The Conversation (1974)

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Writer/Director: Frances Ford Coppola

Stars: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams, Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Mac Rae, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford



A reclusive surveillance expert (Gene Hackman) fears that his current assignment may involve setting two young lovers (Frederick Forrest and Cindy Williams) up to be murdered.  



This is one of Francis Ford Coppola’s 70s masterpieces that established him as one of our most important directors.

 


It is a thriller for people with an attention span, something all too rare in today’s smash-cut style of cinema. 



Coppola establishes a quiet atmosphere of dread and slowly mounting tension while presenting the compelling character study of a man who makes his living by invading the privacy of others but is so terrified of being seen that he has nearly isolated himself from the rest of the human race. 



He allows a woman he loves (Terri Garr) to slip away because he cannot bring himself to share even the most superficial details of his life with her. 



This film has turned out to be remarkably prescient regarding the intrusion of surveillance technology on our private lives, and it is interesting to see the state of the art in the 70s. 



Hackman is always remarkable, but he turns in one of his best performances here. 



The brilliant final sequence provides a perfect metaphor for insanity.







































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