Written and Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

BBD Comments:

Ah, ‘The Conversation.’

This is a hell of a film. I suppose I identify almost too well with Harry Caul. He is a bachelor who lives alone in a small flat, devoting his whole life to a singular pursuit. I like to think I’m a happier man than Caul, but suffice it to say, I know where he’s coming from throughout much of this film.

Harry’s tragedy is his craft has made him so cold and indifferent that he will likely never trust another person for the rest of his life. In Coppola’s compelling script, Harry is tempted many times to open up to those around him, but time after time that trust is demolished by his increasing, and increasingly justified, paranoia.

I have always enjoyed films about craft. I am a sucker for stories that teach you the mechanics of some mysterious profession. ‘F/X’ does it with special effects, the superior Bond films do it with espionage, and here we have Coppola’s ‘The Conversation’ which does the same for snooping. The eponymous conversation, it’s recording, and the ultimate assembling of its discrete moments engages me almost completely. While Coppola is making a film about sound, in many ways it is truly a film about film. The intricate coverage of Cindy Williams and Frederic Forrest strolling through a San Francisco park enables Coppola to bring many New Wave touches to an otherwise straight forward American film. The myriad use of hand held shakes, fuzzy and racked focus, and non-linear editing make this film required viewing for any collegiate Film Theory student.

Speaking of which, how is it possible that Coolbaugh has seen this film and Mr. Wiener has not? It is confusing to the extreme that Ben got his degree without writing anything about ‘The Conversation,’ but such are the mysteries of life. Kudos to Zack for selecting a film that made Ben utter words I have never heard him say through seventeen years of friendship – “I don’t get it.” Nubs, I’m proud of you.

For all the hell we gave MONA for putting Coolbaugh to sleep with ‘Wings of Desire,’ I have to say that Nubs gets a pass with this one. We could have wired Coolbaugh up ‘Clockwork Orange’ style and he still would have slept after his Staples Center reverie. I was relieved to hear he had already seen it before he settled into his slumber.

In many ways, this pick was as inevitable as ‘Jaws,’ but Nubs has become the go to guy for choosing picks that bring unseen talent to the Stucco in unexpected ways. While Scorcese was inevitable, ‘King of Comedy’ was not, and like ‘The Conversation,’ once that film was over I couldn’t think of a better way to get him on the screen. So now Coppola has joined our ranks, and once again Nubs has proven himself a skilled SELECTOR.

Oh, yeah…

One more thing…

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FUCKING PRINT!!!! NOT ONLY DID IT TAKE HIM TWENTY FUCKING MINUTES TO GET THE DAMN BOOTLEG TO WORK ON THE DVD PLAYER; NOT ONLY WAS IT THE MURKIEST POSSIBLE IMAGE WITH THE WEAKEST, MOST GRAINY BLACKS IMAGINABLE – BUT WE HAD TO SEE THE FREAKING “TCM” LOGO FOUR TIMES THROUGHOUT THE FILM!!!!!

Nubs has told me his comments on this film include an apology for the bad print, and I accept his apology gladly, but Nubby, this is Movienight. We sit in the cold to appreciate films as they were meant to be seen, not as they were tivo-ed off of TCM. It was an egregious error in judgment, and I trust all Selectors moving forward will continue our proud tradition of screening the best available print.

See you guys next week.

Brandon Comments:

“I'm not afraid of death, but I am afraid of murder.”

Ahh, yes, another gem from the true golden age of American cinema, which the Movienight Crew, under the guise of wine, beer, and doobage, surmised was 1968-1978.

‘The Conversation’ is a heavy, heavy tale of a surveillance technician’s ride into Paranoia-Ville after he bugs a couple who he fears will eventually be murdered due to his wiretapping. Although Wiener didn’t care much for the film, the rest of the Crew did. We all followed Hackman’s character as he fell deeper and deeper into the world of delusion and suspicion. But was it all real? Is he going mad? Did he tear up his floorboards for any real reason? I think he did.

Nubs made a great choice with ‘The Conversation.’ Although he and I tangled in the past with certain actors and films (most notably the Tim Robbins debate),  Nubs really shined with this pick.

But did anybody else notice that scene in his loft, during the party, when the skinny blonde lady tried to seduce Hackman and she did that weird little dance when they were alone--did anybody else notice how her dance was almost exactly the same as in ‘Evil Dead 2,’ when Ash’s girlfriend is killed then returns as a headless corpse and twirls about by the tree? It’s the same damn dance! Only in ‘Evil Dead 2’ her head rolls off and she flies away.

Netti Comments:

I was a little slow on the reviews the last two weeks for no particular reason. For those of you out there in the cold void of the internet who are still wrestling with the concept of Zip. Thud. Onward. Please see my first ever posting to the Moivenight website which is perhaps a little self-indulgent, however it is an accurate description of my first impressions of Movienight. I admit it's obscure, if not imprecise. Hopefully Ben Wiener will witness the general path of the piece, now that Coolbaugh has culled one with his shining purple machete of a dictum.  I think another blog entry  is awaiting impregnation in the fallopians.

Now on to ‘The Conversation.’ This was the second time I had seen the film and the first time widescreen.  If the first time was respectable, then I would have to characterize this viewing as transcendent.  As most directors seem to have, this is Francis Ford Coppola's gem. It's precise without being precious. It is psychologically claustrophobic without forcing you into a corner.  And it offered so much more on the second viewing, as details were allowed to wash over. And like most films that stick with you, it leaves you with questions that can never really be answered. How long has this guy been doing this? How long has he been teetering on the edge of insanity and total paranoia? It is a must see. If you don't get it, see it again.

SELECTOR Comments:

‘The Conversation’ is a movie I remember loving for it’s unusual performances from Cinema legends and for Coppola’s hauntingly subtle storytelling. This combined with my desire to get Francis Ford Coppola and John Cazale to join our club were the reasons I brought this gem to the Stucco.

As I said following the showing, I want to sincerely apologize for bringing a less than perfect copy of my movie. It is unacceptable Movienight form and I held my head in shame every time that horrid “TCM” tag blazed our precious wall. To explain myself again, I trusted a coworker who swore to me they had a perfect copy. Just like, our hero, Harry Caul, I was mistrusting and suspicious. Like Harry, I should have listened to my intuition haunting my thoughts, and acquired the movie elsewhere. Instead, I took the easy way out and watched the first part of the movie, which on my television screen seemed fine, as did the sound, which was crucial. I was dead wrong. I am extremely grateful and appreciative to all of you who were willing to overlook this blemish and consider the artistry that was intended in our crappy copy. As is the case with many of our sports heroes, I made a bad judgment call, and let down my peers and my fans. Unlike many of our sports heroes, I can assure you it will never happen again. I only hope the kids will learn from my mistakes.

As for the Crew and the movie’s ability to persevere, I think the proof is in the pudding. With Coolbaugh passing out and Wiener “not getting it,” I agree with that quote from ‘Die Hard,’ “I figure we lose about 20 to 25 percent of the hostages. I can live with that.” I knew we would lose Coolbaugh when he made his fifth trip to the open bar at the Lakers’ event we attended hours before. What is really intriguing is Ben “film school” Wiener not seeing it before and not appreciating it this time. I think for a first viewing, our forum may not have been the best setting. ‘The Conversation’s cryptic pace, reliance on repetition, and emphasis on perception both visual and audible may not have been compatible with the way this Crew is accustomed to movie watching. I also noticed Wiener got up to water the trees at a crucial time when the bloody murder is foreshadowed.  If you’re not on board with the story at the point it starts to turn, its easy to understand how one might not “get it”. I take full responsibility for the casualties, though I did try to warn Coolbaugh who, like any of us, couldn’t resist the two greatest words in the English language, “open bar.”

As for the other percent of the survivors, who had all seen it before, ‘The Conversation’ is a great art piece that stimulates wonderful conversation. The proving pudding being the late night at Davis’s enjoyed by most while we drank, imdb-ed, and celebrated the “golden age” of cinema. Though there were many interpretations of Coppola’s meaning, the sense of the city and community stood out in every scene of this viewing for me. The opening shot is brilliant in telling this story as we see a view of the city and zoom in on the individual. There are many shots of the city, buildings, windows, and the painting of the village on the wall of the hotel room which becomes our focus at the pinnacle point of Harry’s struggle. Coppola, a master of symbolism, uses this story of a spy to question our purpose and the responsibility we have to our fellow citizens. It is appropriate we watched this movie one year after ‘Rear Window.’ Harry Caul is a genius with incredible talent and is the best in his field. Unfortunately, this field mostly causes shame, suffering, and serious harm to his fellow man. Is his responsibility to himself or others?  When he does his job flawlessly without asking questions he pushes away his lover and one friend. Then when his guilt and loneliness cause him to open up and become emotionally involved he is used, betrayed, and victimized. His naiveté and blind ambition lead to murder and in the last shot we see he is sentenced to life in prison, isolated and monitored in a cell of his own creation.

Bravo, Francis. Welcome to our club. I promise you’ll be treated with more respect next time you drop by.

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