The Conversation

Before PRISM, there was Hackman.

by Hunter Isham

        This week we take a trip back to 1974, the year that gave us Chinatown and The Godfather, Part II, the latter of which was co-written and directed by the same man who wrote and directed The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola. This quiet but chilling thriller won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1974, and it was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards alongside the two aforementioned films, but it just wasn't Coppola's year, as The Conversation lost out to that Godfather sequel and its director (oh, wait...). A remarkable movie that may slip under some people's radars these days, The Conversation tells the story of private surveillance expert Harry Caul as he records a mysteriously ordinary conversation between two people for a powerful corporate client, only to be haunted by the thought that his work may bring that couple harm.
        The Conversation captures attention through its silence and apparent simplicity. Much of the film is Caul living his life as he struggles with trying to understand the conversation he recorded while debating what to do with the tapes. As an invader of privacy, we get to see how he lives, trusting no one in his life, and living in a fairly barren apartment in San Francisco as a way to appease his own paranoia given how well he knows his isolation can be anything but. The film doesn't really kick into high gear until its third act, and by then the slow simmer of revealing Harry's quiet, secluded environment and lifestyle have prepared us for just about anything, but not the quick and satisfying resolution it provides to the mystery it set up in its opening moments. We begin to feel just as paranoid as Harry, unwilling to let our guard down or enter a public space without checking over our shoulder.
        A key element in keeping such a low-key film engaging is the lead, Gene Hackman. He brings Coppola's creation to life with the proper amount of remorse, intelligence, and hardened professionalism, making him sad, but not pitiful; smart, but not arrogant. He seems like a regular guy who's decided to cut himself off from the world when he's not listening in on it. Although this film is essentially a one man show that rests on Hackman's strong performance, a fantastic supporting cast fills out the remaining parts, including John Cazale, Cindy Williams, Harrison Ford (pre-Star Wars, post-American Graffiti), and, briefly, Robert Duvall. Cazale is good as one of Caul's associates, Williams is intriguing as one of his surveillance targets, and Ford is steely and intimidating a representative for Caul's client. Ultimately, their collective strengths simply help to bolster Hackman.
        Francis Ford Coppola had quite a year in 1974, releasing both The Conversation and The Godfather, Part II, although the former isn't as widely publicized as the latter. He crafted a tense thriller that grips you if only because of its peculiar solemnity while also finding a nice showcase for San Francisco, his personal Hollywood of the north that proves to be fine backdrop without distracting from the action. Hackman and the rest of the consummate pros at Coppola's disposal inhabit a world that, for all its reel to reel tapes and pay phones, is startlingly similar and relevant to our own. Hardly dated, The Conversation can still send chills down your spine and surprise you with its twists, reminding you that while you don't have to isolate yourself, it's probably not a bad idea to monitor your privacy, lest someone else do it for you. 9/10