French Connection Chase

The Guardian ran an article on the greatest film scenes ever shot. One in particular stands out for how the scene was shot.

From the Guardian (UK) (via Kottke.org)...

When The French Connection was made that notion didn't really occur to people. What you saw was usually really happening in front of the lens. It was raw. I did a little bit of research about how they shot the scene. Phenomenal. Basically they just did it. There was no security blocking off other traffic, just Hackman [a stuntman] in a car with a camera mounted on the front. They went crazy, lost their minds, and went for it. It was the kind of thing that you just would never get away with these days.

and a little clarification from Wikipedia...

This chase was performed in real traffic, and at one point Bill [the stuntman] hits a car driven by a fellow stunt driver who missed his point; this scene was kept in the film by Friedkin as it added reality to the whole sequence. However, the scene where the woman steps out into the street with a baby carriage was staged.