The 1971 film The French Connection was a violent thriller about cops busting an international drug ring, based on a true story. The film is notable for its chase scene, which was more "real" than the filmmakers ever planned. The French Connection won five Academy Awards (including Best Actor for Gene Hackman as Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle) and became a classic, setting a new standard for crime films. The filmmakers took a lot of risks to get The French Connection made.
8. The proper permits weren’t obtained for the car chase through the city.
They had a lot of help from police officers both on and off duty to do crowd control for some areas but in others the near-misses were all too real.
7. The movie didn’t have a huge budget.
This explains the weird camera angles and the shaky quality of the shot at times since they would have a guy being pushed around in a wheelchair holding a camera.
There's more trivia about The French Connection at TVOM.