The Conversation

12A

A masterpiece of sustained suspense and paranoia, with Gene Hackman as surveillance expert Harry Caul, a recluse living alone in an empty San Francisco apartment, who finds himself becoming a victim of the same technology he uses to destroy others.  

It begins with a seemingly routine job trailing an unfaithful wife and her lover. But when Harry visits the husband’s office to deliver the incriminating tapes he’s made, he’s intercepted and begins to suspect that he may have captured a conversation about something much more sinister than adultery. 

Reported to be Coppola’s favourite of his films, The Conversation boasts an exceptional cast that includes Gene Hackman (The French Connection, Unforgiven), John Cazale (Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather), Allen Garfield (Nashville, One From the Heart), Frederic Forrest (Apocalypse Now, Falling Down), Cindy Williams (American Graffiti, Laverne & Shirley) and Michael Higgins (Angel Heart, The Stepford Wives) as well as featuring a notable early performance from Harrison Ford (Raiders of The Lost Ark, Witness).

As well as the Palme d’Or, the film won numerous other awards, including BAFTAs for Editing and Sound, recognising Walter Murch’s (The English Patient, Apocalypse Now) ground-breaking work.