“The Conversation” is a film by Francis Ford Coppola in 1974. This film follows a surveillance expert named Gene Hackman (Harry Caul), who is busy watching a couple he is sure is supposed to be murdered. Gene is one of the movie’s unfathomable characters, and the movie is a brilliant reflection of an unfortunate man and illustrates a highly paranoid culture. This essay will address how the film “The Conversation” uses cinematography and sound associated with character events and psychology.
The film “The Conversation” represents a psychological thriller and a character study of the suspicious protagonist Gene Hackman. Gene seldom speaks, but his nervous psychological state is illustrated through the movie’s cinematography and sound technique (Gilligan). The long shots of the protagonist walking in the city landscape of San Francisco demonstrate how lonely he is. Additionally, sound falsification and reiteration render the protagonist’s anxiety in the medium that controls his devotion. The medium is the sound.
Cinematography and sound use in the film is very evident from the opening of the film. The film begins with a shot above Union Square in San Francisco. As the camera gradually descends on Union Square, we perceive acquainted urban noises such as laughter, music, and chatter (0.11). This leaves the audience confused about what to focus on. Slowly the camera zooms on the multitude and ensures an individual mimics a man who drinks coffee from a paper cup. The man walks and greets the mime, and it is at this particular point, that the scene is interrupted by a beeping sound, which gives a clue that an individual is being recorded. The individuals being recorded are a young couple.
The movie’s opening demonstrates a meticulous sound and cinematography design which shows the character’s psychology. At this point, we see how Gene is isolated and paranoid about the possible fortune of the young couple and his fate. Additionally, the sound design helps achieve the movie’s subtle balance between an in-depth character study and a psychological thriller. Gene represents an individual who is in the business of eavesdropping. The sound from his recordings is fundamental in understanding his character. When he listens to the young couple’s conversation, it makes him believe that the two are in danger. The statement, “he would kill us if he had the chance,” particularly leads him into a moral dilemma, a very serious cocktail of guilt and fear (“The Conversation (1974) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]”). The repetition of the sound throughout the movie passes his paranoia to the viewers. Everywhere he goes, the sound rings in his ears. The sound design’s repetition centers on Gene’s individual and psychological life rather than the victims’.
In conclusion, the film “The Conversation” follows the surveillance of Gene, the protagonist. The author has thoroughly used cinematography and sound to demonstrate the character’s events and psychology. For instance, the cinematography used in the film demonstrates a lot of loneliness that Gene feels. The use of repetition and sound distortion remains the main reason for anxiety that dominates the protagonist’s attention. The film’s central message is invasion, paranoia, and a bothersome problem of conscience.
Works Cited
Gilligan, Megan. “How Does ‘the Conversation’ Use Cinematography and Sound Design to Evoke Paranoia? | Read | the Take.” How Does “the Conversation” Use Cinematography and Sound Design to Evoke Paranoia? | Read | the Take, 28 Apr. 2016, the-take.com/read/how-does-athe-conversation-use-cinematography-and-sound-design-to-evoke-paranoia.
“The Conversation (1974) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p].” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=elJL5D6HTvA. Accessed 19 Sept. 2022.
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