Movie Review: The Conversation (1974)

A character study revolving around a surveillance expert and a conversation that he surreptitiously records between two lovers, The Conversation resonated in 1974 due to the paranoia of secret recordings related to the Watergate scandal; the film retains its value thanks to a sterling examination of the end of privacy, as well as for a defining performance from Gene Hackman and Francis Ford Copolla's edgy directing.

Harry Caul is a San Francisco expert in secretly recording other people's conversations, and is often hired by powerful forces interested in eavesdropping on their opponents.   With the help of his team, including assistant Stan (John Cazale), Caul pulls off a difficult assignment, recording a conversation between lovers (Cindy Williams and Frederic Forrest) meeting at lunch.  Realizing that they may be followed, the couple spend their lunch hour walking around Union Square. Caul records their conversation anyway, using the latest technology and multiple static and mobile microphones.

Upon piecing together the recorded conversation, Caul begins to suspect that the couple may be the targets of a murder plot.  He tries to prevent the recording from falling into the hands of the client who commissioned it, a mysterious Director (Robert Duvall), who has an equally sinister Assistant (Harrison Ford), but Caul is in over his head.  Soon events unfold in unexpected directions and his secretive life is shattered.

Coppola, working from his own script, mixes a deliciously simmering plot with a detailed character study.  Hackman's portrayal of a careful loner intentionally detached from society and who is yet a recognized expert in his field is one of the performances of the 1970s.  A man attempting to maintain a calm exterior but aware that his insecurities are too close to the surface, his buttons are pushed too easily. When his carefully constructed world begins to unravel, he does not appear to be too surprised.

Caul's story is told through a plot that starts starts out in black density, as hardly any of the words of the central conversation can be heard during the recording process.  Only when Caul uses his technology to piece together the words does the premise slowly start to be unveiled, but even as Coppola peels back many of the layers, the relationships and motivations that will threaten Caul's life are never fully made clear, adding to the sense of menacing behind-the-scenes forces that could choose to seep into any life.

The Conversation is dark, humorless and unexpectedly intense.  It ushers in the era of justifiable paranoia and lost privacy, and accurately predicts the gloomy implications for both the taped and the tapers.

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Movie Review: The Godfather Part II (1974)

It's seven years later. Michael (Al Pacino) is struggling to fend-off the latest enemies rounding on the Corleone family's new power base in Nevada, including the slithery Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg) and congressional leaders looking for kick-backs and holding hearings to investigate mobsters. As Michael fights to keep his business together and himself out of jail, his grip on the family weakens: his wife Kay (Diane Keaton) despises him; his mother passes away; and someone close fatefully betrays him.

In a series of interspersed flashbacks, we also learn the story of the early years of his dad Vito (Robert De Niro), from his days as a young boy (and soon to be orphan) in Sicily to his emergence as an influential mobster in the New York of the 1920's.

The Godfather Part II puts on a mighty effort for 3 hours and 20 minutes to match the brilliance of the original Godfather; it falls just short, and a sense of quantity over quality begins to creep in.

To be sure, the scenes with young Vito in turn-of-the-century New York are brilliant; and De Niro is spookily magnificent in channeling Marlon Brando's mannerisms.

But Michael's story in Part II is simply no match for the original. The convoluted dealings with Hyman Roth fail to ever properly catch fire, probably because Roth is portrayed as more unassuming and sick than evil. If the intent was to show the disguises that evil can hide behind, it does not work. The sequel sorely misses James Caan's violent energy, and while Pacino's controlled performance is powerful, it does not carry the same menace that Brando delivered.

There are attempts at mirroring history that instead serve to emphasize how brilliant The Godfather was. The long wedding scene from the original is mimicked with a long First Communion celebration that opens the sequel. The multiple-assassination climax to the original also finds a much weaker parallel in Part II.

A detour to a Havana on the brink of revolution is interesting but appears uncomfortably contrived. Michael V. Gazzo as Frankie Petangeli exhibits classic syndromes of a character actor attempting too hard to steal every scene he's in with a wildly over-the-top performance. And there is no match in Part II for Michael's epic transformational journey that defined the original.

Francis Ford Copolla's direction in Part II is much more mechanical and functional than artistic. Other than the scenes in New York, gone are the breathtaking frames that made the original a directing showcase. And the haunting theme music cannot remain fresh for 200 minutes; overuse starts to erode its impact.

None of these are huge flaws; but they add up to a less satisfying experience. The Godfather Part II is still a hugely entertaining film, it just lives in the shadow of a towering original achievement.






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Movie Review: The Godfather (1972)

The epic tale of a Mafia family in New York, spanning ten years from 1945 to 1955. The business is crime, the price of failure is death, and the violence is brutal and never far from the surface. This adaptation of Mario Puzo's book is at once haunting, beautiful, and unforgettable.

Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) is The Godfather, the New York-based head of one of five dominant Mafia families. He controls an empire with interests and influence in everything from gambling and prostitution to politicians and judges, as well as a sprawling family including sons Santino (James Caan), Michael (Al Pacino), and Fredo (John Cazale).

When they refuse to provide protection to the burgeoning narcotics business, the Corleone's are embroiled in a bloody tit-for-tat gangland war. The Don barely survives an assassination attempt, his hot-headed son Santino is spectacularly gunned-down, and the previously disengaged Michael dives headlong into the violent world of his family, personally gunning down a corrupt police chief and a rival criminal boss before fleeing to Sicily. When an uneasy peace is declared, Michael returns to New York, seeking both ultimate control and cold-blooded vengeance. Michael's rise to power from a disinterested and side-lined observer to the nexus of power is the key story arch.

As one of the greatest movies ever made, and at almost 3 hours in length, it is difficult to believe that The Godfather was the first major movie for both Francis Ford Coppolla and Al Pacino. Coppolla directs in a tableau style that turns almost every scene into a masterpiece of framing, texture and artistry, with the camera placement and movement just as interesting as the on-screen content. Every scene is given time to expand, evolve and add depth and complexion to events and characters.

One of the best cast of actors ever assembled delivers iconic performances. Pacino and Brando have the most interesting material to work with, with Brando as Don Corleone transitioning from a dominant all-powerful figure to a doddering grandfather, while Pacino is riveting as Michael is gradually transformed into a ruthless and power hungry mob leader. James Caan gets the showy role as Santino "Sonny" Corleone, excited by violence and quick to resort to it. Robert Duvall as the family's lawyer, Tom Hagen, embodies the overlap of business veneer and outright crime that defines everyday life for the Corleones.

The movie plays out against the classic music score of Nino Rota. The main theme is one of the all-time most recognized movie tunes, and by itself is capable of evoking the grandness of the Corleone's story.

The Godfather's contribution to both the history of movie-making and mainstream culture is hard to overestimate. The classic line "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse"; the inter-cutting of the church baptism scene with the violent assassinations ordered by Michael; the sympathetic portrayal of mobsters; Brando's menacing performance as Don Corleone; and the operatic assassination of Sonny have all had remarkable and long-lasting influence.

Deservedly considered an all-time classic, The Godfather is a stellar example of what the art of film can achieve when a great story meets inspired movie-making talent.






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