Shadows on the Wall | The Conversation

The Conversation

Review by Rich Cline | MUST SEE

dir-scr-prd Francis Ford Coppola
with Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Michael Higgins, Elizabeth MacRae, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, Mark Wheeler, Robert Shields
release US 7.Apr.74,
UK 11.Jul.74
50th anniversary restoration UK 5.Jul.24
74/US Paramount 1h53

CANNES FILM FEST

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Also reviewed for the 2011 remastering:
THE CONVERSATION

In between the The Godfather parts I and II, Francis Ford Coppola quietly shot what is widely considered to be a masterpiece, working with film and sound editor Walter Murch and musician David Shire to create a jazz-infused immersive thriller about a cryptic sound recording. It's expertly assembled to pull the audience in alongside Gene Hackman's central character, revealing its secrets in ways that are chilling and darkly moving.

In San Francisco, widely respected surveillance expert Harry (Hackman) is hired to record the lunchtime conversation of a young couple (Williams and Forrest) as they walk around the busy Union Square in the run-up to Christmas. Catching their words is a challenge, and what they are saying to each other seems random and innocuous. But Harry hears something in their tone that raises dark memories from a previous job. And then the unseen company director who hired him sends his shifty assistant Martin (Ford) to follow him. Soon everyone begins to look suspicious, and Harry worries that the couple is in jeopardy.

Coppola's script cleverly adds details to each of the characters, making all of them intensely vivid as seen through Harry's eyes. And Harry himself is fascinating, a devout Catholic who tries to maintain distance from his girlfriend Amy (Garr) while playing sax alone in his sterile, supposedly telephone-free apartment. His suspicions alienate his colleague Stan (Cazale) and leave other professionals more than a little befuddled. And when it becomes clear what has happened as a result of this recording, Harry's reaction is epic.

The entire cast and crew are on peak form here, as each element comes together in a way that's mesmerising. Hackman's central performance is wry and often very funny, dodging questions about himself while everyone around him spills his secrets. His past becomes a driving force in the narrative, pushing and changing him as events remain stubbornly out of his control. Everyone else on-screen is memorable as well, especially the snarky young Ford and an uncredited Duvall.

This is a snaky, insidious mystery that gets deep under the skin, tapping into human curiosity and voyeurism while exploring how technology has the power to break down the protective barriers we try to build around ourselves. And 50 years later the story elements feel as prescient as ever, grappling in a powerfully personal way with issues of privacy and responsibility.

themes, language, violence revisited 3.Jul.24

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