The Conversation is a movie based in San Francisco about a “bug” specialist by the name of Harry Caul. The film starts with a scene in San Francisco’s Union Square, where Harry and his team are tracking and listening to a conversation between a middle-aged man and a younger woman. Harry is a private bugger who is hired by both the government and private parties to bug and record conversation and interactions between different parties. The movie tells a story of Harry’s recent assignment and at first glance feels like a thriller with the eventual demise of the man and woman Harry bugged and recorded. However, I’d argue that the film is very much unconventional in structure and storyline.

 

The Conversation is an unconventional movie that ties in nicely with the controversial bugging and espionage political environment in the early 70’s. The film is unconventional in the storyline because it begins with a current case Harry is working on, which seems to be normal for a movie with a complicated plot. At first glance, it seems that the story is focused on these specific cases and what will happen to the couple Harry has bugged. Also, what will happen to the information Harry has collected. However, as the film continues, it seems like the character discovery is the focal point. Harry is positioned as the best bugger in the country who is mainly focused on collecting data and audio recordings and has little to no interest as to what happens once he turns over that data to the hiring party. Harry is removed, almost completely isolated from the rest of the world. He has an employee (insert name) who works with him on several cases, but Harry does everything in his power to limit the exposure (Name?) has to the client, case, and any background as to why they are bugging the specific target. As the film goes on, the conflict Harry feels about his current assignment continues. He contemplates his involvement and if the information he has gathered will lead to the death of the young couple.

 

After Harry’s interaction with the Director’s Assistant played by the young Harrison Ford, Harry breaks his normal process and becomes interested and almost involved in his case. His guilt is triggered from a past case, as we learn from his competition, Moran. Moran recounts a case that Harry was involved with where the target, his wife, and child were murdered. This is one of the first scenes where we begin to understand why Harry has so much guilt and why he has made every effort to isolate himself with his work and personal life. His acute paranoia is on full display for the audience. There seems to be a significant amount of guilt Harry begins to feel when Moran shares his ability to bug Harry during the after-hours party at his shop. I think Harry has a number of feelings, that of embarrassment, guilt, and a need to discover his identity and fear. Once Harry falls asleep he transitions into a dream where he is chasing the young woman he bugged earlier in the film. He begins by explaining to her that she may not know him, but he knows her. In an attempt to gain her trust he tells her stories from his childhood. A time when he was paralyzed on the left side of his body and how he almost drowned. This specific scene is a moment when Harry begins to take responsibility for the role he has played in past assignments, as well as the future role he may play in the current case. “I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid of murder.” (Harry Caul)

There is a scene with Harry entering some lady’s apartment which is both confusing and perhaps it’s a result of me watching the film in 5 different parts, rather than all in one sitting. I have no idea who she was or the significance of the scene in Harry’s character development.

 

This film was timely for me. Recently, I have digested multiple types of content around Nixon’s presidency, his VP’s indiscretions, Watergate and the role bugging played during the 70’s and 80’s, as well as how history is repeating itself with regards to possible impeachment of our current president. The Conversation has a ton of paralleling themes with Watergate and specifically Nixon. During the film you see some paralleling characteristics with Harry and Nixon. When Harry learns that he is constantly being watched and recorded, he goes completely haywire, even tears up every inch of his apartment. Nixon was said to have been an introvert by nature, but when the Watergate trial took place, he was rarely seen in public. Trump on the other hand, has recently gone on the offensive, attacking anyone and everyone who has been critical of his actions.

 

“director Francis Ford Coppola before and during the Watergate era (and between his two Godfather films) – a time of heightened concern over the violation of civil liberties. Its claustrophobic themes of the destruction of privacy, alienation, guilt, voyeurism, justified paranoia, unprincipled corporate power and personal responsibility effectively responded to growing, ominous 20th century threats of eavesdropping to personal liberties.” (Filmsite Movie Review, E.R. O’Neil)

The political atmosphere and recent historical events during the 1970’s heavily influenced this film and almost created a platform for the common person to better understand what may have happened and how the Watergate events unfolded.

The Conversation used flashbacks as a primary tool to help walk the audience through the complex plot and even add pieces to the story that have been there the entire time but could be seen in a different way. For example, the recording was played 10-15 times. Not always in its entirety, and even though the language never changes, the meaning and intent of what was being said completely changed when the audience and even Harry began to see the entire context.

The Conversation was an unconventional film that did very well in the Oscars and box office. Primarily due to the time in which it was made, films storytelling strategy, and parallel political meanings.