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IMDbPro

Conversation secrète

Original title: The Conversation
  • 1974
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
132K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,781
112
Gene Hackman in Conversation secrète (1974)
Trailer 1
Play trailer1:56
4 Videos
99+ Photos
Conspiracy ThrillerPsychological DramaPsychological ThrillerDramaMysteryThriller

A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.

  • Director
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Writer
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Stars
    • Gene Hackman
    • John Cazale
    • Allen Garfield
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    132K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,781
    112
    • Director
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Writer
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Stars
      • Gene Hackman
      • John Cazale
      • Allen Garfield
    • 510User reviews
    • 195Critic reviews
    • 88Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 14 wins & 17 nominations total

    Videos4

    The Conversation
    Trailer 1:56
    The Conversation
    The Conversation 4K Restoration - Rialto Pictures Trailer
    Trailer 1:02
    The Conversation 4K Restoration - Rialto Pictures Trailer
    The Conversation 4K Restoration - Rialto Pictures Trailer
    Trailer 1:02
    The Conversation 4K Restoration - Rialto Pictures Trailer
    The Conversation - Restoration Trailer
    Trailer 1:56
    The Conversation - Restoration Trailer
    'The Conversation' | 45th Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:36
    'The Conversation' | 45th Anniversary Mashup

    Photos209

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    Top cast22

    Edit
    Gene Hackman
    Gene Hackman
    • Harry Caul
    John Cazale
    John Cazale
    • Stan
    Allen Garfield
    Allen Garfield
    • Bernie Moran
    Frederic Forrest
    Frederic Forrest
    • Mark
    Cindy Williams
    Cindy Williams
    • Ann
    Michael Higgins
    Michael Higgins
    • Paul
    Elizabeth MacRae
    Elizabeth MacRae
    • Meredith
    • (as Elizabeth Mac Rae)
    Teri Garr
    Teri Garr
    • Amy
    Harrison Ford
    Harrison Ford
    • Martin Stett
    Mark Wheeler
    Mark Wheeler
    • Receptionist
    Robert Shields
    Robert Shields
    • The Mime
    Phoebe Alexander
    • Lurleen
    Ramon Bieri
    Ramon Bieri
    • Millard
    • (uncredited)
    Gian-Carlo Coppola
    Gian-Carlo Coppola
    • Boy in Church
    • (uncredited)
    George Dusheck
    • TV Anchor
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Duvall
    Robert Duvall
    • The Director
    • (uncredited)
    Richard Hackman
    • Confessional Priest
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    George Meyer
    • Salesman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Writer
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews510

    7.7132.1K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'The Conversation' is a complex film with mixed opinions. Gene Hackman's performance as Harry Caul, a surveillance expert, is widely praised. Themes of privacy, surveillance, and moral dilemmas are central, with some appreciating the film's exploration. Sound design and cinematography enhance the narrative and atmosphere. However, others criticize the slow pace, convoluted plot, and unclear direction. The ending is particularly divisive, seen as ambiguous or unsatisfying. Overall, it's a significant but polarizing work.
    AI-generated from the text of user reviews

    Featured reviews

    jonnyfilm-2

    Easily the top Suspense Film of all time!

    Harry Caul: `I'm not afraid of death, but I am afraid of murder.'



    Two weeks ago I wrote a review of `The Silence of the Lambs' I said I thought that it was one of the greatest suspense films of all time. Well Francis Ford Coppola's ingenious and frightening film isn't one of the best suspense films of all time; it simply is the greatest suspense film of all time. It follows professional ease dropper Harry Caul's job on a conversation that goes way beyond anything that he ever could expect. This film is truly something else in its own right. Coppola is such a master, such a brilliant mind. This film is him at his best, after `The Godfather' and before part two. He makes this film so brilliantly and so knowing of what emotions the audience will feel, every pause and every silence is direct and timed. The film is completely intentional. It is constructed off of films like Michelangelo Antonioni's `Blow-up' or most Hitchcock films. Coppola takes these aspects brought by most of the great filmmakers and takes them to a whole new level of personal texture. He puts so much more into it. Making him (I can't say this enough) one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, and most misunderstood. His films are like pie, they look good, they taste good, heck they even smell good, but you never really know what they are made of. All his films are deeper then they seem, it takes a true (TRUE!) film lover to respect what influences the man has made. Look at it like this, the greatest Hollywood film of all time, `The Godfather,' the greatest War film of all time `Apocalypse Now,' The greatest Sequel of all time `The Godfather Part II,' and the greatest Independent/Suspense film of all time `The Conversation.' What else is there to conquer? Science Fiction? His next film `Megalopolis' will tackle that void. Who cares about his slips, he has made some of the greatest films of all time.



    In this film his talent is at its best with an involving, brilliantly executed screenplay and flawless direction. He makes cookies into Danish, if any other man ever made this film it would be good no doubt, but the greatest suspense film of all time? I think not. Harry Caul's (Hackman) character is so deep and so magnified. He is such a character's character; this film is a pure and simple character study. Not to mention the flawless cinematography and music. The little jazz piano riff fits the film perfectly and the cinematography is so mechanical like a piece of surveillance equipment. The dialogue in the first few minutes is so perfectly written it makes the viewer cringe wanting to know what it is the couple is saying so when we find out it is more of a gift. The conversation that the film is based on is set up so well all threw out the film, the more we hear the more we think, it is repetition at its perfection. The repetition is a true part of the film, the more the viewer hears something they ask themselves why am I hearing this again, what does it mean? Then the conversation tears at the viewer until they fall apart, just like Harry. The viewer understands his motivations, they see his reasons. We are set up and moved around this maze of murder and mayhem, we are Harry (J). This is just one of many brilliant aspects of the film. It never dives down or falls off it always stays paranoid like the main character. `The Conversation' is a haunting and well constructed masterpiece that molds great acting with brilliant storytelling. This is what films in this day and age should try to do. But they won't, they never will, and `The Conversation' will hold its ground as the most thoughtful and suspenseful film of all time.



    Mark: He'd kill us if he got the chance.
    8SnoopyStyle

    great 70s paranoia

    Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is surveillance expert in San Francisco. He is very professional and stays away from the content of what he's recording. He is extremely private and paranoid about being watched. He's a devout Catholic and a jazz lover. He has no friends other than business associate Stan (John Cazale). He's secretive even with girlfriend Amy Fredericks (Teri Garr). Director (Robert Duvall) hired him to spy on couple Ann and Mark. Martin Stett (Harrison Ford) tries to get the tapes but Caul refuses. They bring back a bunch of fellow investigators attending the surveillance convention and it's revealed that he's haunted by an incident in New York. He become concerned about what is going to happen to Ann and Mark.

    This is a really fascinating character. It taps into the 70s paranoia about technology and surveillance. What starts as fascinating technical idea turns into a deeply disturbed personal struggle. It doesn't give easy answers. The audience strains to understand what's going on in the case. That's part of the appeal from Francis Ford Coppola. He lays out the cards but doesn't necessarily explain them.
    8Movie_Muse_Reviews

    Voyeurism gets exposed with top-notch Coppola work

    Anyone could market or even direct "The Conversation" as a mystery, but Francis Ford Coppola manages to reveal some of our human tendencies in his film just as well as he holds us in suspense. Voyeurism, like it or not, is a human characteristic. Modern day reality television proves both that point alone and simultaneously that "The Conversation" is an excellent film because it has only ripened over the years.

    Coppola's character Harry Caul, portrayed by Gene Hackman in one of his finest performances, is the embodiment of this guilty pleasure of spying on others whether covertly or casually. He's a professional wire-tapper, one of the best in the business, seemingly able to capture the most pristine recordings for all his clients even though he is rarely enlightened as to the purpose of his jobs. It's not too long before we learn that Harry is a devout Catholic who harbors a bit of guilt because his career founds itself on the don't ask, don't tell principle.

    The film open with what its title promises: a conversation. Harry has been hired to record a conversation of a man and a woman on their work break. The conversation seems inconspicuous, but the more Harry deals with his mysterious client and goes back to listen to the tapes, the more he begins to hear and infer from the conversation. He eventually comes to the conclusion he might have recorded a death warrant and begins to grow paranoid.

    Harry's complexity is the finest element of Coppola's script. The story develops slowly but Harry becomes a more peculiar figure in the viewer's mind as time wears on. At first it seems like he isolates himself for protection purposes, but his loneliness becomes more and more apparent. He constantly feels threatened and there feels like a layer of ice between him and his relationships in the film, especially two memorable scenes where he interacts with women.

    Coppola's elegant framing and precision pacing do the rest of the work drawing us further in as the story progresses, highlighting our own preoccupation with the truth behind this couple's conversation. We're made aware of our own tendency to twist words and misinterpret what someone is saying, not to mention how easy and commonplace it really is to essentially spy on someone and invade his or her privacy entirely.

    "The Conversation" properly mixes drama with mystery while offering a complete character portrait and subtle social commentary. Most films don't have that many tools working for them but Coppola's masterful script does. No single element is consummate or overrides the rest, but together they make for a fine film.

    ~Steven C

    Visit my site at http://moviemusereviews.com
    Infofreak

    One of the 1970s best!

    'The Conversation' sadly doesn't get mentioned as much as Coppola's other (more flamboyant) seventies movies ('The Godfather' parts one and two, 'Apocalypse Now'), even though it as good as, if not better than the aforementioned. In fact if someone argued that this was his greatest achievement as a director, I would be hard pressed to disagree.

    'The Conversation' bears many similarities to Antonioni's 'Blowup', another superb movie that requires multiple viewings to really appreciate. Both movies are very much of their time, and therefore 'The Conversation' is fuelled by the keywords of the decade it was made in - paranoia and deceit. The other main difference between the two movies it that 'The Conversation' is not only a head trip but also a taut and suspenseful thriller. Post Simpson/Bruckheimer audiences may not have the attention spans to appreciate it, but that is their failing, not this movie's.

    Gene Hackman gives one of the finest performances of his career here as the complex and troubled surveillance expert Harry Caul, one that is possibly rivaled only by his too little seen gem 'Scarecrow'. And the supporting cast is first rate, and includes the late John Cazale, a favourite of Coppola's, Harrison Ford, Frederick Forrest, Cindy Williams, Teri Garr, and (an uncredited) Robert Duvall. Last but not least a superb turn from the underrated Allen Garfield, an actor who has appeared in many odd movies, from 'Get To Know Your Rabbit' to 'Destiny Turns On The Radio'. He is dynamite here, in a role originally intended for the legendary Timothy Carey, as a pushy rival bugging expert.

    'The Conversation' is hypnotic, multi-layered and haunting. See it whatever you do.
    9gbheron

    A Movie About Poor Communications Skills

    The Conversation is a stark look into the modern art of surveillance and its affect on one of its practitioners. Harry Caul (Hackman) is at the top of his business, but he's disturbed. Highly paranoiac, he is troubled by bad things that happened to some innocent people as a result of a prior surveillance job. Now he's afraid it's happening again....

    The Conversation could not be more antithetical of the current movie making style. Stark, claustrophobic, unsexy, slow-paced, and with almost no soundtrack, it slowly builds to its dramatic noirish denouement.

    A real treat, and as an added attraction the actors include a young Cindy Williams, Terri Garr, John Cazale, and Harrison Ford. Worth the rental unless anything outside of the MTV mould causes agitation.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Francis Ford Coppola had written the outline in 1966, but couldn't get financing until Le Parrain (1972) became a success.
    • Goofs
      When Caul is in Stett's office alone, he walks over to the desk and picks up one of Stett's wife's cookies. He smells it and puts it back in the dish and then looks through the telescope. When Stett returns, he hands Caul the money and takes the tapes. When the film cuts to a shot of Caul thinking about the arrangement, the cookie reappears. Caul puts this cookie back in the dish, too.
    • Quotes

      [repeated line from the recording]

      Mark: He'd kill us if he got the chance.

    • Connections
      Edited into The Green Fog (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Sophisticated Lady
      (1932)

      Music by Duke Ellington

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    FAQ21

    • How long is The Conversation?Powered by Alexa
    • Is "The Conversation" based on a novel?
    • Is it true that Francis Ford Coppola was a wire-tapper himself?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 5, 1974 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La conversación
    • Filming locations
      • Union Square, San Francisco, California, USA(Recording of The Conversation)
    • Production companies
      • The Directors Company
      • The Coppola Company
      • American Zoetrope
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,600,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,852,199
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,494
      • Jan 16, 2022
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,888,092
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 53 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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