Conversation, The

*This guide accompanies a lecture on film sound.

  1. The first four questions refer to the film’s opening shots. Why do you think Coppola starts his film the way he does (bird’s-eye-view shot, roaming camera, etc.)?
  2. What sounds are heard in this shot?
  3. Where are the sounds coming from?
  4. Are the sounds diegetic or nondiegetic? How do you know? When do you find out?
  5. One critic of this film writes, “Everything about Harry is non-descript and practical.” How do Harry’s costume, actions, and gesticulations fit this description?
  6. Why is Harry anxious when the mime imitates him at the opening of the film?
  7. In the opening of the film, Harry orders his assistant, “I don’t care what they’re talking about. All I want is a nice fat recording.” This statement tells us that Harry is not concerned with the people he is taping. When does this attitude change?
  8. Why do you think Coppola blurs various shots of Harry’s face? What does this suggest?
  9. What diegetic and nondiegetic musical sounds are associated with Harry? (Listen to the soundtrack when only Harry is on the screen. What is playing? And/or what is he playing?)
  10. Who is Amy, and what is her role? How does she help us read Harry’s character?
  11. How does the film continually remind us that Harry Caul is obsessed with his privacy?
  12. What is Harry’s advice to his assistant, Stanley, about his work and those he is taping?
  13. Who is Martin Stett? What is his role in this film?
  14. What is the one line (between Ann and Mark) that Harry is so fixated on? On what word(s) does the emphasis lie?
  15. Coppola feared that audiences would not be able to sympathize with Harry Caul. First, why might the director have thought this? Second, do you sympathize with the character?
  16. How is this film self-reflexive? (If you do not know what the word means, look it up!)

INTERESTING FACT: The Conversation was released at the height of Watergate and the release of the Nixon tapes.