The Auditory Gaze in Coppola's The Conversation

         

            The voyeurism of film and its many different gazes are often associated with the visual but there is also the auditory gaze. Cinema is the combination of the visual and audio. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974, USA) builds tension by revealing parts of a recorded conversation throughout the film mostly when the protagonist Harry Caul works on the tape of the recording. Harry Caul is considered the best wire tapper but he fears people might be hurt because of his work. For this analysis I screened the Blu –ray edition of The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974, USA). The intended aspect ratio is 1.85:1 and shot on 35 mm film. The Blu- ray has been digitally re-mastered and presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1.

            On the Blu-Ray of The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974, USA) scene 6 titled He’d Kill Us If He Got The Chance displays using a piece of audio to build tension. The titular conversation that is the basis for the films mystery is captured in the film’s opening scene. Later on in Harry’s workshop “the conversation” that has been dubbed onto reel to reel tape and is being played and replayed as Harry tries to make previously inaudible sections now audible. The mystery has started to grab hold of Harry despite his adamant protests to the contrary. The watcher can see how curios and manic Harry is becoming.  

            The sound editor Walter Murch and the score by David Shire play a large role in creating the mood of the film and give insight into the psyche of Harry Caul. The Blu-Ray uses the original theatrical mono mix. One of the most significant choices that highlight how this particular scene highlights the auditory gaze is the use of sound board mixing with both the score and the replaying of “the conversation”. During the editing process a full sound board was used to alter both the score and the recorded conversation. As slight but consistent alterations are made to the soundscape as the film progresses the audience is left wondering how accurate their recollection is? As harry becomes more paranoid the score becomes more electronic. When Harry is replaying the conversation over and over again trying to reveal the inaudible portions the slight differences in the playback due to alterations made on the soundboard makes the audience question themselves similar to how conflicted Harry Caul is with his job. His worry that his work could lead to a murder is growing. Even something like faith that gives many practitioners solace creates even more conflict in Harry Caul’s psyche.

            This scene is notable for Gene Hackman acting with the late John Cazale. Their dynamic in this scene shows how two different people can react to the same piece of audio. Jon Cazale’s portrayal of Stan is the audiences POV character. He says what everyone’s thinking in many ways he is giving voice to the actions of Gene Hackman’s Harry Caul who refuses to admit to his growing obsession with the piece of audio in his possession. Harry claims to be only interested in the work and fetishizing the technical aspects of his career but as we see in the juxtaposition to Stan’s questions and statements he is on his way down the rabbit hole to see how far it goes.

            The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974, USA) is about technology and privacy. In this particular scene technology, time, or physical distance can’t separate Harry from his guilt and paranoia. Harry Caul is replaying a scene over and over again and just like memories the scene is slightly different every time he plays it. We may think of video or audio recordings as concrete recreations of life but The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974, USA) through the auditory gaze shows recordings can be just as ephemeral as memory.