WILLIAM FRIEDKIN DVD SIGNING - DAVE'S LASER NOVEMBER '98 by Peter M. Bracke

Hugely influential, if at the same time underrated and overlooked, Oscar-winning director William Friedkin has long been an inspiration to me as a budding filmmaker. I've had the chance to see him present his films here at USC many times, where I am a film student, so I was excited to get the chance to meet him again. In town for a rare in-store appearance this week to sign copies of the new Collector's Edition of The Exorcist, Mr. Friedkin was quite cordial, personable and animated throughout the 3-hour plus signing session.

The event took place at Dave's Video & Laser Place in Culver City, California (just a few minutes north of Los Angeles), one of the earliest retail outlets devoted solely to laserdisc (and now DVD). In their 16-year history, they have never once sold a VHS tape...pretty impressive! It is great store with racks and racks of laserdiscs and DVDs, and a mouth-watering selection of nice and big projection TVs. It also should be noted that 10% of the proceeds from the event would be going to a charity of Mr. Friedkin's choice.

Unfortunately, I was late due to traffic, but luckily still got a space in line. I was entertained during my long wait by Bill Hunt and the Dave's Laser staff...they are really, really good at the Macarena! I also overheard a very "Hollywood" conversation behind me between some "daytime drama" actors (i.e., soap stars). I love to easedrop, and I also find it funny to see what up-and-coming actors will do for producers and directors to make it big (like stand in line for hours getting their DVDs signed!).

I also met a few readers, which is always great. A few industry folk were there as well, and I finally got to meet Mr. Garrett Lee of Image Entertainment. It is nice being able to put a name with a face. I also drooled over all the cool toys in the place, and attempted to shoplift a large Toshiba RPTV, but it wouldn't fit underneath my coat. You can't fault me for trying, can you?

I finally got to the end of the line, and spent a minute or so talking (incoherently, I'm sure) with Mr. Friedkin about his films, my career aspirations, etc. He was quite nice, and answered all my dopey questions. A very cool guy, and quite a bit more mellow than his reputation would suggest (he was not known as the, uh, nicest director...just watch The Exorcist documentary!). I mentioned he should push the studios to release some special editions of his films like The French Connection, To Live And Die In LA and Cruising. I think he hopes to see those as much as we do. He the, of course, signed my two copies of the empty box cover for The Exorcist (the discs themselves are delayed!). And then as fast as it started, it ended, and the next person got their chance after me. A nice, if brief, meeting.

After the event, I continued to talk "shop" with the staff, Bill Hunt and a few others. The big news was, of course, Titanic and Fox, and all signs seem to point to a real commitment from the latter towards DVD in 1999. Titanic, though, looks unlikely to dock anytime this year, although work on it progresses. I took a look at the Titanic LD, and was not all that impressed, although a DTS DVD of Titanic clips looked amazing, so I am optimistic. A little interesting tidbit I gleamed from Dave's staff is that DVD is now outselling laserdisc there 3 to 1, and an especially sharp drop-off has been seen just over the last couple of months or so. Myself and esteemable Hobie both agreed that we think this is the last real Christmas for the big 12" disc. Laser, we hardly knew ya...

Oh, yeah...Bill and I tried to get a picture together, but this weird thing kept happening with the camera and my face would get blotted out. Strange...

Well, enjoy the photos, and don't forget to check out this month's new contest to enter to win your own signed copy of The Exorcist!

Thanks to The Digital Bits for the authorized use of their photos (check out their overview for the complete shots). Also, thanks to the great staff of Dave's Video & Laser Place for staging a terrific, organized and welcoming event. And, of course, thanks to William Friedkin for lending his time and very tired wrist to meet and greet all his fans.

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