THE CONVERSATION [1974 / 2011] [Collector’s Edition] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
Francis Ford Coppola’s Masterpiece of Modern-Day Paranoia!
Harry Caul [Gene Hackman] is an expert surveillance man in San Francisco. His routine wiretapping job turns into a nightmare when he hears something disturbing in his recording of a couple; he may have captured something a lot more important than adulterous goings-on. His investigation of the tape and how it might be used sends Harry Caul spiralling into a web of secrecy, murder and paranoia.
‘THE CONVERSATION’ is a harrowing psychological thriller that co-stars Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest and Harrison Ford. It symbolises the uneasy line between technology and privacy – a topic more relevant than ever today.
‘THE CONVERSATION’ is regarded as one of Francis Ford Coppola’s greatest films. Two-time Academy Award® winner Gene Hackman plays a paranoid and personally-secretive surveillance expert who has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that a couple he is spying on will be murdered. This tense thriller makes some remarkably advanced arguments about technology's role in society that still resonate today. In addition to ‘Apocalypse Now,’ ‘THE CONVERSATION’ was Francis Ford Coppola’s only other film to win the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1974 Cannes Film Festival: Win: Palme d'Or for Francis Ford Coppola. Win: Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Special Mention for Francis Ford Coppola. 1975 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Picture for Francis Ford Coppola. Nominated: Best Writing and Original Screenplay for Francis Ford Coppola. Nominated: Best Sound for Art Rochester and Walter Murch. 1975 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Motion Picture in a Drama. Nominated: Best Director for a Motion Picture for Francis Ford Coppola. Nominated: Best Actor in a Motion Picture in a Drama for Gene Hackman. Nominated: Best Screenplay in a Motion Picture for Francis Ford Coppola. 1975 BAFTA® Awards: Win: Best Film Editing for Richard Chew and Walter Murch. Win: Best Sound Track for Art Rochester, Nathan Boxer, Michael Evje and Walter Murch. Nominated: Best Actor for Gene Hackman. Nominated: Best Direction for Francis Ford Coppola. Nominated: Best Screenplay for Francis Ford Coppola.
FILM FACT No.2: The character of Harry Caul was inspired by surveillance technology expert Martin Kaiser, who also served as a technical consultant on the film. According to Martin Kaiser, the final scene of the film, in which Harry Caul is convinced he is being eavesdropped in his apartment, cannot find the listening device, and consoles himself by playing his saxophone, was inspired by the passive covert listening devices created by Léon Theremin, such as the Great Seal bug. "He couldn't find out where [the bug] was because it was the instrument itself."
Cast: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams, Michael Higgins, Elizabeth MacRae, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford, Mark Wheeler, Robert Shields, Phoebe Alexander, Allen Garfield (uncredited), Ramon Bieri (uncredited), Gian-Carlo Coppola (uncredited), Robert Duvall (uncredited), Richard Hackman (uncredited), George Meyer (uncredited), Al Nalbandian (uncredited), Erick Vinther (uncredited) and Billy Dee Williams (uncredited)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Producers: Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Roos and Mona Skager
Screenplay: Francis Ford Coppola
Supervising Editor: Walter Murch
Sound Montage and Re-Recording: Walter Murch
Composer: David Shire
Cinematography: Bill Butler, A.S.C. (Director of Photography) and Haskell Wexler, A.S.C. (Director of Photography) (uncredited)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
English: 1.0 LPCM Original Mono Audio
German: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH and German
Running Time: 114 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Paramount Pictures / STUDIOCANAL
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: In between making his hit films ‘The Godfather’ Part 1 and Part 2, and Francis Ford Coppola chose to develop an original screenplay he had written several years earlier. This was like his 1969 film ‘The Rain People’ which was another of his smaller, and much more personal works and very much an example of the kind of film he wanted to continue to do throughout his long directing career. ‘THE CONVERSATION’ [1974] must have seemed like a small, indie-scaled project for Francis Ford Coppola. The small scale is merely in terms of production, however, as the films themes are just as epic and it is a film of the 1970s, not only in its European art-film-influenced minimalism and existentialism, but also in terms of its subject matter. The assassinations of John F. Kennedy, along with Vietnam and the American Dream-souring revelations of Watergate, led to a string of enigmatic conspiracy thriller films such as ‘The Parallax View’ and ‘All the President's Men,’ and like those films, ‘THE CONVERSATION’ is rooted in the new American anxiety of the time, the idea that behind every ideal was a rotten, festering truth.
‘THE CONVERSATION’ was inspired in large part by a discussion Francis Ford Coppola had with fellow director Irvin Kershner about the topic of surveillance and because of a film he had been affected and impressed by. That film was Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 conspiracy thriller ‘Blow Up,’ in which a young, hip British photographer David Hemmings unknowingly takes a photo of a murder and when he discovers what he’s done, becomes obsessed with solving the mystery behind the image. In Francis Ford Coppola’s own take on that story, he uses the profession of surveillance as his mode of entry into the world of Harry Caul [Gene Hackman] an expert in the field who has taken a new job spying on and recording a young couple played by Cindy Williams and Frederic Forrest for a wealthy businessman he doesn’t know much about.
In the film ‘THE CONVERSATION,’ Harry Caul [Gene Hackman] just wants to do his job. That job is surveillance, and he is perhaps the best in the business. Harry Caul lives, eats, and breathes his work, accepting nothing less than perfection in the pursuit of a clean recording. The content and questionable morality of these recordings is of no consequence to him. He simply considers it beyond his purview. Harry Caul is a loner and a man obsessed with his own privacy. He has no personal relationships and considers everyone a potential threat. He is the man on the other side of the wall, sitting alone, listening to others but never considering making any human contact.
This is the dramatic irony of writer/director Francis Ford Coppola's masterful film, easily one of the finest of the 1970s. Harry Caul, the man who stays safely on the fringe, who never becomes involved, a man who is so safe that he wears a clear plastic raincoat over his trench coat, rain or shine, becomes obsessed with the idea of saving the lives of this young couple, neither of whom he has ever met.
Although the film has a superb cast which includes the late John Cazale, Robert Duval and a very young Harrison Ford, but this is definitely Gene Hackman’s film. Gene Hackman made a huge impact as the tough cop “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s superb ‘The French Connection,’ but the introverted loner Harry Caul was a major departure from the fiery parts for which the actor was known. Gene Hackman is simply superb, creating a complex and fascinating character.
The story of ‘THE CONVERSATION’ is fairly straight forward. Harry Caul makes a recording of a couple who are involved in an affair and his job is to deliver this to a high-powered man whom Harry Caul soon believes will murder one or both of the couple involved. But the joy in watching the film comes from the sheer expertise of the film making. Building slowly and carefully, the director Francis Ford Coppola makes a thriller out of nothing and delivers one of the greatest final scenes in film history. Tormented by his own paranoia, Harry Caul tears apart his apartment looking for a recording device which, as the audience realises, which we can never be actually sure if it is for real. With the floorboards up and the wires hanging off the wall Francis Ford Coppola ends the film with a surveillance shot of its own; Harry Caul sat playing the saxophone and feeling totally rejected and defeated, which is not really his style, he really wants to be the one who wins every time. ‘THE CONVERSATION’ however, feels we are definitely watching an acting masterclass and is also a true film masterpiece that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the final shot in the film.
THE CONVERSATION MUSIC TRACK LIST
SOPHISTICATED LADY (1932) (Music by Duke Ellington)
BILL BAILEY WON’T YOU PLEASE COME HOME (1902) (Written by Hughie Cannon) [Sung by an unidentified duo]
WHEN THE RED RED ROBIN COMES BOB BOB BOBBIN’ ALONG (1926) (Written by Harry M. Woods) [Sung by an unidentified female]
WHEN I TAKE MY SUGAR TO TEA (1931) (Music by Jay Livingston) (Lyrics by Ray Evans)
OUT OF NOWHERE (1931) (Music by Johnny W. Green) (Lyrics by Edward Heyman)
I REMEMBER YOU (1941) (Music by Victor Schertzinger) (Lyrics by Johnny Mercer)
TAKE FIVE (1959) (uncredited) (Written by Paul Desmond)
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Paramount Pictures and STUDIOCANAL have come together to produce a stunning 1080p image presentation and is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The image quality looks to be a significant improvement over the previous Standard Definition releases. In the better lit scenes, there is some wonderful textured imagery that is visible and detail is surprisingly sharp with makeup noticeable on the actor's faces via the HD image presentation, which gives you frequent depth and the image is extremely clean. Skin tones look totally natural, which helps to give the film a really good supportive image perspective, which helps to make the film ‘THE CONVERSATION’ look a very thought provoking film with its overall filmic look, especially in the outdoor shots. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Paramount Pictures and STUDIOCANAL brings us four audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc, that includes English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio, English: 1.0 LPCM Original Mono Audio and German: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio. There were some keen separations in the Surround sound audio mix department, and I did note some depth and crispness with David Shire's composed music film score that haunts the film's many introspective moments throughout the film. This is complimented by Duke Ellington, Harry M. Woods and many more. The Ragtime piano-based theme is worked to perfection and this audio transfer means a lot to the viewing experience and one you will definitely enjoy immensely.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary with Director Francis Ford Coppola: Here the director introduces himself and also informs us that the original screenplay for the film ‘THE CONVERSATION’ was started way back in the mid-1960s, and sometimes as it is written at the time, feels it is not very good and puts it away in a draw and forgets about it, but over time after producing other projects and films, suddenly finds the hidden screenplay and decided to give the project another go, but sadly had to put it all on hold again, because the director started to do the film ‘The Godfather.’ But after finishing that film, Francis was eager to start the film ‘THE CONVERSATION,’ and after securing the finances from Paramount Pictures, got the go ahead to start filming. The idea for ‘THE CONVERSATION’ came about from seeing the film ‘Blow Up’ by the Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni, which had the intriguing storyline, that Francis felt could be adapted towards his film, easily now with the Shotgun Directional microphone, where they can now pick up individual private conversations. Francis was also interested in the character of Gene Hackman and how he was very obsessive and private he was and when we see the bottle of wine on the floor when Harry Caul opens his door to his apartment, starts to get paranoid and especially how did people know it was his birthday. Francis also wanted the camera to be looked upon as an eavesdropper and also a very intrusive instrument at the same time. When we see Gene Hackman start to work on the tape recorded conversations, this was that beginning of the pivotal start of the story and how heavily Harry Caul gests obsessed with this project of the couple recorded in Union Square. Francis informs us how the name Harry Caul came about, which originally he wanted to call him Harry Call, and through the extensive tape recordings describing the plot of the film, the young lady assistant that Francis hired to type the screenplay, thought Francis called him Harry Caul and that is why Francis decided to keep the miss-typed name. Francis comments extensively on the character of Harry Caul and his secret liaison with the young mysterious lady played by Teri Garr, who keeps asking Harry questions about his private life, which of course Harry hates people wanting to know everything about his secret private life and Harry also has a strange attitude of relating to other people in his own personal way. Francis gives great praise about Supervising Editor Walter Murch, who he felt produced some stunning editing of the film, but also produced some stunning complicated Soundscapes designs. When Gene Hackman goes into the church confessional booth, the priest listening to him was in fact Gene Hackman’s brother Richard Hackman. When we see gene Hackman at the Surveillance and Hacking Convention, this was a real one happening at the same time as filming, especially it was at the same time as the Watergate scandal that happened in 1972. Francis informs us that when we see the people enter where Harry Caul has his surveillance workshop for the party and we see the young lady assistant making out the Harry Caul and how he feels vulnerable and uncomfortable, but slowly drops his shield, but starts to put up his guard again as he hates being too open to people. Francis found Gene Hackman a very interesting actor, especially for this film, as over time he was starting to turn into the character of Harry Caul, especially when wearing a suit and wearing those specific glasses, and does not realise he is turning into a modern day electronic nerdy wizard style of personality. As the film progressed, gene Hackman became uncomfortable and very grumpy at times, but despite this, Gene Hackman really liked his character. When we see the dream sequence with Harry Caul chasing after the young lady in the fog, well we are informed that this was to be the ending of the film, but the neighbours started to complain about the machine making the fog, then suddenly had the press and the police turn up and it was a total nightmare and Francis had to abandon the rest of the shoot and because not enough film had been shot and that is why it was decided to use what was shot as the dream sequence. When we first see the actor Robert Duvall, we are informed that he was a last minute replacement from the original actor who had to pull out, and we are also informed that Robert Duvall goes bac a long way, especially with Gene Hackman, as they both shared an apartment together in New York when they started out in their acting profession. When we see Gene Hackman trying to go up the spiral staircase and preventing to go any further, well again the guy in the blue jacket is again Gene Hackman’s brother Richard Hackman. As we come to the end of the film, Francis informs us that the most asked question about this film is who bugged Harry Caul and was it his rival Bernie Moran [Allen Garfield], and of course the burning question, where was the bug hidden, and suddenly Harry Caul realises there is someone out there more sophisticated than Harry Caul, but the other theory is that it could have been the clasp on the saxophone strap around Harry Caul’s neck, which again Francis was never able to prove or confirm, as he was never informed and never found out where the bugging device was hidden, and at the point the film is coming to the end and this particular audio commentary by Francis Ford Coppola and was quite an interesting one at that, and helped to explain a lot about the whole storyline of the film and the reason for making the film and well worth listening to.
Audio Commentary with Supervising Editor Walter Murch: Here we are personally introduced Walter Murch and informs us that he was the Editor and Sound Mixer for the film ‘THE CONVERSATION,’ and remembers when they did the shooting scene in Union Square at the start of the film, Walter was in the Editing Rooms in Folsom Street in San Francisco, and was asked over the telephone how long he wanted the shots to be, which totally confused him, as he felt the director should know this information, not Walter, but after scrambling around for the script, and was able to inform them of the specific information they required. With the scene in Union Square, they used six cameras at the same time, and of course most of it was filmed with long lenses, so that the public was not aware filming was going on with the actors walked around while mingling with the public, to make it look much more natural. But when Walter finally got the film processed and viewed, was totally overwhelmed by how much had been shot, and of course wondered how he was going to get the job done, and sort it all out in some coherent order, that the director will be pleased with the result, but over time Walter was able to find the good moments in the film, and produce something totally special and different, and Francis Ford Coppola was very pleased with what he viewed and informed Walter that he had done a really professional job. When we see Harry Caul enter his apartment, Walter mentions that it was intentionally filmed with a static camera and then of course eventually the camera slowly pans 180 degrees to view Harry on the couch, and we also find out that Harry Caul’s apartment block was eventually going to be demolished when filming had finished. The warehouse where harry Caul works were totally empty when filming began and Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope company was based there for quite a few years. Walter informs us that the equipment Harry Caul uses, was deliberately made to look very basic, and the real Harry Caul aka Hal Lipset (1919 – 1997) was used as a technical advisor and informed the director that the real people in surveillance did this sort of thing for real and was called into to investigate the 18 minute gap in the infamous Richard Nixon tape recordings, and was top of his profession and also the real surveillance people built all their equipment themselves. Walter feels the balance of the film from the outset, was an uneasy combination of the director Alfred Hitchcock and Hermann Karl Hesse who was a German-born poet, novelist, and painter and his best-known works included the novel “Steppenwolf,” whose elements were inspired for the character of Harry Caul. Walter explains much more about how the name Harry Caul came about, but also expands on the word “Caul,” as it is very appropriate, as the word means the amniotic membrane enclosing the foetus, and also mentions that Julius Caesar was via caesarean operation and was enveloped by the “caul” when brought out of the womb, and in ancient Greece to be born with the “caul” enveloped you, would indicate “greatness” in a person. Walter also explains when the party at Harry Caul’s workshop, you see the plastic transparent sheet, well this is Harry Caul’s shield, especially from his rival Bernie Moran [Allen Garfield], and also points out why Harry Caul wear the transparent rain coat, again this is his own personal “caul” to shield him from the outside world intruding on his own private world. As we get the final part of the film in Harry Caul’s apartment looking for the bugging device, which of course Walter asks you to speculate where it was hidden, which as you know Francis Ford Coppola had a theory where it was hidden, which I believe was where the bug was hidden and I just cannot understand why Harry Caul did not also figure out where it was hidden? As the credits appear on the screen, Walter comments that the way the camera was slowly panning around the destroyed apartment, it was acting like surveillance CCT camera works. As we near the end of the film, Walter Murch had stopped talking and I felt what a shame he did not sign off properly and thanking us for joining us on his journey with his personal audio commentary, but despite this, it was really fascinating hearing how this Sound Editor worked on the film and it was really a joy listening to him throughout the audio commentary, as he has a really great commentators voice to listen to, and was a joy hearing how the job was very difficult, but eventually was able to produce something really professional that made watching the film really extra special in producing one of the best Soundscape for the film and if you want to hear something truly special, then hearing Walter Murch was a total joy and should not be missed.
Special Feature: Cindy Williams Screen Test [1972] [480i] [1.37:1] [5:01] This shows the actress reading for the part that actually went to Teri Garr. Cindy Williams eventually played Ann, and is actually shown testing for the role of Amy.
Special Feature: Harrison Ford Screen Test [1972] [480i] [1.37:1] [6:43] Here we get to view the Harrison Ford audition for the part that Frederic Forrest ended up playing instead and makes for an interesting “what if” clip. Harrison Ford reads for the role of Mark, which of course eventually went to Frederic Forest, but actually ended up getting the role of the Director's assistant. Here we find Harrison Ford testing for the part of Martin Stett on location in Union Square and is with actress Cindy Williams.
Special Feature: No Cigar [2011] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:28] Here we get a very up close and personal interview with director Francis Ford Coppola, talks his directorial debut with his 16mm black-and-white film ‘NO CIGAR’ [1956] which he filmed himself with a Bolex camera, which the director feels was an early influence on the character of Harry Caul for the film ‘THE CONSERVATION.’ This short film is about a lonely middle-aged man, who is played by Francis Ford Coppola’s Uncle Clarence and we get a few slips from the 1956 black-and-white film.
Special Feature: Interview with Composer David Shire [2011] [1080p] [1.78:1] [10:59] Francis Ford Coppola interviews the composer David Shire for the film music score. In this brief, but interesting segment, David Shire plays a selection of the score on an upright piano and sheds some insight into his methodology putting the music together for the film. David Shire also reveals that he was able to record the music and have Francis Ford Coppola play it on set to set the mood and define the characters. David Shire also analyses the way the music becomes part of Walter Murch's sound design for the film. David Shire also informs us that he learnt his skills by scoring film music for Western films for Universal Pictures and said at first it was very hard work, but learnt very fast to compose new film music scores. Francis Ford Coppola only wanted a piano score for the film ‘THE CONVERSTAION,’ as it resonated to the character of Gene Hackman played of a very lonely and private person. At the end of the nice little interview of a nice insight into composer David Shire and as a nice bonus at the end of the interview, we see Francis join David for a jolly duet together at the piano in doing a little sing song.
Special Feature: Harry Caul’s San Francisco: Then and Now [2011] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:42] Here we get a brief montage tour of the locations in San Francisco, comparing them as they were in 1973 with how they look like in 2011. This is basically a montage that shows a comparison of the locations in the film between 1973 and the present day. The locations we get to view are Union Square; Exterior of Harry Caul’s Apartment in 700 Laguna Street; Interior of Harry Caul’s Apartment; Harry Caul’s Workshop, 1616 16th Street, Polk Street and Sutter Street, One Embarcadero Center; Exterior of Mr. C’s Office; Interior view of Mr. C’s Office in One Embarcadero Center; One Maritime Plaza; Lombard Street and Pierce Street; Alta Plaza Park and Jack Tar Hotel, 1101 Van Ness Avenue (schedule for demolition in late 2011). The final and amusing shot is of that toilet in the Jack Tar hotel, looking just as it did in the film.
Special Feature: Interview with Gene Hackman [1973] [480i] [1.37:1] [4:03] Here we get to view an on-set interview with actor Gene Hackman that was recorded on the 12th February, 1973. With this archival footage from the set of the film, actor Gene Hackman briefly explains his approach to portraying the character of Harry Caul. Gene Hackman also talks about the last scene in the film, where he totally wrecks his apartment in seeking out the listening device, which he found a great deal of fun. Gene Hackman also informs us that he had to learn to play the saxophone, also how to look like he is picking locks and especially working with some very sophisticated listening devices. Despite this being a very short interview, it was still quite interesting.
Special Feature: Archival Audio of Director Francis Ford Coppola Dictating the Original Script [2011] [1080p] [1.78:1] [49:14] Here we get to view six separate features, which includes: Introduction; Opening Sequence; The Life of Harry Caul; The Convention; Introduction to Frank Lovista; Jack Tar Hotel and Police Station Ending. As usual you can either watch each item separately or Play All. With this audio feature Francis Ford Coppola dictates the screenplay via his personal tape recording of scenes from the film ‘THE CONVERSTAION,’ while viewing the white typed wording of the pages against a black background and we also get view some clips from the film and still images, especially of scenes that were deleted from the final cut of the film. Personally, about half way through this special feature I got totally bored, and will only be of interested to really dedicated film enthusiasts of this film who want to know every minute detail of the film’s scenario, and I personally could not see the point of this particular feature.
Special Feature: Close-Up on ‘THE CONVERSATION’ [1974] [480i] [1.37:1] [8:39] This is an in-depth archival making of feature documentary with director Francis Ford Coppola and actor Gene Hackman. The narrator at the start informs us of what the film is all about, and especially about the professional eve dropper surveillance specialist, played by Gene Hackman. We also get to hear personal views from director Francis Ford Coppola and actor Gene Hackman about the scenario of the film. We see some rare behind-the-scene filming being shot on the set as director Francis Ford Coppola shoots the party sequence at Harry Caul’s workshop, the surveillance trade show and the climactic moment when Harry Caul tears his apartment up hunting for the bugging device. You also see director Francis Ford Coppola guiding the actors on how he wanted them to perform in a certain scene, and he also comments on what he eventually wants the film to look for people when they see the film at the cinema.
Theatrical Trailer [1974] [1080p] [1.85:1] [2:49] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘THE CONVERSATION,’ and it is a totally brilliant presentation that really gives you a flavour of what the film is basically about.
BONUS: Printed Collectible 12-page Booklet entitled THE CONVERSATION ON THE CONVERSATION and includes First Reviews of the film after its release in 1974. It also includes articles entitled ABOUT THE CONVERSATION [1974]. A HAUNTING “CONVERSATION” [1974]. THE CONVERSATION [1989]. It also includes lot of rare black-and-white and colour photos. You also have a beautiful printed Blu-ray slip cover which is exclusive to STUDIOCANAL.
Finally, ‘THE CONVERSATION’ is another Francis Ford Coppola classic film and is without a doubt one of the great films of the 1970s. Strangely enough, it does not feel dated at all. There are plenty of men like Harry Caul who get paid to deliver important secrets, or manufacture them, and the best probably work for different governments around the world. The film looks really excellent on this Blu-ray disc and having read the reviews of the USA and UK Blu-ray releases, I can definitely guarantee and feel the United Kingdom release is far more superior, as you get the exclusive bonus of the Printed Collectible 12-page Booklet entitled THE CONVERSATION ON THE CONVERSATION and includes First Reviews of the film after its release in 1974 and other interesting articles. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
