Director Friedkin Confronts Social Issues in Film

The Crimson recently spoke with William Friedkin, Academy Award winning Director of "The Exorcist" and "The French Connection," about "Rampage," his new film based on the true story of a serial killer.

Clad plainly in a red sweatshirt and large steel-rimmed glasses, Friedkin shied from showy Hollywood glitz during the interview. Instead, he spoke with animation and eloquence on the issues presented in "Rampage": the death penalty, the insanity defense, the role of psychiatry in criminal justice and violent crime.

"I try to only make films that deal with ideas in some way...I have no real solutions or finite opinions," says Friedkin. He might not admit it, but Friedkin has opinions--lots of them. For example, while the plot of "Rampage" revolves around the ethical quandary of capital punishment, Friedkin claims that he doesn't "have strong feelings [about it]." But don't be fooled. In some cases, he feels that the death penalty is called for, and adds that he "wouldn't lose sleep if someone like Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to death."

"Rampage" is based on the story of Richard Chase, the "vampire killer" who terrorized Sacramento in the late '70s. According to Friedkin, "Rampage" "outlines the facts of the original case closely, almost too closely."

Regarding the legal issues addressed in his new movie, Friedkin says that "there are few cases where the insanity defense is taken, and even fewer succeed." In fact, he used the issue of insanity defense only "to get at the use of psychiatry in the trial.

"To make no bones about it, the film is as much an attack on psychiatry's pervasive influence on our lives [as anything]...Too many questions are asked of psychiatrists that they can't answer (in relation to violent crime). The real agenda is to get weapons off the street. We use psychiatry as a buffer and at best it's an art form."

Friedkin doesn't think that his use of violence in "Rampage" is sensationalist. "There are fewer than 30 seconds of violent images in the movie. You never see the actual murders occur, you never see the bullet actually enter someone's body. I don't think you need to."

Friedkin argues that "you can't be held responsible for the things people do in response to films," most notably in response to "The Exorcist." He says that "violence on TV and in movies is a symptom of what's happened in society, not a stimulus" to violent action. "People are immune to it," he says "They take for granted a lot of death and tragedy." Despite disavowing accountability, Friedkin admits that it made him feel "terrible" to hear of the powerful, negative effect his films can have.

"Rampage" employs stunning visual twists to enhance its impact. One provocative shot features the blood-smeared murderer writhing in front of a caged tiger. "I have no idea what that means," confesses Friedkin. "I talked to a guy, a convicted murderer, who actually did it. It meant nothing to me. I put it in because it is a striking image."

Of the many images in the film that have reference to Catholicism, Friedkin notes: "These things tend to appear...symbolic of something greater, but they're not meant to be." In the same vein, Friedkin says he was not conscious of the implications of "The Exorcist" for deeply religious people.

He says that "The Exorcist" was an "extraordinary story that was a lot of fun. The atmosphere on the set was extremely light." Friedkin describes how after filming a particularly shocking scene, a set technician would hand Linda Blair (the young star possessed by a demon) a milkshake and everyone joked around.

"Rampage" was different. "From time to time I did feel pretty disturbed by some of the material...I do think that there is an intangible force for evil and also that there is good in a lot of people."

Friedkin has always been interested in the thin line between the police officer and the criminal. He mentioned his film "To Live and Die in L.A." "I want to demythify the cop's life, the notion that all cops, because they have badges, are good guys."

Among Friedkin's current projects are a film assisted by Elmore Leonard and another that he describes as a kind of modern "Chinatown" set in Los Angeles.

Friedkin seems to think and direct his films in moral and ethical terms, terms which don't necessarily entertain the American public. But past commercial success show that he has the special ability to make the issues important to him compelling to others--and ultimately sellable to an audience.