The Conversation (1974 Paramount)

The Conversation (1974 Paramount)

Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation, a paranoid thriller from 1974, is not just a good movie, it’s a study in character and the erosion of privacy. Gene Hackman plays Harry Caul, a surveillance expert who’s at the top of his game. He’s meticulous, almost obsessive, about his work, and he values his anonymity above everything else. The film starts with a complex audio recording that Harry and his team capture in a busy San Francisco square. The sounds they record are the basis of the whole film’s plot and really form the basis of Harry’s internal conflict.

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The movie takes its time to establish Harry’s routine, which is pretty stark and lonely. He’s not just good at his job, he is almost detached from the world. This makes what happens later all the more striking. The weight of Harry’s work hits him when he thinks he may have caught a potential murder on tape. This is when the film truly grabs your attention. The pressure builds and Harry’s personal boundaries begin to break down. The sound design is very important in the movie, the use of snippets of conversations that are distorted or repeated heightens the sense of unease. The way Coppola uses sound, both natural and artificial, makes it a character itself in the story.

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The supporting cast, including John Cazale as Harry’s assistant Stan, and Allen Garfield as his rival Bernie, are all good but really the focus is always on Hackman. He portrays Harry as a man who is tormented by his own moral code and his actions. The sense of paranoia that pervades The Conversation is very effective. The ending of the movie is really memorable, Harry’s apartment being destroyed by his own need to know the truth leaves him a shell of a man. The film is as relevant now as it was then. With the technology we have now, privacy is more precious than ever.

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The Conversation is a Paramount Pictures production.
Release Date: 1974
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest

Head of film reviews at The Viewers Guide with an erudite, insightful, slightly sardonic, deep appreciation for classic cinema. Has a habit of quoting obscure lines from old films in everyday conversation. He keeps a meticulously organized film logbook. He's a bit of a tea snob.