The Conversation

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” -- Franklin Roosevelt, 1933

Back in 1970s, Francis Coppola had a Midas touch. Anything he wrote and directed pretty much turned to gold. He was in top form both as a writer and director. Coppola’s rise to stardom started when his screenplay for “Patton” (1970) won an Academy Award for Best Writing.  Then came the big one…”The Godfather” (1972). The movie won two Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Screenplay, cementing Coppola’s position in Hollywood as one of the best directors at the time. Coppola’s “The Conversation” (1974) is sandwiched between his dual masterpieces in the “Godfather” series, “Godfather II” (1974) released eight months after the release of “The Conversation.” Coppola also wrote the script for “The Conversation,” and the film won the coveted trophy at the Cannes, the Palme d’Or. Coppola was again nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Screenplay category, but he didn’t win this time around. Indeed, Coppola was one of the best screenwriters in the ‘70s, but, unfortunately, the quality of his screenplays slumped after the hallmark decade of the ‘70s. Still, movies like “The Conversation” remind us of his great skills as a filmmaker, and he still remains as one of the most-talented directors of all time.

“The Conversation” begins in an unusual fashion. The opening shot is one of the most-meticulously designed sequences I have ever seen. The entire scene centers around a couple, in which the lead protagonist, Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), is tasked to pick up their conversation. The elevated perspective in the sequence adds mystery to the shot, and we are thinking about the person’s identity watching from the top. The camera zooms in and out, and we immediately see a guy holding a piece of rifle-like equipment on a nearby building. For a moment, we are given the impression he is a sniper waiting for a clear shot. While all of this is going on, we also hear sporadic buzzing sounds coming from somewhere. Apparently, the man on the building is not holding a rifle; in fact, he is holding a special device with a mounted zoom camera, used for picking up conversations. The device picks up the conversation and then transmits it to a nearby radio van, where the conversation is then recorded.  Within the first nine minutes, Coppola has given us a snapshot of modern surveillance and the political climate prevalent in the ‘70s.  It’s a carefully composed shot in which Coppola’s emphasis is on the details; we see modern gadgetry at work, along with an elite team of hackers working in perfect harmony and relying on sophisticated surveillance equipment to do their job. In addition, Coppola deliberately attenuates the sounds from the crowd, so that we are able to hear the buzzing noise; and it manages to grab our attention right away by adding an unknown element of suspense. Nonetheless, each element in this shot is carefully staged and composed, with sound editing and cinematography of top quality.

After playing the iconic character of Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s “The French Connection” (1971), Gene Hackman plays another memorable character, Harry Caul in “The Conversation.” His portrayal of Caul won him a BAFTA Award for Best Actor. Coppola wanted this film to be about one character, and the plot focuses mainly on Harry. Harry has an introvert personality, and his social circle revolves around friends who are also surveillance experts. While Harry’s friends like to have fun, Harry secludes himself from all the exciting things in life. He probably had a number of short-lived relationships in the past, but nothing concrete in the present.  After he is done recording the conversation in the opening setup, Harry believes he has stumbled upon a deadly secret, which leads him to dip deeper into the meaning of the couples’ conversation. The story at that point becomes an investigative journey for Harry, as he is constantly troubled by the “what-are-they-talking-about” moment. The plot takes a U-turn, at least for Harry, when he is bothered by the aftermath of his earlier job, in which three people lost their lives.

The guilt pushes Harry to find out the truth behind the conversation. It impacts him in a deep way as he begins to see flashes of nightmares from the past: a bloodied shower curtain and an overflowing toilet bowl form part of his reverie. Eventually, the dark clouds of fear and guilt envelope Harry, and he soon finds himself overwhelmed and psyched by the entire episode. Being a surveillance expert, Harry feels his apartment is bugged, too; the paranoia takes over, taking him to the dark side of human psychology. What could have been a simple eavesdropping job turns fatal in the end. Indeed, Coppola has constructed a marvelous character study, in which he shows a step-by-step degradation of human psyche. Surely, like Harry, we are also paranoid about someone snooping around, especially if the government is involved. Ultimately, we completely sympathize with Harry’s downward spiral.

Apart from constructing Harry’s perfect character, Coppola also succeeds in developing a world of private investigators. He invests heavily in scenes showing surveillance gadgets like receivers, transmitters, sound synthesizers, phone recorders etc. and how these investigators use these gadgets for their jobs. He also takes us to an Electronic Convention, where cool new gadgets are exhibited. Harry’s office is beautifully envisioned, too, and the metal gate represents Harry’s own fear of someone prying around his premises.

The film’s theme resonates with the political environment in the wake of the Watergate scandal in 1972. Coppola captures the political tone with subtlety by never making a political commentary but by taking us into the lives of characters that are directly left to deal with the consequences. As such, Coppola’s picture becomes a well-engraved story about every man. Even now, in the post-9/11 era, where domestic spying has gone beyond wiretapping, “The Conversation” is even more valid than it was thirty-seven years ago. Moreover, the movie, through Harry’s character, stresses an important point about whether domestic surveillance techniques have gone too far in breaking the First Amendment.  Coppola’s influence on the political-thriller genre was evident in a slew of movies that came after: Pakula’s “All The President’s Men” (1976) and “The Parallax View” (1974), followed by De Palma’s  “Blow Out” (1981). In the end, “The Conversation” is an amazing motion picture, featuring memorable performance and a top-notch script that is further helped by quality Coppola’s quality direction.

Video:

“The Conversation” arrives on Blu-ray in an aspect ratio of 1:78.1, encoded using an AVC/MPEG-4 codec. This is a fantastic-looking transfer for a thirty-seven-year old movie. Shot in 35mm, the print appears fine, with no sign of prominent damage on the print; white specs pop-up, but nothing too concerning. The opening shot exhibits a fine layer of grain; in fact, the grain is present throughout, and in some cases it is excessive. I am glad there is no trace of DNR, and the 1080p transfer is film-like. The detail is rich and consistent; however, sharpness does vary from scene to scene, probably representative of inherent quality of the film stock. There are some soft scenes, too. But after listening to the interviews and commentary, it appears Coppola applied some soft focus to represent Harry’s state. The close-ups are solid, with warm skin tones that are realistic. Indeed, the previous DVD release feels pale in comparison to the 1080p transfer.

Audio:

The lossless 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track perfectly captures the film’s serene elements. Even though David Shore’s score is soft, but one can feel the clarity in the piano tune ringing in the background; the tune stays with you for a while. The film is dialogue-heavy, and sonically the front channels do most of the work. The dialogue is always crisp and clear, and the track also captures ambient noises with remarkable clarity. Also, the film can be viewed with English and Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

Lionsgate has ported all the extras from the previous DVD edition, plus we get new bonus material as well.

First, we get two audio commentary tracks. The first one is with director Francis Ford Coppola, and the second track is with editor Walter Murch. Following this, we get an interview segment in which Coppola interviews David Shire, who composed the score. Shire recollects that Coppola wanted the film’s score to reflect Harry’s inner thoughts and his hidden personality. There were no electronic synthesizers used, and the catchy tune was produced on a piano. Up next, “Harry Caul’s San Francisco” shows the changing cityscape in San Francisco, comparing it side-by-side with the locations used in the film in 1974 and their current state now. We also get screen tests of Harrison Ford and Cindy Williams.

Next, we get archival audio segments of Coppola dictating the script in a café before shooting the film. Following this, we get a short discussion with Coppola about his early film exercise, “No Cigar.” Coppola talks about a middle-aged man from “No Cigar” who became the main driver for Harry’s character.

In “Close-up on The Conversation,” Coppola explains the character of Gene Hackman and how Harry goes against the principle of everything. We are also taken to a warehouse that was used for Harry’s office. Coppola wanted to shoot the film in its entirety, as written in the script, without worrying about the editing. Up next, an archival interview with Gene Hackman reveals his thoughts on Harry’s character and how he had to make adjustments for the role. Finally, there is a theatrical trailer for the film.

Parting Thoughts:

“The Conversation” is not a crime thriller, but instead it’s a psychological drama driven by a superb performance from Gene Hackman. Hackman’s character of Harry Caul leaves an impression, with his quiet and somber demeanor, even when things turn upside down for him. Coppola has created another unique character, and Harry stands alongside other popular Coppola characters from the ‘70s: Michael and Don Corleone from the “Godfather Series” and Benjamin Willard and Walter Kuntz from “Apocalypse Now” (1979). Coppola’s deft hand in writing a screenplay ensures the plot is entertaining, and he has crafted each scene with painstaking detail.  What’s more, the film’s story is entirely plausible in today’s political environment. “The Conversation” is my personal favorite of all Coppola movies. This Blu-ray edition soars in all aspects. Highly recommended.