I first learned of hanta virus years ago from my brother who worked at USAMRIID. He was quite the fan of hemorrhagic diseases and would regale us for hours about various zoonitic diseases like Ebola. He would have had a field day with the recent unpleasantness inflicted on us by Fauci the dog-killer, alas my brother died decades ago.
I had to read up on hantavirus when there was an outbreak back in '93 in the Four Corners ares. It was then that I learned that hanta was not a Navajo word, rather it was named after the Hantan river in Korea, where the disease was first discovered.
But enough about that. The other day I watched "The French Connection" which starred Gene Hackman. I had read the book years ago and saw the movie when it first hit the theaters. I decided to rewatch it after Mr. Hackman's recent death just to see how it has held up.
William Friedkin did a good job directing that movie, and back when it was released I was very familiar with many of the places it was filmed. My late ex-FiL was in police work in NYC back in those days and he fancied himself another Popeye Doyle. He liked driving like a maniac under the el and putting on and taking off hats while tailing suspects. His career was more like Serpico in that he was invalided out due to an on-the-job injury, and he lived on his gubmint pension for another 20 years or so. Good for him, he had a difficult life, including getting PTSD at the Battle of the Bulge.
So when I watch that movie I am taken back to that time and place. Friedkin captured what is known as to some as the "grittiness" of the city. The rest of us call just call it filth, degeneracy and lawlessness, so in that regard it is a time capsule.
The chase scene is pretty darned good. Of course, the whole movie is a chase scene. But the interesting part to me was that Friedkin mounted the camera low on the car (and the train) to enhance the sense of speed, and he also undercranked the camera to 18 frames per second. They used the wrong make and model car for smuggling in the movie, the story telling has lots of holes, and the resolution is ambiguous. But what are you going to do, eh? The cars on the road and in the junkyard are a trip down memory lane, including one like I used to drive.
Anyway, Hackman's wife caught hantavirus and it killed her. Without his caregiver, he was not long for this world. Being 95 and having dementia without any backup for care is a tough way to go. I hope his remaining dogs are okay.
3 comments:
Your point is well-taken. Elderly couples without children (or younger friends) to make sure they're OK are in considerable danger.
Some years ago, there was a considerable heat wave in France over the national socialist summer vacation. More than a few professional couples returned to find parents had died in the heat and humidity alone and unnoticed. They'd assumed the government was looking out for them.
Another hole in the well-known safety net.
The film sure Hollywoodized the book. There were no shootouts or el train chases. The real drug car was a 1960 Buick Invicta four door.
https://nakedcitystories.com/frenchconnection.php
I agree, ampersand, they definitely goosed it up for the movie. I liked the chase scene, it was great on the big screen.
But as a car guy I objected to the Lincoln - the Buick was built for smuggling - there were longitudinal square section tubes that ran from the front wheel wells, under the rocker panels, to the back wheel wells, as seen in the link you posted. I guess that particular car was too dated for when the movie was made.
I watched the sequel and it was silly. Popeye recapitulates the chase scene on foot in Marseilles, including the target moving in the background, Popeye in the middle and the camera moving parallel to them. Great technique, but ridiculous in the fact that Frog I could not outrun ol' huffin' and puffin' Popeye whether he was in a trolley or on a boat.
But enough about that. Those movies are time capsules that border on the absurd, and are occasionally entertaining.
Now where can I find a '60 Buick? I have a business plan I want to implement!
Post a Comment