The Conversation (1974)
Genre: Crime / Thriller
Duration: 113 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Stars: Gene Hackman, John Cazale and Allen Garfield
IMDb score:
7,7 (135.163)
Releasedate: 7 April 1974
The Conversation plot
"Harry Caul is an invader of privacy. The best in the business. He can record any conversation between two people anywhere. So far, three people are dead because of him."
Harry Caul is an eavesdropping expert who earns his money by eavesdropping on other people. When he catches a snippet of a conversation, he thinks he is on to something. The more pieces he collects and the more often he listens to his tapes, the more convinced he becomes that a drama will soon take place. Or is it just his imagination running wild?
Actors and actresses
Harry Caul
Stan
William P. 'Bernie' Moran
Mark
Ann
Paul
Meredith
Amy Fredericks
Martin Stett
Receptionist
Reviews & comments
baspls
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- 4118 messages
- 1673 votes
"I'm not afraid of death, but I am afraid of murder."
The Conversation is a Thriller by Francis Ford Coppola and tells the story of a seasoned eavesdropping expert who catches fragments of a conversation during an assignment. He becomes obsessed with the recording of that assignment and suspects that something terrible is about to happen.
Gene Hackman plays a strong role as Harry Caul, played very faithfully and convincingly. An early role by Harrison Ford, who would only have a very small role at first but was so good that Coppola made the role bigger. Furthermore, the acting is certainly not bad, including John Cazale also played along.
The film has a slow but strong build-up of tension. We follow the main character and notice how he becomes more and more paranoid and gets carried away. Ultimately, we as viewers are no longer sure if everything is real or if things take place in the head of the main character. The story is well-crafted and unpredictable. Also nice to see all those old listening and sound equipment.
The only thing that bothered me a bit about the movie wasn't even the movie itself. At the end the sound track with the dialogues kept dropping out (strange problem in my amplifier I suspect) I thought it was supposed to be like this in the beginning. Still, the ending was good.
The film is heavily shot. Beautiful images with a lot of film grain and colors typical of the 1970s. The cinematography was decent, with frequent references to espionage; for example, many scenes appear secretly recorded or on surveillance camera images. The music was also fine, not very present.
Coppola himself thinks The Conversation is the best film he has made. I certainly don't want to go that far, but I think it's a very strong thriller. A bit of a long ride maybe (because of the slow pace), but it's well worth it.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Sir Djuke
-
- 369 messages
- 1028 votes
For a short while you knew for sure: Francis Ford Coppola was the best director in the whole world and Gene Hackman was the best actor in the whole world. Then 'The Conversation' in which Hackman plays the lead role, directed by Coppola, will be the best film in the world? Well, not quite, but it only makes a difference. Despite the outdated technology, 'The Conversation' is still devilishly topical. Hackman (hey, what's in a name?) invades the private lives of people he unmasks during the film. Instead of victims they turn out to be perpetrators and paranoia is his reward. The final scene is unforgettable in all its brilliance and desolation.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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