Francis Ford Coppola Remembers William Friedkin: “Billy’s Work Represents True Milestones In Cinema”

deadline.com:

Francis Ford Coppola and William Friedkin went back more than half a century, including their days in the Directors Company, the short-lived production entity they and Peter Bogdanovich launched in the early 1970s.

After Friedkin’s death today at 87, Coppola issued a statement paying tribute to The Exorcist and The French Connection director, which reads in part, “His lovable, irascible personality was cover for a beautiful, brilliant, deep-feeling giant of a man.” Read it in full below. RELATED: ‘The Exorcist’ Star Ellen Burstyn Honors “Smart, Cultured, Fearless And Wildly Talented” William Friedkin  “William Friedkin was my first friend among the filmmakers of my generation and I grieve for the loss of a much-loved companion,” five-time Oscar winner Coppola wrote. “His accomplishments in Cinema are extraordinary and unique.

He is the only colleague I knew whose work actually saved a man’s life (The People vs. Paul Crump). Billy’s work represents true milestones in Cinema, a list which will never be forgotten; certainly The French Connection, The Exorcist and Sorcerer, but all of his films are alive with his genius.

Pick any of them out of a hat and you’ll be dazzled. His lovable, irascible personality was cover for a beautiful, brilliant, deep-feeling giant of a man.