History Film / TheConversation

** And what was in the toilet?

* InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt: An alternate title for the film is ''Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation''.

'''''The Conversation''''' is a 1974 {{psychological thriller}} film directed by Creator/FrancisFordCoppola and starring Creator/GeneHackman.

The film is often mistakenly regarded as a reaction to the Watergate scandal. In reality, the resemblance was just a prophetic coincidence; the screenplay and filming were completed prior to the scandal hitting the press. Furthermore, Coppola explained in the DVD commentary he was inspired by the earlier film [[Film/BlowUp Blow Up]], which dealt with a similar premise, but with photography.

The film is often mistakenly regarded as a reaction to the Watergate scandal. In reality, the resemblance was just a prophetic coincidence; the screenplay and filming were completed prior to the scandal hitting the press. Furthermore, Coppola explained in the DVD commentary he was inspired by the earlier film [[Film/BlowUp]], which dealt with a similar premise, but with photography.

The film is often mistakenly regarded as a reaction to the Watergate scandal. In reality, the resemblance was just a prophetic coincidence; the screenplay and filming were completed prior to the scandal hitting the press.

* MeaningfulName: The last name of Harry is Caul, which sounds like "Call." Also, there may be a connection with the meaning of the word caul: A piece of membrane that can cover a newborn's head and face.

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/HarrisonFord going for a much less heroic & charming role and more of a creepy villainous one, though this film did precede his [[Franchise/StarWars more well]] [[Franchise/IndianaJones known roles]].
** Hackman, too. Caul is exceptionally skilled in his field but is a far cry from the kind of [[{{Badass}} badasses]] Hackman usually plays. Coppola noted in the DVD commentary that Hackman, generally gregarious and relaxed, had a lot of trouble playing the nervous, reclusive Caul.

* ReclusiveArtist: Harry doesn't work well with public relations, and his fellow surveillance experts certainly see him as an example of this trope.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: It was originally envisioned as an {{horror}} film and would have starred Creator/MarlonBrando.
* WriteWhatYouKnow: Coppola considers this his most personal movie, largely because he incorporated so much of his personality into Harry Caul. Like Harry, Coppola suffered from polio as a child which temporarily left him paralyzed. He was also obsessed with gadgetry from an early age and bugged his parents' phone when a teenager. Harry's ardent Catholicism and prudishness tally with many descriptions of Coppola.

* OnceMoreWithClarity: Culminating in the WhamLine [[spoiler:"He'd kill US if he had the chance."]]

Harry Caul (Hackman) is a paranoid, socially-withdrawn surveillance expert in San Francisco who runs a personal business in which he spies on people's conversations at the behest of his clients and reports the information back to them. He is strictly professional in his activities; never questioning ''why'' his clients want those he surveys spied on, nor intervening accordingly. However, his latest assignment has been to spy on Ann (LaverneAndShirley Cindy Williams), the wife of the director of a big company, and her lover Marc (Creator/FredericForrest). He hears in their recorded conversations the phrase: ''[[ArcWords "He'd kill us if he got the chance."]]'' He thus theorizes that Ann's husband suspects she is having an affair and is planning to murder her and Marc, and thereby is torn over whether to adhere to his non-intervention rule or do something.

Harry Caul (Hackman) is a paranoid, socially-withdrawn surveillance expert in San Francisco who runs a personal business in which he spies on people's conversations at the behest of his clients and reports the information back to them. He is strictly professional in his activities; never questioning ''why'' his clients want those he surveys spied on, nor intervening accordingly. However, his latest assignment has been to spy on Ann (Creator/CindyWilliams), the wife of the director of a big company, and her lover Marc (Creator/FredericForrest). He hears in their recorded conversations the phrase: ''[[ArcWords "He'd kill us if he got the chance."]]'' He thus theorizes that Ann's husband suspects she is having an affair and is planning to murder her and Marc, and thereby is torn over whether to adhere to his non-intervention rule or do something.

'''''The Conversation''''' is a 1974 psychological thriller film directed by Creator/FrancisFordCoppola and starring GeneHackman.

Harry Caul (Hackman) is a paranoid, socially-withdrawn surveillance expert in San Francisco who runs a personal business in which he spies on people's conversations at the behest of his clients and reports the information back to them. He is strictly professional in his activities; never questioning ''why'' his clients want those he surveys spied on, nor intervening accordingly. However, his latest assignment has been to spy on Ann (Cindy Williams), the wife of the director of a big company, and her lover Marc (Frederic Forrest). He hears in their recorded conversations the phrase: ''[[ArcWords "He'd kill us if he got the chance".]]'' He thus theorizes that Ann's husband suspects she is having an affair and is planning to murder her and Marc, and thereby is torn over whether to adhere to his non-intervention rule or do something.

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* ChekhovsGun: Though not shown explicitly in the film, it is implied that the eavesdropping device being demostrated at the trade show is what is used to bug Caul at the end.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Ann and Marc murder the director. The director's assistant, with whom they're working, knows that Caul knows the truth. They plant a bug in his own apartment and tell him about it. He tears up the place in a paranoid frenzy trying to find it, but is unable to. He resorts to playing the only thing he has left in his life: his saxophone.]]

* MeaningfulEcho: The recording of the titular conversation is played over and over, but its true meaning isn't understood until the [[OnceMoreWithClarity final repetition.]]
* MeaningfulName: The last name of Harry is Caul, which sounds like "Call". Also, there may be a connection with the meaning of the word caul: a piece of membrane that can cover a newborn's head and face.

* MyGreatestFailure: Harry is haunted by a job he did in New York which was closely followed by [[spoiler:the murders of a man, woman and child.]]
* OnceMoreWithClarity: Culminating in the WhamLine [[spoiler: "He'd kill US if he had the chance."]]

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/HarrisonFord going for a much less heroic & charming role and more of a creepy villainous one, though this film did precede his [[StarWars more well]] [[IndianaJones known roles]].

* ReclusiveArtist: Harry doesn’t work well with public relations, and his fellow surveillance experts certainly see him as an example of this trope.

* WhamLine: Turns out that "He'd kill us if he got the chance" [[spoiler: has very different meanings based on what word you stress]].
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: It was originally envisioned as an horror film and would have starred MarlonBrando.

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* ChekhovsGun: Though not shown explicitly in the film, it is implied that the eavesdropping device shown at the trade show is what is used to bug Caul at the end.

'''''The Conversation''''' is a 1974 psychological thriller film directed by FrancisFordCoppola and starring GeneHackman.

* TechnologyPorn: In spades. Aligning playheads, long distance mikes re-mounted and aimed by snipers, and each multiple audio pass savored for it's methodical slowness. In the digital age, it still qualifies as analog porn that would make the typical DieselPunk aficionado blush.

As it turns out, [[spoiler:the theory he has regarding Ann, Marc and the director is [[PlotTwist dreadfully wrong]].]]

* HeyItsThatGuy: John Cazale appears as one of Harry's colleagues/rivals in the surveillance business. This is one of the five feature films he'd acted in his whole career. Every one of them nominated for Best Picture.

* EpicTrackingShot: The opening shot starts in close on Gene Hackman from above and pulls back to reveal the surrounding Union Square in San Francisco.

Harry Caul (Hackman) is a paranoid, socially-withdrawn surveillance expert in San Francisco who runs a personal business in which he spies on people's conversations at the behest of his clients and reports the information back to them. He is strictly professional in his activities; never questioning ''why'' his clients want those he surveys spied on, nor intervening accordingly. However, his latest assignment has been to spy on Ann (Cindy Williams), the wife of the director of a big company, and her lover Marc (Frederic Forrest). He hears in their recorded conversations the phrase: [[ArcWords "''He'd kill us if he got the chance''".]] He thus theorizes that Ann's husband suspects she is having an affair and is planning to murder her and Marc, and thereby is torn over whether to adhere to his non-intervention rule or do something.

Harry Caul (Hackman) is a paranoid, socially-withdrawn surveillance expert in San Francisco who runs a personal business in which he spies on people's conversations at the behest of his clients and reports the information back to them. He is strictly professional in his activities; never questioning ''why'' his clients want those he surveys spied on, nor intervening accordingly. However, his latest assignment has been to spy on Ann (Cindy Williams), the wife of the director of a big company, and her lover Marc (Frederic Forrest). He hears in their recorded conversations the phrase: "''He'd kill us if he got the chance''". He thus theorizes that Ann's husband suspects she is having an affair and is planning to murder her and Marc, and thereby is torn over whether to adhere to his non-intervention rule or do something.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/The_Conversation_7023.jpg]]