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.
- Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 14 wins & 17 nominations total
Elizabeth MacRae
- Meredith
- (as Elizabeth Mac Rae)
Ramon Bieri
- Man at Party
- (uncredited)
Gian-Carlo Coppola
- Boy in Church
- (uncredited)
George Dusheck
- TV Anchor
- (uncredited)
Robert Duvall
- The Director
- (uncredited)
Richard Hackman
- Confessional Priest
- (uncredited)
- …
George Meyer
- Salesman
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe 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.
- GoofsWhen 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.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Green Fog (2017)
Featured review
This is one of those films I'm glad I gave a second chance because it got much better, and has continued getting better with each viewing (I've now seen it four times).
I know a few other people who watch this and ask, "What's the big deal?" Well, do what I did and give it another chance. Here's a tip: put on the English subtitles. It helps understand what is going on, as the taped conversations are often difficult to discern. Then, you might discover what I did: a fascinating character study, one that did not bore me as it had on the first viewing.
It's the study of a paranoid loner who is suffering a guilty conscience over the work he has done over the years, and what tragic consequences could happen with the latest project he's involved with. Without giving anything away, the loner's fears are realized in a shocking ending, but not in the way he imagined.
Gene Hackman, as always, does a super job of acting. He dominates the film as the main character, "Harry Caul." The topic matter - high-tech surveillance - was intriguing, too. After watching this film, I wondered what kind of surveillance tools are available now, 30 years after this film was made.
I know a few other people who watch this and ask, "What's the big deal?" Well, do what I did and give it another chance. Here's a tip: put on the English subtitles. It helps understand what is going on, as the taped conversations are often difficult to discern. Then, you might discover what I did: a fascinating character study, one that did not bore me as it had on the first viewing.
It's the study of a paranoid loner who is suffering a guilty conscience over the work he has done over the years, and what tragic consequences could happen with the latest project he's involved with. Without giving anything away, the loner's fears are realized in a shocking ending, but not in the way he imagined.
Gene Hackman, as always, does a super job of acting. He dominates the film as the main character, "Harry Caul." The topic matter - high-tech surveillance - was intriguing, too. After watching this film, I wondered what kind of surveillance tools are available now, 30 years after this film was made.
- ccthemovieman-1
- Nov 1, 2005
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- La conversación
- Filming locations
- American Roofing Co. Building - 1616 16th Street, Potrero Hill, San Francisco, California, USA(Interior and exterior of Harry's workshop)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,600,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $4,830,780
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,494
- Jan 16, 2022
- Gross worldwide
- $4,864,950
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