The French Connection

 

The French Connection follows a police raid on an international drug-smuggling gang headed by Corsican gangster Paul Carbone. Its success shattered the gang’s supply of heroin in New York, and ushered in the era of big city cops-and-robbers movies. It’s a gripping film, with tense moments that make for an exciting movie night.

The film is named for the criminal “connection” between Carbone and Marseille, where illegal heroin labs were discovered. This gang was smuggling heroin from France to New York and then distributing it on the streets. The film’s most famous scene is a riveting car chase through the streets of New York. It’s hard to imagine a better action scene in any movie.

Unlike many other chase scenes, this one doesn’t feel like a gimmick. It’s a realistic sequence that was shot without permits in real-life New York traffic, and it looks as though it could have happened. The soundtrack and tense music heighten the tension, making the film feel more intense than other similar films of its time.

This is a good example of a movie that uses its setting and cast well to draw the audience in, and it’s also a good example of how effective a thriller can be without excessive violence or gore. The movie’s main characters are engaging and realistic, and the plot is easy to follow. The movie also makes a compelling case for the importance of law enforcement in society.

While the story of the film is compelling, its title is probably more controversial than any other element of the movie. The word hello has several meanings in French, and it is important to know the differences between them. “Hello” is used to greet people that you know, while “au revoir” is usually reserved for farewells.

In the Seventies, British fashion designer The french connection tina Stephen Marks founded the French Connection clothing brand with a clear aesthetic of sleek tailoring and Breton stripe tops at mid-range prices. His arresting FCUK branding tapped into the logo-laden zeitgeist of that decade, and the company became a hit. Its FCUK label grew into a range of other products, including toiletries, opticals and watches. The brand’s success peaked with a PS193.6 million profit in 2001, but market share eventually dropped off as other high-street brands expanded into the space.

The brand went into administration in 2005, and Marks blamed the store closures on “the most difficult winter season.” Despite this, a recently re-launched homeware collection and plans to expand in China and India suggest that French Connection may still prove its business model is not FCUKed.

While the brand’s slogan-slapping might have worked for a while, it is always dangerous to try and cash in on the latest fad. Fashion is fickle, and customers who are satiated by a certain style will quickly move on to something new. That’s why savvy retailers aren’t afraid to change up their look – and sometimes even their names – as they do so.