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IMDbPro

The Conversation

  • 19741974
  • PGPG
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
113K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,785
413
Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
Trailer 1
Play trailer1:56
4 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaMysteryThriller
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.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
113K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,785
413
    • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Stars
    • Gene Hackman
    • John Cazale
    • Allen Garfield
    • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Stars
    • Gene Hackman
    • John Cazale
    • Allen Garfield
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 446User reviews
    • 173Critic reviews
    • 87Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars

    Videos4

    The Conversation
    Trailer 1:56
    Watch The Conversation
    The Conversation - Restoration Trailer
    Trailer 1:56
    Watch The Conversation - Restoration Trailer
    'The Conversation' | 45th Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:36
    Watch 'The Conversation' | 45th Anniversary Mashup
    Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 10
    Video 28:39
    Watch Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 10

    Photos155

    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Robert Duvall in The Conversation (1974)
    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Gene Hackman and Mark Wheeler in The Conversation (1974)
    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)

    Top cast

    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
    • Man at Party
    • (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)
      • Francis Ford Coppola
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The blue Mercedes limousine that Cindy Williams is sitting in near the end of the film was won by Francis Ford Coppola on a bet with Paramount Pictures. Coppola had complained about the station wagon he shared with five other passengers during the filming of The Godfather (1972). Studio executives told him that if The Godfather had grossed a certain amount, they would spring for a new car. After The Godfather became the highest grossing film of all time, Coppola and George Lucas went to a dealer and picked out the Mercedes, telling the salesman to bill Paramount Pictures.
    • 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

    User reviews446

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    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.
    helpful•104
    41
    • gbheron
    • Jan 22, 2000

    IMDb Best of 2022

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    FAQ2

    • Is "The Conversation" based on a novel?
    • Is it true that Francis Ford Coppola was a wire-tapper himself?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 12, 1974 (Canada)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • American Roofing Co. Building - 297 Kansas Street, Potrero Hill, San Francisco, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • The Directors Company
      • The Coppola Company
      • American Zoetrope
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 53 minutes
      • Mono

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