THE CONVERSATION (Alliance, 1974) D: Francis Ford Coppola, w/ Gene Hackman, John Cazale. Rating: NNNNN Blu-ray package: NNNN Rating: NNNNN
Part character study, part thriller, part exploration of a subculture, The Conversation is one of the great 70s movies and one of Francis Ford Coppola’s best.
Privacy-obsessed Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is San Francisco’s top surveillance technician. He has no interest in his clients or his targets until one day he hears something that suggests murder.
By the final shot, the unconscious pervasive fear suggested by Hackman’s performance, Coppola’s surveillance-camera approach to the visuals and David Shire’s quiet, lunatic score have set a mood of paranoia that lasts long after the movie ends.
Coppola and editor Walter Murch both comment thoughtfully on the production, their approaches to filmmaking and their careers. In a separate doc, Coppola discusses his ongoing fascination with the figure of the lonely man.
EXTRAS Director commentary, editor commentary, composer interview, archival Hackman interview, archival on-set doc, screen tests, more. Widescreen. English audio. English, Spanish subtitles.
