The Conversation

Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 psychological thriller follows a highly private surveillance expert whose professional detachment begins to unravel when he becomes emotionally invested in the conversation he has been hired to record. Set against the paranoia of the early 1970s, the film repeatedly revisits the same audio recording, creating an atmosphere of mistrust, guilt, and conspiracy.

Gene Hackman plays the anonymous wiretapper at the center of the story, supported by John Cazale and Allen Garfield. Coppola’s Palme d’Or-winning film uses the quiet unease of San Francisco, corporate intrigue, and meticulous sound design to explore the consequences of listening too closely.

When: November 6, 2026

Showtime: 9:15 pm

Tickets: Price not available

Venue: Harvard Film Archive

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Cast: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, and Allen Garfield

Country and year: United States, 1974

Format: 35mm color film

Run time: 113 minutes

Print source: Harvard Film Archive

Series: Visions of a City, Or A Weekend in San Francisco

Screening type: Screening on film