R.I.P. Philip D'Antoni

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Precious Doll
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Re: R.I.P. Philip D'Antoni

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I just could not imagine for the life of me Steven Spielberg directing Crusing. Rumour has it that at the 2013 Cannes film festival the French Film Strangers by the Lake was meant to be screening in competition. However, with Spielberg heading the Jury, it was decided to move Stranger by the Lake to the Un Certain Regard side-bar - I have a hard time even trying to imagine Spielberg watching Stranger by the Lake, much less lasting through it.
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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R.I.P. Philip D'Antoni

Post by dws1982 »

A contributor to another message board had two interesting comments, re: D'Antoni. One was that he willingly retired early in the late-70's. He just decided to walk away from it all. Another was that, around 73/74, he was attached as a producer to Cruising, with Steven Spielberg as his preferred director. The project fell through when no studio would finance it, but D'Antoni recommended Spielberg to Richard Zanuck, who was looking for a director for his next big project, Jaws.

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Philip D’Antoni, ‘The French Connection’ Producer, Dies at 89
By Christi Carras

Philip D’Antoni, who produced Oscar-winning films like “The French Connection” and “Bullitt,” died at age 89 on April 15. The producer died at his home in New York.

D’Antoni was best known for the 1971 crime drama “The French Connection,” which won three Golden Globes and five Oscars, including best picture. Gene Hackman won for best actor and William Friedkin for best director and the film also won best adapted screenplay and best film editing. Also on the late producer’s resume is the Steve McQueen action flick “Bullitt,” which won an Oscar for film editing.

TV documentaries like “Elizabeth Taylor in London,” “Sophia Loren in Rome,” and the “Proud Land” miniseries made up much of D’Antoni’s early work in Hollywood in the early 1960s. “Bullitt” marked his first feature film producing credit in 1968, and from there he went on to produce “The French Connection” before returning to TV later in life. D’Antoni rounded out his career with TV titles like “Mr. Inside/Mr. Outside,” “Strike Force,” and the Roy Scheider crime series “The Seven-Ups,” which he also directed.


His final TV series, “Movin’ On,” ran for two seasons on NBC from 1974 to 1976. D’Antoni created and wrote for the show, which followed a team of truckers on their cross-country adventures.

D’Antoni is survived by his wife, five children, and nine grandchildren. Friedkin took to Twitter on Monday to mourn his “French Connection” partner. “Phil D’Antoni. My friend and the great producer Of The French Connection has died,” Friedkin wrote.
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