The Conversation (1974)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1974
	Director: Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalypse Now, Twixt)
	Actors: Gene Hackman (Enemy of the State, Unstoppable), John Cazale, Allen Garfield
	Country: USA
	Genre: Thriller, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 07.04.2014, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: A expert in surveillance (Hackman) becomes obsessed with the latest conversation he recorded.
Review: The Conversation is the last movie I wanted to watch on the same topic, after the inspiration for all others Blow Up (1966) by Michelangelo Antonioni, Profondo Rosso (1975) by Dario Argento, and Blow Out (1981) by Brian de Palma. They all deal fully or partly with the recovering of details from a photo and / or sound recording in order to prevent a murder. It is amazing that three great directors were inspired by another great one and tried to produce their own version of a similar story. It turns out that The Conversation is not so much focused on recovering the details from the recording (in the end the recorded conversation is still dull) but more on the character of the man who recorded it. In that respect Gene Hackman plays well a very complex character, apparently the best surveillance expert of the West Coast, but in reality a tortured man that controls his privacy but is thus very lonely. It is funny that he plays a similar role in Enemy of the State (but more stable in his mind), like if it were the same character 25 years later. The movie is well done, looks and sounds good. I removed the protection from my Home cinema speakers to enjoy the best sound possible when watching this movie based on sound, like I did when watching Berberian Sound Studio. But the main interest of the movie is really the character played by Gene Hackman. For better aesthetics one should rather watch Blow Up or Profondo Rosso, and for a better investigation watch Blow Out.
Rating: 6 /10