The Conversation

The Conversation is a film that one could see from many different angles which is a talent that Writer, Director, and Producer Francis Ford Coppola has within every film of his I have seen. As with The Godfather Trilogy the audience can take different parts of this film to create a different view from what is truly being shown.

Coppola’s vision for this film is exactly what the final product is, because as writer, director, and producer of The Conversation he didn’t have to discuss any aspect of the film with anyone else because and the decisions were made final through him. My favorite part about Francis Ford Coppola’s directing in this film is the camera shots. Almost every shot in the film is a wide shot letting the audience see everything around the actors on screen. Along with the wide angle lenses the other shots in the film are shot is a slight fish-eye lens bringing audience slightly closer to the actors.

The strangest (in a good way) shot in this film would be when Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) gets home from recording the man and women in the park to and walks into his apartment. The shot is very interesting because he puts something down and walks off camera. This was never done before in movies it was pretty much unheard off until Coppola did it. Harry stays off camera for quite sometime then another surprise the camera turns to him instead him walking on camera again. This type of camera work isn’t seen again until Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (20 years later).

A focal point of the lighting in this film was shadows. The long opening shot was filled with the shadows of many people who were walking around the park. Which previously knowing a little about the film made me think everyone is shrouded in mystery. Another interesting thing I saw in the film were very dark sets which because of the lighting seemed very bright. For example Harry’s warehouse is a huge empty room except for a corner of it. The entire place is dark but that little piece brightens it, making it seem accessible to the audience. Harry’s “girlfriend’s” apartment is also very dark but the same kind of light from the warehouse isn’t there. Harry seems very upset when he is there which is why I believe it is so dark there because it is a dark place for Harry to be.

The sound of “The Conversation” is amazing. With very recognizable voices, strange electronic noises, and sudden burst it is no wonder this film was nominated in 1974 for the Academy Award for Sound. The main reason the sound is such a prominent aspect of the film is because the film was made in between “The Godfather I & II” two of Coppola’s most popular films. So sound editor and designer, Walter Murch had a bigger role in the editing process and made it a larger part of the film. The music of the film also exploited the fact that Harry was a man suffering from paranoia because of the way it was distorted during stressful times for him.

The costumes in “The Conversation” are very true to the time. One of the main aspects of the costuming that is very noticeable is the raincoat that Harry wear all the time, even when it is not raining or cold outside. This coat is another sign of his paranoia which the audience can see at the strange times he wears the coat.

All of the sets in The Conversation have a very industrial feel to them. Harry's warehouse is a large empty room a represents the emptiness he feels from his job. The only set that doesn't have much of an empty feel is Harry's apartment. It is his santcury from all thing but eventually it becomes a victim of his paranoia.

Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, is a masterpiece of film. The viewer can see that Coppola cared that his vision of this film was realized and was shown to the viewer in the best way he could.