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Classic selection for the weekend of August 20 - 22, 1999


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The Conversation



The Conversation

Simply put, this is one of the best movies of the seventies. Gene Hackman stars as Harry Caul, a legendary surveillance expert. Caul has been hired to follow a young couple and record their conversation in the park for a powerful and dangerous man. He isn't quite sure why he has been hired or what he is after, so he struggles to make sense of the conversation. Soon, he discovers that the young couple is in danger.

Caul is starting to regret his choice of profession. He is legendary for work he performed in New York, but feels great guilt because the case led to the murder of three people. It still haunts him, and he fears the same thing will happen in this case. An intensely private man, Caul soon finds the tables have been turned, and he is the target of surveillance. Will he be able to protect the young couple and himself from this mysterious and dangerous client?

Some of the greatest talent in film came together for this prolific movie. Written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the film is full of suspense and plot twists that will keep you guessing. Coppola provides a script that challenges the audience to follow along and play detective. Modern audiences are used to a faster moving and more predictable film, but if you exercise some patience and follow closely, the surprise ending makes this an enjoyable movie.

A great script can't survive without great acting, so Coppola assembled a fantastic cast of veterans and up-and-coming stars. Hackman is fabulous as the paranoid and brilliant Harry Caul. He gives the character depth by portraying his guilt in a tender, vulnerable way while also showing how good he is at the job.

In one of his earliest roles, Harrison Ford plays Martin Stett, the client's menacing assistant who tries to keep Caul away from the boss. Ford does a great job of being quietly intimidating. He plays the character with a self-assurance that intimidates Caul without over- doing it. Instead of yelling and flexing his muscle, Stett controls Caul with a cold stare and strange charisma.

You'll also recognize several other prominent actors. John Cazale, best known as Fredo in The Godfather, plays Caul's assistant who resents Harry's protectiveness of his privacy and trade secrets. Teri Garr plays Caul's girlfriend, and Cindy Williams of Laverne and Shirley fame plays the young lady in danger. Also, watch for a surprise appearance by a famous actor in the role of Caul's powerful client.

The Conversation was well received when it was release in 1974. It was named Best Film at the Cannes Film Festival and the National Board of Review. Coppola was nominated for an Academy Award for best original screenplay and best movie.

With so much worry about personal privacy in the computer age, Coppola is a visionary by investigating the themes of privacy and the ways our most personal conversations and behaviors can be monitored. Imagine what he could do if he updated the movie to include computer hackers, which didn't exist when it first came out. If you're in the mood for a good suspenseful movie, rent The Conversation.

The Conversation: A-

Written and Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Cast

Gene Hackman …………………………… Harry Caul

John Cazale ………………………………..Stan

Allen Garfield ……………………………..  Bernie Mason

Frederic Forrest ……………………………Mark

Cindy Williams ……………………………  Ann

Teri Garr ………………………………….. Amy

Harrison Ford ……………………………... Martin Stett

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