tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post1580453039252510150..comments2024-01-21T11:18:54.087-05:00Comments on Lost in the Movies: The ConversationJoel Bockohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-65807469401415896042008-12-14T19:08:00.000-05:002008-12-14T19:08:00.000-05:00Tony, good call on the sax - and it struck me, esp...Tony, good call on the sax - and it struck me, especially as Hackman & Cazale listen to the recordings over and over, fiddling with the controls, that this movie was DEFINITELY an audio version of Blow-Up, almost rendering De Palma's film redundant (though I've yet to see the whole thing, and found what I did see interesting).Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-23564958299316433372008-12-14T19:06:00.000-05:002008-12-14T19:06:00.000-05:00Jason,I was surprised by how much I had forgotten ...Jason,<BR/><BR/>I was surprised by how much I had forgotten (especially about the ending), so good call. I have read parts of that book, and also was lucky enough to see & hear Murch (and briefly Coppola) at a screening of Youth Without Youth last year, which was cool.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-4091879139721818332008-12-12T15:04:00.000-05:002008-12-12T15:04:00.000-05:00A couple of points of speculation:-I've always spe...A couple of points of speculation:<BR/><BR/>-I've always speculated if the bug Caul is searching for is actually in the sax, the one place he forgets to look.<BR/><BR/>-Love the high angle pan shot the film ends with, sweeping at a precise speed from one side of the room to the other as Caul plays his sax. It very much approximates the effect of a security camera spying on the proceedings. Easier to tell if you fast forward through the sequence.<BR/><BR/>- In many ways what I suspect to be an extremely personal film for Coppola , it is a sort of auditory version of <I>Blowup</I> that is not as direct a crib as De Palma's <I>Blow Out</I>.<BR/><BR/>Can you believe Coppola had both this and <I>Godfather Part II</I> up for Oscars in the same year?Tony Dayoubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-17605968909254557222008-12-12T11:16:00.000-05:002008-12-12T11:16:00.000-05:00This is well timed, because I have "The Conversati...This is well timed, because I have "The Conversation" in my own personal queue to watch again soon. Haven't seen it in several years. That said, I skipped over the middle and end sections of this for now -- I have vague memories, but not specific ones, and I might turn out to be surprised.<BR/><BR/>But I saw the note at the end about Murch and had to comment now: Get the book "The Conversations," a series of interviews with Murch. As I recall, the back end is a little bland, but it's quick reading and it really underlines how much power an editor has over the finished product.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-55795977776983320412008-12-11T21:59:00.000-05:002008-12-11T21:59:00.000-05:00That's true - nothing in the picture up till then ...That's true - nothing in the picture up till then is even mildly violent, let alone bloody (and the shrieking sound which follows is also unprecedented). Another example of how perfectly modulated the film is - when it does rachet up the effect, you really notice.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-41476771914528339032008-12-11T13:09:00.000-05:002008-12-11T13:09:00.000-05:00That smashing bloody hand/toilet sequence you ment...That smashing bloody hand/toilet sequence you mention has always shaken me. I remember not expecting it, and then when it happened.... YIKES!!!... I can't picture to well right now, but your description reminded me how violent it ended up being. More violence than I expected from a movie - as you point out - so focuses on silence and precision.<BR/><BR/>And then, yeah, to be followed up by the "raping of his apartment" (I like how you described that) is even more effective.Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08067136509248849744noreply@blogger.com