To address your various points:

1) I agree, the reaction by some Christians was confusing. However, there was quite a lot of Catholic support for the film, in all fairness.

2) The scene you mention in the hospital is stomach-churning, I quite agree. Not only that, but one of the hospital staff in that scene is Paul Bateson, a former radiographer who went on to be convicted of murder.

3) Smart move seeing it at 11:00am then watching a rerelease of The Sound of Music in the evening. :)

4) Yes, I'm aware of that ridiculous business with the streaming version of The French Connection. I have the Blu-Ray (which is uncut). I think what annoys me most is the dishonesty, as you say. Not sure what platform The French Connection is on in the US, but Disney+ are just as bad, and have censored several of their films without telling anyone. When one pays for a subscription to a platform, one ought to get the material uncut. Anyway, that's another reason why I insist on hard copies of everything.

5) What a mouthful in that Sorcerer novelisation!