Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersIndependent Spirit AwardsWomen's History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Conversation

  • 19741974
  • PGPG
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
115K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,767
505
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
115K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,767
505
  • Director
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Writer
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Stars
    • Gene Hackman
    • John Cazale
    • Allen Garfield
  • Director
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Writer
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Stars
    • Gene Hackman
    • John Cazale
    • Allen Garfield
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 449User reviews
    • 176Critic reviews
    • 87Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 15 wins & 17 nominations total

    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)
    • Director
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Writer
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The French Connection
    7.7
    The French Connection
    Dog Day Afternoon
    8.0
    Dog Day Afternoon
    Serpico
    7.7
    Serpico
    All the President's Men
    7.9
    All the President's Men
    The Rain People
    6.8
    The Rain People
    Mean Streets
    7.2
    Mean Streets
    Midnight Cowboy
    7.8
    Midnight Cowboy
    Marathon Man
    7.4
    Marathon Man
    The Conversation
    7.8
    The Conversation
    Tetro
    6.8
    Tetro
    Chinatown
    8.2
    Chinatown
    Easy Rider
    7.3
    Easy Rider

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Francis Ford Coppola's personal favorite of his movies.
    • 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 reviews449

    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•103
    42
    • gbheron
    • Jan 22, 2000

    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)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Der Dialog
    • Filming locations
      • American Roofing Co. Building - 297 Kansas Street, Potrero Hill, San Francisco, California, USA(Harry Caul's workshop)
    • 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
      • $4,671,805
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,494
      • Jan 16, 2022
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,696,729
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Conversation (1974) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.