The Conversation (1974) - Francis Ford Coppola

[Matt H. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt H.]

Just watched this brilliant movie for the first time and I think it may be Coppola's masterpiece. It's mesmerizing! I love how it leaves so many aspects of the story unexplained and open to interpretation, providing endless possibilities of how it all went down. There isn't one superfluous scene. Coppola was firing on all cylinders when he made this. The dream sequence is one of the most powerful I've ever seen. This is one to savour and I know I'll want to revisit it again and again.

[enandalusiskhund An Andalusian Dog Find all posts View Profile Close enandalusiskhund]

It is indeed brilliant. Coppola's 70's streak is amazing: The Godfather I & II, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now, one masterpiece after another. You seen De Palma's Blow Out and Antonioni's Blow Up by the way? They're both thematic siblings to The Conversation.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

I'm not the biggest fan of Coppola generally: I can appreciate the artistry and breadth of THE GODFATHER, for example, but it's not a film I would choose to watch for pleasure. However, if I had to draw up a list of 25 or so favourite films, THE CONVERSATION would be in there somewhere. It's an amazing film, not just my favourite Coppola picture but my favourite of the paranoid thrillers of the 1970s. The sound design is phenomenal, and the photography is beautiful. The narrative is enigmatic without being confusingly so.

[Randy G Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Randy G]

Saw this as a teen and it is one of the films that made me fall in love with films. One of the best American films of the 70s for sure.

[Matt H. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt H.]

It is indeed brilliant. Coppola's 70's streak is amazing: The Godfather I & II, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now, one masterpiece after another. You seen De Palma's Blow Out and Antonioni's Blow Up by the way? They're both thematic siblings to The Conversation.

I've seen both of them. BLOW OUT is incredible, one of my favourites; BLOWUP didn't connect with me at all, perhaps I should give it another chance.

[Dark Horse 77 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dark Horse 77]

It is indeed brilliant. Coppola's 70's streak is amazing: The Godfather I & II, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now, one masterpiece after another. You seen De Palma's Blow Out and Antonioni's Blow Up by the way? They're both thematic siblings to The Conversation.

His 70s streak is indeed amazing. Hal Ashby is the only one who comes close in my book: The Landlord, Harold & Maude, The Last Detail, Shampoo, Bound For Glory, Coming Home, Being There. That's quite a run.

[Matt H. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt H.]

Poor Hal Ashby. He died way too young (59, same age as Cassavetes). I've always wanted to see 8 MILLION WAYS TO DIE.

[Dark Horse 77 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dark Horse 77]

Poor Hal Ashby. He died way too young (59, same age as Cassavetes). I've always wanted to see 8 MILLION WAYS TO DIE.

It's a fun watch. I found it to be good, trashy 80s fun. It was not the great film Ashby should've finished his career with but better than the crap fests he'd previously released from 81-85.

[Matt H. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt H.]

I'm hoping Kino or somebody will release it on disc. I'm pretty sure it only ever had a VHS release.

[JoeS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoeS]

It is amazing that THE CONVERSATION was the 'little' film Coppola did in between the two GODFATHER titans - and, many, like myself, feel it may be the best of the three.

The last time I saw it, in a theater in 35MM was so overwhelming, I'm 'afraid' to see it again, so as not to taint the memory.

[Matt H. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt H.]

I know what you mean about not wanting to taint the memory; I haven't watched FULL METAL JACKET since I saw it on the big screen a few years ago. It felt like it was the "definitive" viewing. Same thing with TAXI DRIVER; with that screening, I was able to fully appreciate Bernard Hermann's score. I don't think watching it at home would do it justice anymore.

[enandalusiskhund An Andalusian Dog Find all posts View Profile Close enandalusiskhund]

I've also got a few of those films: Lost Highway is one. Have seen it countless times on home video, but nothing has come near watching it on 35mm in the cinema.

Wasn't Coppola forced into doing Godfather II with the promise he'd get to do The Conversation if he did? Or was that Apocalypse Now?

[Matt H. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt H.]

According to the book EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS, he didn't want to do the first one. He agreed to do the second one if he had more creative control.

From the book: Peter Bart, the VP of production at Paramount, offered Coppola a million dollars to write and direct GODFATHER II. He agreed, with the stipulation "that none of the executives and producers who were involved with THE GODFATHER could be involved with the sequel. (Robert) Evans was not allowed to put a foot on the set. He also secured a commitment from Paramount to finance THE CONVERSATION." He only got paid $60,000 to make the first one.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

The last time I saw it, in a theater in 35MM was so overwhelming, I'm 'afraid' to see it again, so as not to taint the memory.

I can relate to this. I haven't watched CITIZEN KANE since I saw a 35mm print of it about five or six years ago, for similar reasons. RAGING BULL, I haven't seen since I saw it at the cinema about fifteen years ago; that was a powerful viewing, I remember it reduced a young man in the audience (watching the film with his girlfriend, sitting on the same aisle as me) to tears as La Motta's life unravelled on the screen. THE CONFORMIST, THE EXORCIST, PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID, APOCALYPSE NOW and THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY were others that I didn't watch on home video for between five and ten years after seeing them at the cinema during the mid-1990s. I've not revisited MULHOLLAND DRIVE or LOST HIGHWAY at all since their original cinema releases during the 1990s.

Hitchcock's THE LADY VANISHES would have been another one, but I had to write an article about the film a year or two after watching it at the cinema, and so found myself in a position whereby I had to watch it at home again.

[JoeS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoeS]

Tarkovsky's SOLARIS and Kubrick's 2001 are both movies I've never even tried to watch on TV. I've seen bits of 2001, but, I just can't sit and watch it on even my pretty decent home system. Last year, I saw 2001 in 70MM with Sfx genius Douglas Trumbull there to introduce it - I can never watch it again on a mere TV set!