the Real French Connection

NEW HD Featurette: Scene of the Crime

NEW HD Featurette: Color Timing The French Connection

NEW HD Featurette: Cop Jazz-The Music of Don Ellis

NEW HD Featurette: Rogue Cop-The Noir Connection

BBC Documentary: The Poughkeepsie Shuffle

Making the Connection: The Untold Stories of The French Connection

French Connection II

o Commentary by Director John Frankenheimer

o NEW HD Featurette: Frankenheimer in Focus

o NEW HD Featurette: A Conversation with Gene Hackman

o NEW D-Box Motion Control

o NEW HD Stills Gallery

o NEW Isolated 5.1 Score Track

A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD) and Digital Copy as well as acquisitions and original productions. The company also releases all products around the globe for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets — from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce – throughout the world. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.