The Conversation (1974)
The American neo-noir mystery thriller film, The Conversation (1974), was written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It follows the story of Harry Caul, a surveillance expert in San Francisco who specializes in wiretapping services. His latest client, known only as ‘the Director’, hires him and his team to eavesdrop on a couple walking through Union Square. Despite the challenge of background noise, Caul skillfully filters and merges the tapes to create a clear recording with an ambiguous message. He is known for being extremely private and guarded about his personal life and carries a heavy burden of guilt from a past job that resulted in three deaths. Though he claims not to be responsible for how his clients use the surveillance, Caul’s Catholic faith causes him inner turmoil over his involvement in their privacy invasion.
As he uncovers a potentially dangerous phrase in the recording – ‘He’d kill us if he got the chance’ – Caul’s paranoia grows. However, his attempt to deliver the recording is unsuccessful and he becomes convinced that he is being followed and deceived. Following a workshop party, Caul spends the night with Meredith. The tapes from the night are stolen and he is later contacted by Martin Stett, the Director’s assistant. Stett informs Caul that they have the tapes and the Director is in a hurry to retrieve them. Caul is also instructed to deliver any pictures taken during the night and collect his payment at their meeting, which is scheduled for that same day. During their meeting, Caul discovers that the woman on the tape is actually the Director’s wife who was involved in an affair.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Cast:  Gene HackmanHarry Caul  John CazaleStan  Allen GarfieldBernie Moran  Frederic ForrestMark  Harrison FordMartin Stett |
Cindy WilliamsThe American neo-noir mystery thriller film, The Conversation (1974), was written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It follows the story of Harry Caul, a surveillance expert in San Francisco who specializes in wiretapping services. His latest client, known only as ‘the Director’, hires him and his team to eavesdrop on a couple walking through Union Square. Despite the challenge of background noise, Caul skillfully filters and merges the tapes to create a clear recording with an ambiguous message. He is known for being extremely private and guarded about his personal life and carries a heavy burden of guilt from a past job that resulted in three deaths. Though he claims not to be responsible for how his clients use the surveillance, Caul’s Catholic faith causes him inner turmoil over his involvement in their privacy invasion.
As he uncovers a potentially dangerous phrase in the recording – ‘He’d kill us if he got the chance’ – Caul’s paranoia grows. However, his attempt to deliver the recording is unsuccessful and he becomes convinced that he is being followed and deceived. Following a workshop party, Caul spends the night with Meredith. The tapes from the night are stolen and he is later contacted by Martin Stett, the Director’s assistant. Stett informs Caul that they have the tapes and the Director is in a hurry to retrieve them. Caul is also instructed to deliver any pictures taken during the night and collect his payment at their meeting, which is scheduled for that same day. During their meeting, Caul discovers that the woman on the tape is actually the Director’s wife who was involved in an affair.
