By Lee Pfeiffer
Oscar winning director William Friedkin is suing both Paramount and Universal in order to clarify who owns the rights to his 1977 film Sorcerer, a remake of the French classic The Wages of Fear. The film was an enormous flop at the time and derailed the momentum Friedkin had from directing The French Connection and The Exorcist. Although Friedkin made some interesting films in the ensuing years, the blockbusters have evaded him. Sorcerer had been released on DVD but somehow in recent years the theatrical distribution rights have become murky. Friedkin told me several years ago that he was eager to bring the film to Blu-ray, but those plans have now apparently been thwarted due to the legal questions. Friedkin also wants to be able to screen the film theatrically, but the studios are preventing him from doing so. His lawsuit is meant to force the studios to clarify the rights issue and questions how they can deny owning those rights, yet insist that they can prevent him from showing the film. The movie has largely been re-evaluated by critics and audiences in recent years. For my money, it's one of the best films of the 1970s and boasts remarkable performances, great direction and a moody, haunting score by Tangerine Dream. Click here for more and to view the kick-ass original trailer. Click here for updated Variety report.