YES! – Jaman is pleased to offer The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola’s award-winning 1974 paranoia masterpiece starring Gene Hackman. With the digitally restored Godfather films making the rounds, the time is ripe to give The Conversation another look (particularly since one of Coppola’s conditions for directing The Godfather, Part II was that he be allowed to make The Conversation).

The Conversation is very much a character study, scrutinizing the work and life of surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman). An excellent first reel captures Caul and crew at work as they clandestinely record a conversation between two people in San Francisco’s Union Square. As Harry turns the snippets of dialogue into a clean, continuous tape, various nuances emerge that cast the assignment into doubt. The ever-professional Harry suffers a crisis of conscience, fearing his complicity in what will surely be deadly consequences if he turns in the finished tape to his mysterious employers and their shadowy Director.

Coppola still considers The Conversation one of his best films (none of the Godfathers make the short list), and it’s easy to see why. Coppola’s in full control here, patiently detailing Caul’s meticulous work, drawing us artfully into Harry’s world. Coppola also manipulates familiar San Francisco landmarks into reflecting the intense, paranoid corners of Harry’s imagination, ever more so as Harry’s investigation brings him closer to the horrible truth. The downbeat, noirish visuals are matched by Walter Murch’s superb sound design – the intricate walls of static under which the nuances of the titular conversation are concealed offer an almost musical labyrinth for Harry to navigate.

Harry is a complex “hero”, a withdrawn, ambivalent character that would challenge any actor, and Hackman captures the facets of Harry’s non-personality beautifully. We see not only the floodtide of emotion overcoming Harry but also Harry’s bewilderment at even feeling such emotion. As powerful and centered as Hackman’s lead performance is (he, too, cites The Conversation as a career best), the characters in Harry’s orbit are sketched just as memorably, from John Cazale’s work as Harry’s affable, street-smart colleague to Harrison Ford as the Director’s intense right-hand man.

In short, The Conversation captures the tight artistry and anti-establishment paranoia that exemplified early 70s Hollywood cinema, with some of Hollywood’s finest talents all working at the top of their game. Don’t miss it!

The Conversation

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 16th, 2008 at 5:08 pm and is filed under David, Bloggers, Filmmakers!, Films on Fire, Look! New!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.