THE CONVERSATION

In between Coppola's The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974) is when the brilliant director turned out this interesting work. The film stars Gene Hackman (Harry Caul) as a surveillance expert who is hired to record a conversation between two individuals and deliver the recorded conversation to an anonymous source. While the conversation he winds up recording sounds rather mundane and normal, as the film progresses Harry begins to become paranoid that the tape will be used to harm those whom he recorded. The film moves at a slow, though fitting pace that manages to build and keep the intensity of the situation throughout its length. The characters and plot are also both compelling and contain depth that isn't found in your typical modern day espionage thriller which rely more on action then the natural tension which such a situation produces. For all the positives I feel that the films leaves me wanting more. Since it moves at such a slow pace we are allowed to become immersed in the work that Harry is doing, yet still never really crack through the very hard shell of his character. Personally I feel that there is some fat in relations to the convention he goes to that could be trimmed off in exchange for more depth about the woman he is involved with or the curious one night stand he has. While the story the film is trying to tell is interesting, I am personally more compelled by the events in Harry's life that made him the person he is today. I give this film a 7/10, because I will always have a soft spot for a Gene Hackman film.

7/10

THE CONVERSATION TRAILER

Pierrot Le Fou

Made at the cusp between Jean Luc-Godard's carefree experimental period and his political period, Pierrot le fou (1965) is an important work for both cinema and Godard's career. Like Godard's early experimental films, this work reads as a cluttered collage of moments with varying degrees of narrative glue to hold them together. At times this can be trying since there is certainly less narrative glue in this work then in prior works such as Une femme est une femme (1961) or Bande à part (1964). Even the crisp memorable moments that I identify with early Godard works aren't as potent in this effort. The politics of the film though were carefully intertwined and less in-yer-face then Godard's later works which I appreciated. A carefully line between politics and fun was walked in the film that I always feel is lacking in Godard's later uber-political films. Also as usual, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina gave performances that could be the dictionary definition of cool and helped the film keep moving . Overall, while I wasn't too keen on the film I do think it is an important work since it documents a large transition in Godard's work and therefore can be useful in informing us why and how Godard's work changed. I give this film a 6/10, because each of Godard's early works between 1960-66 is a unique lover. Somedays you are in the mood for rebellion, while other days you just want to lie in bed all day long. Without this film there would be a diminished range of "lovers" that Godard tried to capture and that would just be a tragedy.

6/10

PIERROT LE FOU TRAILER