communication breakdown

Movie Review: The Conversation (1974)

[ 9 / 10 ] Gene Hackman is Harry Caul, the premiere surveillance expert in the business. He can bug anyone to get the information he needs. He has made one big mistake in his past. He's about to make another...

The film revolves around Caul. We first meet him in the performance of his duties - he participates in the surveillance of two young people in a courtyard, engaged in a discrete conversation (for which the movie is named). After getting the information he needs, we follow Caul back to his office where we see that surveillance is more than just a job to him - it's a way of life. He is so engrossed in his work that he has no time for personal relationships. He is also paranoid almost to the point of delusion - his office is enclosed in a caged fortress, his apartment door is bolted with several homemade locks, and he fears that he is being watched. Yet he also harbors a strong religious devotion and struggles with a moral dilemma regarding his work. Truly he is a complex character that Hackman plays subtlely yet perfectly.

As you might have guessed, the plotline revolves around the conversation Caul tapes in the courtyard. After analyzing the tape (using home-grown devices he built himself), he begins to realize that he might have put these people in danger by recording their rendezvous. And it wouldn't be the first time this happened - he is haunted by a past mistake of his which brought harm to unsuspecting innocents. He begins to contemplate destroying the tapes, and this leads to a chain of events which culminate in a fantastic conclusion.

One of the interesting sub-plots in the movie is in the handling of the conversation itself, and Caul's reaction to it. Though the conversation is short, we hear bits and pieces of it throughout the film. Little by little, more of the exchange is revealed. Some bits are repeated over and over, but begin to be more significant as we receive more supporting information. We are truly in Harry's shoes - we have to figure out the puzzle when he does. But the film is also a discourse on perception, because we hear the conversation through Harry's interpretation of what he hears. However, perception is not always reality...

To reveal anymore would give away more than you or I would like. I will end by adding two more points. First, there is a small part near the end of the film where Caul comes face-to-face with the consequences of his actions. This is a phenomenal scene - one of the best (and most tense) I have seen in a while. Surely this is Francis Ford Coppola giving us a homage to Hitchcock, and he captures the suspense in a way Hitchcock could have admired himself.

Second, the soundtrack to the film is dead-on. It is a simple and beautiful set of piano solos, but musically it reflects the mood of the movie well - subtle, yet haunting. To me it was reminiscent of the way piano was used in "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Road to Perdition". It's amazing how effective a single instrument can be...

The Conversation is simply a great thriller. But like any great film, it's multi-dimensional. It is also a wonderful character study, and it even finds time to take a principled stand on the issue of privacy. It's hard for a director to make even one great film in his lifetime. Coppola made a living out of it, creating such greats as The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. Some might find it hard to believe that The Conversation could be mentioned in the same sentence as these iconic films, but watch it and I think you will find that it can. The mere fact that it can stand alongside these cinematic giants should give you an idea of just how good this movie is.