Sorcerer

Screening: Sunday, April 14, 2013, 7:30pm

Includes Q&A with William Friedkin

Synopsis: “Sorcerer,” Friedkin’s highly anticipated follow-up to his 1973 hit “The Exorcist,” was a remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s controversial 1953 film “The Wages of Fear.” In the remake, four men (led by Roy Scheider) on the run from their troubled pasts in South America are hired by an oil company to drive six crates of highly unstable nitroglycerin through dangerous jungle terrain to a remote drilling operation where the cargo will be used to extinguish a raging fire. Shot mostly on location in the Dominican Republic, the film had an extraordinarily troubled production history and wound up costing a then-enormous $22 million.

This dark and gripping work, fueled by Tangarine Dream’s hypnotic score, opened during 1977 around the same time as “Star Wars.” “Sorcerer” was largely scorned by critics who questioned the wisdom of remaking Clouzot’s masterpiece. It was also ignored by audiences. During the next three decades, “Sorcerer” grew in stature among film fans. It’s now considered by many to be one of Friedkin’s best films and one of the most underrated films of its era.

For this special event, Friedkin will be at the theater to sign copies of his newly published autobiography, “The Friedkin Connection,” introduce the screening of a 35mm print straight from the Paramount Pictures archives, and will do a post-show Q&A moderated by CFCA members Steve Prokopy of Ain’t It Cool News and Peter Sobczynski of eFilmcritic.com.