The Conversation

Name: The Conversation
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Released: 1974-04-07
Duration: 1 h 53 min
Rating: 7.7
Cast: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams

Harry Caul is an invader of privacy. The best in the business. He can record any conversation between two people anywhere. So far, three people are dead because of him.

The Conversation (1974)

Timing: 1:53 (113 min)

7.524/10
1639

7.575/10
17107

7.7/10
136000

All about film

Video 3

Photo 37

Actors and characters

Watch film The Conversation | The Conversation (1974) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]

Release date

1974-04-07

Country

United States

Production

Paramount, The Coppola Company, American Zoetrope, The Directors Company

Genre

Crime, Drama, Mystery

Budget

$1 600 000

Revenue

$4 420 000

Website

https://www.zoetrope.com/american-zoetrope/the.conversation

Director

Francis Ford Coppola

Actors

Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams, Michael Higgins, Elizabeth MacRae, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford, Mark Wheeler
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Francis Ford Coppola

Producer

Francis Ford Coppola

Operator

Bill Butler

Composer

David Shire

Artist

Audition

Jennifer Shull

Editing

Richard Chew
All team (32)

Short description

Surveillance expert Harry Caul is hired by a mysterious client's brusque aide to tail a young couple. Tracking the pair through San Francisco's Union Square, Caul and his associate Stan manage to record a cryptic conversation between them. Tormented by memories of a previous case that ended badly, Caul becomes obsessed with the resulting tape, trying to determine if the couple is in danger.

What's left behind the scenes

The mime on Union Square was played by Robert Shields, who was actually a mime and performed specifically on Union Square.
The blue 'Mercedes' in which Cindy Williams' character sits belonged to Coppola. The car was the subject of a dispute with Paramount Pictures bosses about whether 'The Godfather' would reach a certain milestone in box office receipts. After the film became a hit, Coppola and George Lucas went to choose a car, telling the seller that he could send the bill to Paramount.
Due to creative differences, cinematographer Haskell Wexler left the film and was replaced by Bill Butler.
Bernie Moran was supposed to play Timothy Carey. He dropped out of the project, and filming did not begin until he was replaced by Allen Garfield.
Martin Stett was supposed to be a minor character in the film, but Harrison Ford's performance captivated the director so much that he expanded the role.
In 1995, the film was included in the National Film Registry.
The film's screenplay was written as early as 1966, and the success of 'The Godfather' (1972) allowed Coppola to bring it to life. The director noted that Michelangelo Antonioni's 'Blow-Up' served as a source of inspiration for him when creating the film.

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