{"id":33084,"date":"2014-03-28T15:12:14","date_gmt":"2014-03-28T22:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33084"},"modified":"2022-09-10T00:18:17","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T07:18:17","slug":"conversation-the-1974","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33084","title":{"rendered":"Conversation, The (1974)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;If there&#8217;s one surefire rule that I have learned in this business it&#8217;s that I don&#8217;t know anything about human nature.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Poster-208x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"208\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-33085\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Poster-208x300.jpg 208w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Poster-89x128.jpg 89w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 208px) 100vw, 208px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn increasingly paranoid surveillance expert (Gene Hackman) becomes convinced that his most recent assignment &#8212; trailing the young wife (Cindy Williams) of a business executive (Robert Duvall) as she meets her lover (Fredric Forrest) &#8212; will result in murder.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Allen Garfield Films<\/li>\n<li>Francis Ford Coppola Films<\/li>\n<li>Fredric Forrest Films<\/li>\n<li>Gene Hackman Films<\/li>\n<li>Guilt<\/li>\n<li>Harrison Ford Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Duvall Films<\/li>\n<li>Spies<\/li>\n<li>Teri Garr Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary reveals his true feelings about this quietly tense thriller (written and directed by Francis Ford Coppolla) in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>, where he names Hackman Best Actor of the Year for his role as Harry Caul but asserts that &#8220;the picture is extremely flawed&#8221;. He argues that &#8220;Coppola&#8217;s worst mistake is to delve into pretentious fantasy (Harry&#8217;s nightmares) and arty images when realism is the picture&#8217;s strongest suit&#8221;; however, he concedes that &#8220;as a character study it works quite well, because Gene Hackman is brilliant at portraying a unique movie protagonist: &#8230; a dull man, a paranoid man, a secretive man, an isolated man, [and] a very, very guilty and depressed man&#8221;. While I agree with Peary&#8217;s assertion about Hackman&#8217;s excellent, nuanced performance, I disagree with his overall assessment of the film: by intentionally making it unclear whether Harry&#8217;s paranoid suspicions are grounded in reality or his own mind, the movie becomes an increasingly haunting meditation on how guilt effects a &#8220;moral (Catholic) man whose work is sleazy and immoral&#8221;; the &#8220;arty images&#8221; and fantasy elements work extremely well in the context of what&#8217;s slowly unfolding.  <\/p>\n<p>While Peary claims that &#8220;Coppola&#8217;s pacing is a bit too methodical&#8221;, I find the entire narrative gripping from beginning to end &#8212; including the intriguing mid-script scenes in which Hackman attends a surveillance expo, reconnects with a sleazy rival (Allen Garfield), and is bedded by one of Garfield&#8217;s acquaintances, a frantically seductive middle-aged call girl (Elizabeth MacRae). Peary complains that this seduction turns Harry into a &#8220;foolish amateur&#8221;, given that his tapes disappear while he&#8217;s sleeping with her, but he concedes that &#8220;in Coppola&#8217;s defense, he may have been showing Harry&#8217;s slip-ups as being symptomatic of his deteriorating mental condition&#8221; &#8212; an assertion I fully support. To that end, <em>The Conversation<\/em> bears close thematic resemblance to several other paranoia-themed films of the (Watergate) era &#8212; including Roman Polanski&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=32307\"><em>Rosemary&#8217;s Baby<\/em><\/a> (1968) and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3228\"><em>The Tenant<\/em> (1976)<\/a>, as well as Allan J. Pakula&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=10447\"><em>The Parallax View<\/em> (1974)<\/a>. <em>The Conversation<\/em> remains a powerful, masterfully crafted tale &#8212; one well worth repeated viewings.   <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gene Hackman as Harry Caul<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Hackman.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Hackman.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"845\" height=\"474\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33090\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Hackman.jpg 845w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Hackman-128x71.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Hackman-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 845px) 100vw, 845px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Cinematography2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33089\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Cinematography2.png 500w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Cinematography2-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Cinematography2-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Excellent use of strategically designed sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Sets.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Sets.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"845\" height=\"474\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33091\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Sets.jpg 845w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Sets-128x71.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Sets-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 845px) 100vw, 845px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Sets2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Sets2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"845\" height=\"474\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33087\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Sets2.jpg 845w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Sets2-128x71.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Sets2-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 845px) 100vw, 845px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Powerful editing (of both visuals and sound)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Cinematography.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Cinematography.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"845\" height=\"474\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33088\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Cinematography.jpg 845w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Cinematography-128x71.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Conversation-Cinematography-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 845px) 100vw, 845px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Coppola&#8217;s provocative script<\/li>\n<li>David Shire&#8217;s haunting score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes. This classic merits multiple viewings. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<li>Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0071360\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1974\/04\/21\/archives\/a-haunting-conversationconversation.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/index.php?page=review&#038;id=183\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.salon.com\/2001\/02\/06\/conversation_3\/\">Salon Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/the-conversation\/review\/111470\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=8053&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/71469\/the-conversation#articles-reviews?articleId=115814\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/the-conversation\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;If there&#8217;s one surefire rule that I have learned in this business it&#8217;s that I don&#8217;t know anything about human nature.&#8221; Synopsis: An increasingly paranoid surveillance expert (Gene Hackman) becomes convinced that his most recent assignment &#8212; trailing the young wife (Cindy Williams) of a business executive (Robert Duvall) as she meets her lover (Fredric Forrest) &#8212; will result in murder. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Allen Garfield Films Francis Ford Coppola Films Fredric Forrest Films Gene Hackman Films Guilt&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33084\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33084"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87138,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33084\/revisions\/87138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}