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The Conversation (1974)

Starring Gene Hackman, Frederic Forrest, Harrison Ford, and Robert Duvall. Cinematography by Bill Butler.  Edited by Richard Chew. Produced, Written, and Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Despite his inadequacies and shortcoming, Harry Caul (played by Gene Hackman) is considered to be one of the best buggers in the business. He is an intensely quiet and unassuming man who easily blends into the background of any room. Anonymity is the key in his field and in that he is an expert.

One day Harry is hired by the head of a major corporation (played by Robert Duvall) to tape the conversation between a man and a woman (played by Frederic Forrest and Cindy Williams) who are romantically linked. Harry initially approaches the work on a strictly professional level, but soon fears that the young couple might be in danger. His work has resulted in murder once before and he is determined to not allow that to happen again.  Upon his refusal to hand over the tapes, he suddenly finds himself on the other end of the microphone and a web of paranoia begins to develop.

Early in his childhood, Francis Ford Coppola discovered the power in eavesdropping in on other people’s conversations. One year he even developed a plan to plant microphones in every radiator in the house to overhear what he was going to receive for Christmas. This enthrallment, along with his love for technology and hi-tech instruments, became the inspiration behind one of the most amazing and personal films of his career. 

The character of Harry Caul found his inception with Hal Lipset during the Watergate investigation of 1967.  Lipset was the sound expert brought to Washington to analyze the eight minutes of missing audio from Richard Nixon’s White House tapes. To some degree Coppola’s character is based on Lipset, with a story about society’s loss of privacy being built up around him.

The Conversation works brilliantly on a number of levels.  It is a thorough character study into a sad and lonely man.  It is also a reflection of America’s loss of identity in its work and its inability to remain guiltless within it. And ultimately it simply plays out as a well made thriller. 

Despite its numerous strong points, The Conversation had a difficult time finding its audience upon its release in 1974. It did amazingly well at the Cannes Film Festival, but was then overshadowed at the Academy Awards by Coppola’s own The Godfather: Part II.  With the exception of The Godfather, Coppola had recently turned in a handful of box office failures, but that would all change when he would go back to the franchise that earned him such great success.

Budget: $1,600,000

Total US Gross: $4,420,000

Genre: Thriller

Runtime: 113 Minutes

US Release Date: 4/7/74

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (intended ratio)

Awards:

Academy Awards:
Nominated for best sound, best original screenplay, and best picture. 

Golden Globes:
Nominated for best screenplay, best actor, best director, and best dramatic picture.

Cannes Film Festival:
Won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the Golden Palm. 

Directors Guild of America:
Nominated for the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures. 

Writers Guild of America:
Nominated for Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen. 

Tagline: 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.

Quote: “I'm not afraid of death, but I am afraid of murder.”

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