Francis Ford Coppola: The Conversation

Director/Writer - Francis Ford Coppola

Cast Character
Gene Hackman .... Harry Caul
John Cazale .... Stan
Allen Garfield .... William P. "Bernie" Moran
Frederic Forest .... Mark
Cindy Williams .... Ann
Harrison Ford .... Martin Stett
Robert Duvall .... The Director

The Conversation starts in San Francisco as we see the camera slowly zooming in on a crowd to a mime playing with people. Harry ignores the mime as he follows him. His team is keeping surveillance on a couple. Harry follows the couple as his crew watch from the building and surveillance van.

They are being ordered to follow them. His apartment has 3 locks and a high tech alarm system. As he motions in he sees a gift waiting for him. He calls the landlord paranoid on how she put it in his apartment. She tells him she has an extra key. Instead of being happy for the gift he is paranoid about the situation because of his job keeping tapes on others. He is a perfect example of one becoming their job. Harry plays jazz on his spare time. He is rather good. Stan, his coworker, played by John Cazale reads him an article about Harry in a Magazine concerning surveillance and wiretapping to cheer him up.

Harry syncs up all the tapes to create a clear sound reproduction. Harry is so paranoid he doesn't use his house phone if he has one. He goes to a payphone instead. He is stressed, guilt ridden. He probably doesn't like or agree with what he does but fortunately he is the best in his field.

He meets his girl and they have wine. He has a hard time relaxing with her because his job involves infringing on people's rights and privacy. He knows what he does is wrong but comforts himself knowing it's his job - or rather excuses himself. He pays her rent hinting she might be a working girl.

He meets Martin Stett played by Harrison Ford and says he will give Harry's tape to his employer. He takes the tapes back not wanting to anger his employer or make a mistake. He sees the same man in the building they were watching before and the woman on another floor. Harry moves away from her on the elevator not wanting to have a personal connection to someone he is eavesdropping on.

Harry goes back to the tapes to analyze them. He tries to figure out who she thinks has been recording her telephone calls. He makes out what he says and the man says, "He'd kill us if he got the chance." The couple is having an affair and embroiled in some financial scheme. The husband is a very powerful man. Harry goes to an electronic surveillance convention and a guy recognizes him because Harry is a celebrity in his field. Harry tests the equipment. A guy brags about his invention and tries to sell it hard. Later they bring some friends and girls to their work station and the same man before brags about his career. Harry meets a girl who has a an itch needing to be scratched. He doesn't pay much attention to her though. His work constantly watching people makes him unable to communicate with them on a personal level. He hides behind his technology which he thinks gives him an advantage but it is the ultimate disadvantage. His work consumes and infects him and has lost his inner child.

The guy from the convention wants to work with Harry and team up but Harry doesn't want to listen. Harry says he doesn't need the money. Harry has a pen in his jacket pocket that was a wiretap and feels violated and hustled by the man from the convention. He tells him to get out and the party is over.

Even as the girl is still there waiting for him to seduce her he is still listening to his tapes. His job corrodes his personal life and makes him a bit of a social robot. She tells him he doesn't have to feel anything towards her. He is still listening to the surveillance tapes in the most cold seduction ever seen. He is unable to connect to her and there is little rapport.

In his dream he tries to explain himself to the woman that is under surveillance. It is foggy showing the deception he is ashamed of using concerning his job. He rambles to her as she listens. She disappears. It is tense and taut.

As he awakens he looks for Meredith. He realizes the woman stole his surveillance tapes and he is more than angry. Martin Stett calls him and tells him he has the tapes and will pay him in full. He sees the director who the tape is about. Harry cannot keep his composure as he keeps hearing the lines from the tape, "He'd kill us if he got the chance."

He takes a room next to the one the couple said they'd say and puts a eavesdropping device to the next room where they are staying. He envisions her being killed and breaks down. He is able to sleep it off later. He lock-picks into the room out of curiosity and more-so to see if they are safe but he is abusing his power unjustifiably. He checks the shower to make sure she is not inside dead. As he flushes the toilet it overflows with blood and he runs out.

As he he goes back to his boss's building they don't let him up and is told to get out. He is too close to the truth now. The newspaper reveals that her husband is killed in a car crash and now she is taking full control of his company which is very lucrative. Harry imagines all the scenarios of who was involved and if the couple having the affair were involved with the murder.

Harry plays some jazz to take his mind off of what he now presumably knows. Now that Harry knows Martin Stett reveals he has been bugged and not look any further in the presumed murder. Harry looks everywhere for wiretaps and bugs. He shreds his apartment apart looking for bugs. He plays jazz again to forget about the complete mess he is in, that is all he can do.