The Conversation -- What Makes This Movie Great? (Episode 162)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ค. 2024
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This film isn't a horror and, yet, that jump scene towards the end is probably 100x scarier than anything you'll see in modern horror today.
This movie was so ahead of it’s time - the whole idea of Surviellance society came to fruition
The Crux of the plot pivits 180 degrees on the simple accent-change between these two words in this one sentence: "He’d KILL us… if he had the chance" and; "He’d kill US… if he had the chance." Pure Genius.
just watched it today and couldnt agree more that line we really changed the way I saw this movie
yes, exactly; not fear, but justification.
Yes, but notice that if you go with Josh's interpretation both sentences are presented to us as the way that Caul is hearing them. When his suspicions arise about the couple, the accent changes in his his hearing of the words (they are clearly two different recordings) and the director lets us hear what Caul hears in his paranoid mind. Possibly.
My favorite moment was when Caul realized he'd been bugged briefly as a mean-spirited prank, and the sense of indignant violation quickly turns into guilt and self-loathing. You could even read it as the moment where he begins to lose his grasp on reality, as he becomes increasingly paranoid from that moment forward.
John Cazale was in 5 movies: (1) Godfather 1 (2) Godfather 2 (3) The Conversation (4) Dog Day Afternoon (5) The Deer Hunter
That's a pretty good batting average.
And all 5 were nominated or won an Oscar. Not a bad career to have. It’s a shame he wasn’t with us longer.
Just had to pause when you said "The Conversation" is the best of the Coppola 70's movies. I was certain i was the only person who maintains this position. Not to say thet the others aren't great, epic films... But this is a great little film.
This is a great existential film with a haunting score and is expertly acted by all --- of course, Hackman in the lead performance is unforgettable. And I agree, this may be the best of Coppola's 1970's output and that is saying a lot considering the more popular Godfather films and Apocalypse Now. In my opinion, this film was inspired to a certain degree by Alfred Hitchcock's _Rear Window (1954)_ and Michelangelo Antonioni's _Blow-Up (1966)._ 1981's _Blow Out_ by Brian Depalma also owes a debt to both _Blow-up_ and _The Conversation._
Hackman hit out the park with this performance. Harry is the antithesis of all of the one dimensional leading man roles I see in so many thrillers; nuanced and with a particular psychology. He's a tortured soul, too, much like DeNiro's Travis Bickle.
Coppola was at the top of his game back in the 70s, delivering one great movie after another at that time. Though Apocalypse Now remains my all time favorite Coppola movie, I truly enjoyed The Conversation. It's a crafty, well-written, well-acted paranoid thriller that still feels relevant to this day.
This really made people respect Gene as an actor. He could've played a tough guy his whole career but he surprised many with Scarecrow and this
just finished this film, the last few minutes are incredible and the score is so captivating
I LOVED THAT MOVIE!!!!!
I saw it first in a theater, and was hooked ever since!
I found it on DVD and have it now to watch over and over.
A REAL spin tingler!
This film is one of the great 70s classics.
I was 23 when I saw The Conversation in the theater. It was a film that has stayed with me. It's right there with Marathon Man and The Boys from Brazil. I appreciate this revisit; I want to watch this film again.
Definitely a masterpiece and my favourite Coppola film. Thanks for a great analysis and tribute to its greatness. I have read that Coppola was asked how the film was be be interpreted and he said that he didn't know. It's open-ended and that is what makes it great. For me it doesn't matter, it's so well crafted.
thank you.
You mentioned Harry's lack of relationships or his lack of opening up to people; there is one brilliant moment that says so much during the party scene at his warehouse. This happens after Harry somewhat opens up when talking to Meredith, and then he walks back to his workspace while Stan is riding his scooter, and another surveillance guy is running around the warehouse. By this point, Harry is by his equipment, and his head touches a notice hanging from a light, or maybe a microphone. He looks at the tag and tenderly blows it. To me, that little moment shows how much love and trust he has for his equipment than with people he works with or cares for.
Just saw this beautiful movie on 35mm. The picture is a bit darker, little bit grainier and much dirtier which in my opinion gives the movie a much more authentic touch.
Funny I just watched this movie too a few days ago after last seeing it as a young teenager back in 1974. It always stayed with me as a great film and after a fresh viewing after 49 years it is a masterpiece!
Oh wow, I just watched this movie after watching it in my late teens, when I did not understand it. And coincidentally, I just joined this channel. Cannot get my mind off this movie and am very excited to watch your presentation and comments about it!
Funny I just watched this movie too a few days ago after last seeing it as a young teenager back in 1974. It always stayed with me as a great film and after a fresh viewing after 49 years it is a masterpiece!
I was shown the main theme of this movie by my mom a couple months ago, and have started learning it, but I’ve never watched it. I’m glad this video exists to introduce me to it!
Have you watched it yet?
I love the opening scene with the directional microphones.
I think it would be very interesting to see who would play a modern version of this character. A hard act to follow.
I’m terrible at casting but maybe Michael Shannon?
Yes, I could see that working!@@randywhite3947
One of the (many) great american movies of that era!
I just saw this movie, and I'm absolutely blown away by it. I thought Apocalypse Now was the best film he directed, but this movie is very very close to topping it. Chapeau!
I love this movie too for some weird reason
Another great review -- thank you! The Godfather is overall a better film (the character development alone is unsurpassed), but you can make a really strong case for The Conversation, which also happens to contain the greatest twist ending I've ever seen. Coppola's magical decade is one of history's marvels, up there with Van Gogh's late period, or Mozart's.
Fantastic video and analysis. I actually just watched this for the first time lastnight and as the opening scene played out, i knew this wouldve been a timeless film. You also just got a new subsciber brother
thank you, and welcome.
I love this film
Really good comment about this superb film Josh. Saw it when it was released and it has bugged me since. Glad you mentioned Pakula's 'Night Moves', another perfect role for Hackman. Interesting to compare the two characters Hackman portrays and their attempts to make sense of the world they are in. Hackman is a very good actor - his menacing presence is similar to that of Anthony Hopkins. Good stuff - going to watch it again.
did you say "bugged me", haha ... sounds like the ending (-:
thanks Alan.
Whether you enjoy great character studies or thoughtful thrillers. Coppola’s, “The Conversation”, is an exquisite movie that not only reflects its paranoid time period (70’s paranoia) but is even more topical today with cameras and microphones recording us everywhere we go. This is a movie well ahead of its time and must-see cinema.
i watch it once a year
Great review of a great movie. I saw this movie on release in the mid 1970s, and watched it again a few years ago. Next time I will pay more attention to the soundtrack.
thank you.
thanks!
you're welcome.
The names are quite funny. He is called Caul as in call while his competitor is Moran as in moron because he views him as selling inferior garbage but at the same time, he was tricked by him with the free pen. There might be some meaning behind Stett as in stet but I can't figure it out. Just a theory but I believe the red phone from Moran was used by Stett especially when he was at the convention where it was presented. The strange part was he acted so surprise that he was being surveilled yet he had a telephone out in open and connected
I think this is probably the only Melville film not made by Melville.
thanks👏
It´s in the saxophone...
I love this suggestion
Sound design and David Shire’s score
good movie, great video :)
this movie heralded the end of personal privacy.
all of conversations (email, messaging, social media posts) are now being surveilled by other parties (not necessarily the gov't)...
I feel that 'Brill' from 'Enemy of State' would be a natural prolongation of Hackmans character here.
A person that had first hand experience with the power of the surveillance state and now fell into a total state of paranoia.
Unofficially the same character. Characters of Caul and Brill are both based on the same real life person and both played by the same actor. Enemy could be considered a sequel to Conversation based on that character link.
Check out Martin L. "Marty" Kaiser.
@@robertdean9254 Did not know that, thanks for the cool bit of trivia.👍
The reason why the '70s are so extraordinary when it comes to movies is because every story was so simple, so raw, genuinely original and well-written, and largely character-driven. George Lucas ruined EVERYTHING with "Star Wars". Now, thanks to this, every film has to over-the-top, predictable, filled with archetypes, and little room for subtlety. Every comedy has to be raunchy and profane even though Chaplin is funnier than anyone. Every horror has to be gory even though "Halloween" is terrifying and has zero blood in it. Almost every film is now created just to sell by playing it safe and using every trick in the book to appeal to viewers. Every now and then find a simple, genuinely good film like "Fargo" but most of it is sequels and remakes with the same recycled formula.
That's "something" I completely agree with. But I think it started earlier with Speilberg and "Jaws".
I could go on for days on the shots framing and writing. Gene Hackman is top tier on this but what really made this movie a top 10 for me was easily the perfect score. It oozes darkness and mystery.
thank you.
I just watched this and thought it was just ok. I have a few issues. 1. The spoiler conversation switch is a bit of a cheat. He could't possibly mishear it that badly. If it sounded like that at first, he might have suspected something was up. 2. Maybe I didn't watch closely enough, but the hotel meet up with the Director didn't make sense to me. 3. Why didn't he just move at the end? Surely his landlord wouldn't have been ok with the noise and damage.
Watched this tonight for the first time. It felt ... underwhelming. Was disappointed by that. I figured I'd like it so much more.
Watched it just now. It was incredibly underwhelming.
Yep 😕
Yea, often felt it was going nowhere.
Im glad we got the same views. Like being an unreliable narrator theme and stuff.
One question about Hackman's character, who is supposedly a master of his craft and deeply protective of his secret techniques. Why would he bring a group of friends and competitors to his private office?
vanity. showing off. It gets us all at times. I can't recall if in the movie he takes the initiative or the invitation is thrust on him. Maybe he's not paranoid enough, which would be ironic in this film.
Harry Caul > Popeye Doyle (in terms of Hackman’s performance)
not even close, for sure
Never really gotten this one. Tried to re-watch it i while back but it was just soooo boring.
My rank of Blow Up rip offs:
1. Blow Out
2. Blow Up(Yes i include the original)
3. The Conversation
I also feel that Blow Up does a better and more revealing job of examining the protagonist's quandary and inability to honestly meet reality.
This film was on my «to view» list for a long time. I saw the film but was disappointed by the overall story. I mean it was ok but I get the feeling the movie is overrated. I’m writing with all respect for those who love it. It’s just my point of view.
thank you.
This film was like watching paint dry and ia m a bit of a film buff
I enjoyed it, was in the right frame of mind I guess. Also I enjoy tape recorder porn.
I tried it a few years ago myself and couldn't finish. Not a big Coppola fan except I was able to finish godfather trilogy and apocalypse now. I think I'm gonna try it again at some point ..maybe
Pay more attention and it’s alright, worst film to watch if you’re not watching properly
@@CodPatrol still a boring film Gene Hackmans Character goes mad at the end
This movie is highly rated so I watched it on Disney+. It is slow. I did not enjoy the score, but I don't like jazz especially. I kept waiting for the movie to get going. It's confusing in parts. What was happening in his alcohol induced dream sequence. He saw the murder exactly as it happened and he met the dark haired woman on a foggy hill to try and warn her? My impression is that Gene Hackman's character is autistic. He is a loner by choice, he has poor social skills but is very talented in surveillance. He needs physical intimacy but is unable to maintain an emotional relationship hence the kept woman.
He gets upset when the tables are turned and he is subjected to surveillance. The wine put in his room by the Super, the pen in his jacket pocket which even I knew was a bug, Harrison Ford knew his telephone number without being told and played him his own saxophone back to him to show him his room was bugged even though Caul could not find the bug despite tearing his place apart including his precious Jesus statue. He had been outsmarted by someone.
How was Caul contacted by the Director? $15K in the 70's would have been good pay. The dark haired woman is the Director's (Robert Duvall's) Daughter? The blood coming up out of the toilet implies they cleaned up the room and flushed the evidence down the toilet which became blocked. Did they then cover up the murder by making it look like a car accident, hence why they showed us the car earlier and the newspaper article with the photo and headline?
To suggest a middle aged man is having paranoid delusions (which typically occur in severe depression or paranoid psychosis) does not make sense because Caul is clearly not mentally ill with these diseases and is clearly very intelligent and at the end he reverts back to playing his saxophone to relax. Presumably the subplot is that the director is controlling of his daughter who wants her freedom and plots to murder her father to inherit his substantial business and money by drawing him in to going to a hotel room alone to catch her with her lover only to be murdered by his personal assistant, Harrison Ford. Which building is the Director working from? Is this set in San Francisco hence the fog?
The honey trap scene with the woman in the backless, green dress was just creepy.
Caul is a deeply religious man and Roman Catholic. He takes confession. He is full of guilt because his previous work lead to horrific murders.
One of my favorite films, tops my list from Coppola. Though I've never committed myself to a particular theory on the ending, I have certainly mulled both possibilities. Glad you mentioned the score, understated perfection for me.
Speaking of David Shire, have you heard his score for Apocalypse Now? He completed nearly an hour of material for the film before being fired. It's easy to find these days and may be up your alley, as I've heard you express affinity for synthesized scores a few times on this channel.
Thanks for the great analysis.
also would be my favorite Coppola, yes
excellent, I had not heard of this score! yes, I love synthesizers.
1:14 Lol I can understand why that guy thought he had a defective torrent without watching further.
huh? I am missing something -- do not understand what you are saying. do you mean the sound makes somebody think they have a defective file?
@@LearningaboutMovies The heavy distortion in the surveillance audio at the beginning of the film, he didn't think it was a part of the film.