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THE CONVERSATION (1974)
🕑 Added 2021-07-10 03:16:29 +0000 UTCTruly one of the more underrated films, not only for Francis Ford Coppola, but just of 1970s American cinema. One of my favorite movies. The final shot of the film for me is one of the most haunting. As I watched it this last time, I realized that the headspace that Harry finds himself in at the end of the film, is sort of where the character of Willard finds himself at the beginning of Apocalypse, Now. The Conversation felt like a gateway in the finale that gives us a taste of facing demons, ego, and the fear that Apocalypse would eventually take straight into deep water. In a non-literal way, it almost feels like an indirect continuation of something that was still forming. "Still only in Saigon..."
Comments
Deepfocuslens
Oh it's sooo good. He perfectly captures loneliness in a very unexpected way with those piano solos.
jared Clarke
Haven’t seen the film in a while but that David Shire score has always stayed with and gave me chills.
Wolfman Brandon
Fantastic film! I remember showing it to a friend in college who never heard of these older films and she was blown away by the ending. As for Hackman, it's the glasses. So many tough guys he's played but you put those glasses on him and it's like magic. He's a totally different person. I've been wearing non prescription glasses for years now because of his character in this film. Also underrated is John Cazale who we lost too early, a great early performance by Harrison Ford despite only a few scenes, and in beautiful irony, this was released during the Watergate scandal. One of the best films of the 1970s.
Deepfocuslens
I reviewed it years ago. But I revisit it every few years, and it grows for me with each experience.
Deepfocuslens
For me I prefer it to both Godfather films.
Deepfocuslens
Haha possibly! At first I thought that was a stretch, but Coppola did say this film was heavily inspired by Blow-Up.
Bennett Oliver
Yeah, I agree it’s one of Hackman’s best performances. In a career full of playing assertive, sometimes bullying men, I’ve never known him to play someone so meek and introverted. Since we’re tying this film in with other movies, do you think the mime that’s doing his act throughout the couple’s recorded conversation is a reference to the group of mimes playing tennis at the end of Blow-Up?
Tony Moro
Ironically, just the other day I was having a conversation with myself if I should finally watch this........
Stephen
Wow, never thought of it that way but now you're making me want to re-watch it again. I've only seen it once and didn't quite have the same level of enthusiasm for it as I do for the first two Godfathers and Apocalyspe Now but nonetheless thought it was very good and do agree that the ending is excellent. Definitely one of Hackman's best performances.
Arthur Augustyn
I saw this movie in high school film studies where I was very miffed we were watching so many boring movies and came to believe I hated all old movies, but this one came up and it always stuck with me. The surveillance aspect was very intuitively woven into the filmic techniques — like the last shot panning back and forth like a security camera. Haven’t seen the movie since the first time (now probably 15 years ago) but very interested in your thoughts and revisiting
