The Conversation

Plot synopsis:
Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), a private surveillance expert in San Francisco, has been hired by the Director to follow and record the actions of his wife, Ann (Cindy Williams), and her lover, Marc (Frederic Forrest). Using three separate microphones, Caul and his associates follow the couple around a park. Later, he pieces together a conversation that clearly indicates the two are in a relationship and that they fear being found out by the Director.Caul is a secretive, almost paranoid individual. He alienates his assistant, Stan (John Cazale), because he won't teach him more about audio surveillance, and his girlfriend, Amy (Teri Garr), because he won't share with her details about his career or personal life. He also refuses to hand over the tapes of Ann and Marc to the Director's assistant, Martin (Harrison Ford). The Director had specified that the tapes were to be turned over only to him. Martin protests but Caul keeps the tapes.Caul becomes increasingly concerned that, were he to turn the tapes over to the Director, that some harm would come to Ann and Marc. On the tapes, Marc can be heard to say "He'd kill us if he had the chance." When he worked on the East Coast, Caul had participated in a surveillance that led to the deaths of two persons. He worries that this might happen again, and goes to church to confess his sins.After Amy breaks off their relationship, Caul attends a surveillance convention. Martin also attends, and Caul confronts him and orders Martin to stop following him. He learns that Stan has gone to work for Moran (Alan Garfield), a Detroit-based surveillance expert looking to expand to the West Coast. Moran demonstrates to convention goers a new remote audio system that turns any telephone into a live microphone. Although Caul persuades Stan not to work for Moran after the convention is over, Moran is effusive in his praise for Caul. Lonely and enjoying the positive attention, Caul lets his guard down and takes Moran, Stan and several others back to his workroom for a post-convention party. Among the partygoers is Meredith (Elizabeth McRae), a showgirl who worked at Moran's convention booth. Meredith openly flirts with Caul and in a private moment, Caul opens up to her about his troubles with Amy. This conversation is recorded by Moran, who had earlier planted a bug on Caul. Caul is outraged and kicks everybody out. Meredith stays, helps Caul into bed, undresses herself and sleeps with him. Caul has a dream in which he pursues Ann through the fog, telling her about how he nearly died as a child. In this dream, he warns Ann that the Director plans to kill her. "I'm not afraid of death," he tells her as she disappears into the mist, "but I am afraid of murder."When Caul awakens in the morning, he discovers both Meredith and the tapes are gone. Frustrated and angry, he returns home and tries to call the Director. Caul has lied to many people that he doesn't have a home telephone and is surprised when Martin calls him back at home. Martin tells him that he took the tapes and delivered them to the Director. Caul should come to the office to pick up his fee ($15,000). Caul does as asked, and finds the seething Director (Robert Duvall) listening to the conversation. The Director curtly dismisses Caul after paying him.Disturbed, Caul goes to the hotel that Ann and Marc mentioned as meeting place in their conversation. He rents an adjoining room and inserts a microphone through the wall to listen to the conversation. He hears shouting. Rushing to the balcony, he sees bloody hand prints on the glass partition. Appalled and frightened, he collapses in his own room. Upon reviving, he breaks into the room Marc and Ann had rented. The room seems orderly, but the toilet is running. He gives it a flush and blood wells out.Caul goes to see the Director but security blocks his way. On the street, he is surprised to see Ann sitting in an idling car. A newspaper headline informs him that the Director has been killed in a car accident. Ann now controls the Director's company. Later, as Ann, Marc and Martin try to escape reporters asking them about an inquiry into the Director's death, they notice Caul watching them. Caul realizes that the bloody hand he saw in the hotel was the Director's; Marc's statement that the Director would kill them if he had the chance was a rationalization of their decision to kill him.Back in his apartment, Caul sits alone, playing his saxophone to his favorite jazz records. His phone rings. When he answers, no one is there. He hangs up and resumes playing. It rings again; this time, Martin tells him that Ann and Marc know he has deduced what happened, and that they will be listening to him. Martin then plays back a recording of Caul's saxophone playing. Completely consumed by paranoia and forgetful of Moran's demonstration at the convention, Caul demolishes his apartment looking for the bug. Unable to find it, he resumes playing his saxophone.

Tags: mystery, neo noir, murder, boring, psychological, claustrophobic, tragedy

Review:
Enigmatic, frustrating, confusing, intelligent and overall extremely brilliant work by writer/director Francis Ford Coppola (Oscar-nominated for his screenplay) has surveillance expert Gene Hackman recording a conversation between Cindy Williams and Frederic Forrest.
Post Simpson/Bruckheimer audiences may not have the attention spans to appreciate it, but that is their failing, not this movie's.Gene Hackman gives one of the finest performances of his career here as the complex and troubled surveillance expert Harry Caul, one that is possibly rivaled only by his too little seen gem 'Scarecrow'.
A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert called Harry Caul (reportedly Gene Hackman's favorite movie in which he has acted) will go anywhere to bug a private conversation , as he is becoming increasingly uneasy about his current job .
He is a solitary man in both his personal and professional life, only helped by his assistant Stan (early deceased John Cazale of Deer Hunter) , as they are watching a young couple (Cindy Williams , Frederic Forrest , Coppola's fetish actor) when Harry begins to suspect that they are murder targets .
The Conversation is a first-person story of a surveillance man named Harry Caul, played by Gene Hackman, who's well respected by his fellow snoop-peers, but isn't always that good at it.
After getting audio on a conversation between a man and woman talking about a murder, or one that could happen, and trying to decipher some muddled words in it, he leaves his door open for the tapes to be stolen, and this sets him into a paranoid state fearing a deja-vu will occur for him (his work caused some deaths years before).What's so fascinating and telling about The Conversation is that its basic storyline and development is that of a thriller, yet the way Coppola uses Hackman's Harry brings to the story themes of guilt, privacy, fear, loneliness, and so forth that go to reel the viewer into the psychology of this character.
Whether we're hearing the conversation in its repetitious form(s), listening in on a silence about to break, or even in just a seemingly normal scene, when sounds, either diegetic or non-diegetic, come into play it's like Coppola, and his Academy Award nominated (should've won) sound men Walter Murch and Art Rochester, are stretching the boundaries for it, and were arguably expanding its usage before movie-goers ears.
Whether or not the conversation hurt others or brought upon shame on The Director isn't the point, and that's how Coppola must've wanted it - he was inspired by Antonioni's Blowup, which used photographs as a man's obsession instead of sound - the point is Harry's journey through this assignment, and how it begins to whittle him down to a nub...One of the best films of 1974, The Conversation also won the prestigious Palme D'Or at Cannes that year.
Ever since I had to own itIt took me that entire year to find it, I had asked the only few decent (not huge corporation) store for a while, she always said they will be getting one in, but never had a copy, just like what every other place said.I ended up giving in and buying it online from best buy, but it's worth it, the wait was finally over.One of the major things that strike me about this film is it's amazing camera work.
I thought I'd point this out because watching THE CONVERSATION it's obvious within seconds as to what Harry is but any possible plot development involving a possible murder plan doesn't take place until about 40 minutes into the movie's running time .
Maybe the slow pace shouldn't be taken as a criticism since no one is under any pretension that THE CONVERSATION is a fast moving thriller but at the same time it could have done with a little more excitement , or at least tighter plotting with more obvious high concept aspects Francis Ford Coppola amazingly is on record as saying this is his favourite directorial feature .
It's meant to be a modern classic and having Francis Ford Coppola's name on it doesn't hurt its chances, but whenever I've tried to watch it I have found it so slow and boring each time, I have just given up and switched it off.I like Gene Hackman.
Gene Hackman is outstanding as surveillance expert Harry Caul, who makes a living wiretapping others, and finding ways to plant his listening devices without being detected.
His world is threatened by an obnoxious competitor, and the waning interest of his one love(played by Teri Garr), whom he visits sporadically.Harry becomes embroiled in a new case involving a young couple who seem to be fearful that they will be murdered(by Businessman Robert Duvall) but for a man who makes his living recording other's conversations, he doesn't pay enough attention to what is actually said, and a terrible misunderstanding of intent nearly destroys him...Francis Ford Coppola's direction is stylish and incisive, as is the script and editing.
Yet, it success is so considerable that it may even outshine all the other entries into the Coppola cannon.This is the story of surveillance expert Harry Caul, played by Gene Hackman.
Gangplank Movie ReviewThe Conversation Francis Ford Coppola - 1974After finishing of the Godfather in 1972, Frank Ford had enough juice with Paramount to get the money for Gene Hackman's finest hour playing Harry Caul, a surveillance specialist caught up in a murder rap.
The truth that he uncovers rocks his world to its foundations, and the man who's spent his life uncovering the secrets of others suddenly is forced to wonder what secrets others might be uncovering about him."The Conversation" seems to be somewhat overshadowed by Francis Ford Coppola's other 1974 release, "The Godfather Part II," but I think this is the more fascinating film.
Gene Hackman´s performance in the leading role is outstanding, although quite different from that in "The French Connection" a couple of years earlier.You really never know what will happen in this thriller, you get as paranoid as the main character gets, what is it really that he has recorded on that routine assignment, bugging the assumed cheating wife of a company president?Note a relatively young Harrison Ford in a supporting role, as well as Robert Duvall.
As a Dull, ironically Conversation Less Surveillance Pro, with His Outdated Clothes and Oddball Demeanor, He Nevertheless is a Magnet that Attracts Attention in the Frame.Paranoia was Beginning to become a National Personality Trait by the Mid-1970's, what with the Trifecta Assassination Coup in the Sixties (Kennedy, King, and Kennedy), the Vietnam War, and Watergate, it comes as No Surprise.One of the many Interesting Shots, is of Harry's Team on the Job situated in an Upper Floor Opened Window, pointing what Looks like a Rifle (complete with scope) and it is non other than a Directional Microphone.
Thus, I want to concentrate on one aspect of the film that I think has genuine contemporary relevance.As the movie stands, Harry Caul is a good example of the struggle between humanity and technology.
Francis Ford Coppola's, "The Conversation" is a character study of the troubled secretive surveillance expert, Harry Caul (played by Gene Hackman).What makes Caul such an interesting character is how he's always at war with his conscience.
This constant demand for privacy leads to his case of paranoia.Both leading man (Hackman) and director (Francis Ford Coppola) work excellently together in capturing Caul's trauma.
Hackman equals this with sheer naturalism throughout, perfectly executing an essence of shame and remorse.The film draws good performances from it's supporting cast as well, including Harrison Ford and John Cazale, with also a great musical score from David Shire also..
And beyond the script and the editing, the film is carried by one of the greatest performances of the 70's, through Gene Hackman's portrayal of the enigmatic Harry Caul.It would be so convenient to label "The Conversation" as a 'character study' but this would inevitably bump into two semantic dialectic obstacle.
Coppola asks for our attention and concentration so early in the film that it's very difficult to be attentive to the words spoken by Mark (Frederic Forrest) and Ann (Cindy Williams), both are discussing in a crowded square at noon, about life and death, a hobo sleeping on a bench, about kids, holiday, It is so banal and so vague, yet we know it must be important, because around them, three men are taping the conversation, using diverse material, and trying to obtain crystal clear words beyond the cacophonous noises surrounding the two targets.
After the first sequence, we start examining his privacy, with the same mindset he'd use to obtain a clear content of the titular conversation.There are basically two Cauls in the film, and as we discover the professional Caul, we try to understand the private Caul, the pro is a surveillance expert who appears to be a real legend in the milieu, after a remarkable masterpiece of eaves dropping that lead to the murder of a politician, and his family, the simple mention of Harry Caul creates an enthusiasm that immediately contrasts with his modesty, or a visible jealousy from Bernie Moran, his main rival, played by a scene-stealing Allen Garfield.
The film is a deft piece of work, a scintillating lower end drama mutating into a conspiracy thriller weaving its way around one man, and his lack of a life, doing his best to save that of two strangers'.Harry Caul (Hackman) is this man - a surveillance expert; someone with many years experience in the job and a large network of colleagues of whom reinvent, practise and hone their craft with an array of gadgets and other such things designed to spy on, infiltrate the lives of as well as generally capture what is required to be captured once designated folk have opened their mouths to speak.
The film will open in a manner akin to Coppola's The Godfather, his previous film from the previous year; but where the first of three entries detailing Puzo's life-of-crime piece of fiction began with a slow track outwards from a man's facial features to reveal them speaking, thus encapsulating this notion of a what a suited gangster, shot in medium close up format, should look like before coming outwards to reveal more about the nature of the location and those whom inhabit it, The Conversation veers inwards from a city skyline and all the way up to an individual's face as they sit there eavesdropping.This idea of quite literally moving into a world after beginning with your more standard establishing shot so as to unearth truer natures becomes apparent – those of whom we listen in on, it is suspected, might be more involved in activity of a more sordid nature than is initially obvious.
This man is a young and somewhat slimy high-rise dwelling male individual; a man whose badgering and insistent tone that he take the goods off Caul causes us to be wrapped up in Hackman's character's world enough to think that the people with whom he shares the elevator ride back down again exist right there and then to be both wholly afraid and suspicious of, in so much they might, for some maddening reason, know of the precise nature of the aforementioned exchange and will attempt to wrestle the produce away from Caul.The film is a burning, agonising piece; a film so proficient and so workmanlike that, and very much syncing up with what it is those depicted within do, director Coppola has manoeuvred proceedings away from someone living an unglamourous San Francisco based life trudging on with their work and strained friendships and down a path encompassing both real fear and terror that is more broadly representative of a conspiracy thriller.
"All I want is a nice fat recording." But Harry wants something more, it turns out, in this moody paranoia piece by director Francis Ford Coppola, shot between two "Godfathers" that won Best Picture awards and every bit as good as either of them.
Harry is a professional eavesdropper, yes, "the best bugger on the West Coast," but try as he might, he's not immune from the human mystery of his work.You know you are watching a terrific film when you see Hackman sharing a scene with Robert Duvall and Harrison Ford, the latter in an early role as a weaselly majordomo.
(Cindy Williams, perhaps a bigger star later that decade than Ford or even Hackman as one-half of TV's "Laverne & Shirley", makes for a great object of Harry's bugging and, eventually, his tragic passion.)In the end, "The Conversation" isn't really about the politics of surveillance, or the individual versus society.
"I don't know about human nature", says Harry Caul at one point in the movie; but the truth is we will be given the chance to look closely to his true nature and reach interesting conclusions in "The conversation", a surprising and highly recommendable mix of thriller and character-based drama.Harry Caul is one of the best and most renowned experts in private surveillance.
Francis Ford Coppola not only gets great performances from the casting, but he chooses meaningful camera angles, giving his movie an unique feeling, and gets the best work from the crew.
His latest job with his associate Stan (John Cazale) is to bug a couple in San Francisco's Union Square on the request given by Martin Stett (Harrison Ford), an assistant to somebody named "The Director." Caul listens to the conversation and he believes they will be killed if he turns in the tape.
John Cazale, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Allen Garfield, Teri Garr, and even Robert Duvall in a small cameo.1974 saw Francis Ford Coppola release two major films; The Conversation and of course The Godfather Part 2, which went on to win Best Picture.
Speaking of which, the ending is something I did not see coming at all and I thought it was fantastic!Written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Conversation is a quiet, slow-paced thriller that will force you to ask a lot of questions with answers that may not be so easy to find.
Released in 1974 and written/directed by Francis Ford Coppola, "The Conversation" is a potential crime drama starring Gene Hackman as a freelance surveillance technician in San Francisco whose team records a conversation by a man and woman (Cindy Williams & Frederic Forrest) as they walk through crowded Union Square.
The movie draws you into the character of Harry Caul, played by Gene Hackman, when we first see him using a surveillance device on a young couple in a crowded square in San Francisco.
Quite possibly Francis Ford Coppola's most underrated film, The Conversation tells the story of Harry Caul; a surveillance expert who is given an assignment to record the conversation between two people in a crowded location and who's extremely private about his life & profession in spite of being the best in the business.
The film focuses on his obsession with his latest assignment which he feels might result in some serious consequences for the people he's spying on & eventually has his fears realized but not the way he imagined it to be.Brilliantly directed by Coppola, cleverly written too with a single conversation that opens the film being the core ingredient around which the rest of the plot exists, steadily photographed, finely edited & calmly scored, The Conversation also works as an intricate study of its lead character wonderfully brought to life by Gene Hackman in what is a stellar performance.
The supporting cast of John Cazale, Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall & others also play their part well but it's Hackman who remained the most interesting character throughout the film.On an overall scale, The Conversation is a superbly filmed psychological study of a paranoid individual whose new assignment brings back the disturbing memories of the past he has tried to bury & who tries to not let history repeat itself but his foreshadowing of the events occur with a slight twist that's hinted to the viewers in its opening minutes.
A paranoid and personally-secretive surveillance expert (Gene Hackman) has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that a couple he is spying on will be murdered.So, Francis Ford Coopola originally envisioned this as a horror film?
Tapping into the paranoia of the seventies, Coppola managed to construct a highly compelling thriller out of unlikely material.Gene Hackman plays Harry Caul, a highly private individual who, ironically, makes his living in surveillance.
Harry Caul is played by the great Gene Hackman in one of his best roles ever.
The film is really about how a conversation and the wiretappers and surveillance experts like Harry Caul live their lives by invading other people's privacy.
Coppola skilfully intertwine both strands, centring his movie on an intense, complex performance by Gene Hackman as surveillance expert Harry Caul drawn into what he fears is a murder plot against the young married wife of a reclusive middle-aged corporation boss and her lover.
***contains spoilers*** Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation is the story of Harry Caul, a surveillance expert who is not only surprisingly bad at his job but deeply unhappy about it.
The thriller The Conversation is written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and stars Gene Hackman, John Cazale, and Allen Garfield.
This conversation is of much importance as to the rest of the film because it is being recorded by a man named Harry Caul (Hackman) and the crew he works with.
Modern day reality television proves both that point alone and simultaneously that "The Conversation" is an excellent film because it has only ripened over the years.Coppola's character Harry Caul, portrayed by Gene Hackman in one of his finest performances, is the embodiment of this guilty pleasure of spying on others whether covertly or casually.
Gene Hackman plays Harry Caul, a lonely private audio surveillance expert from San Francisco who becomes obsessed with a conversation he's recorded.
The film is a 1970s paranoid thriller, focusing on Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), a surveillance expert.