The Conversation

Synopsis: Harry Caul is a devout Catholic and a lover of jazz music who plays his saxophone while listening to his jazz records. He is a San Francisco-based electronic surveillance expert who owns and operates his own small surveillance business. He is renowned within the profession as being the best, one who designs and constructs his own surveillance equipment. He is an intensely private and solitary man in both his personal and professional life, which especially irks Stan, his business associate who often feels shut out of what is happening with their work. This privacy, which includes not letting anyone into his apartment and always telephoning his clients from pay phones is, in part, intended to control what happens around him. His and Stan's latest job (a difficult one) is to record the private discussion of a young couple meeting in crowded and noisy Union Square. The arrangement with his client, known only to him as "the director", is to provide the audio recording of the discussion and
Production: Paramount Pictures
  Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 13 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.9
Metacritic:
86
Rotten Tomatoes:
98%
PG
Year:
1974
113 min
2,731 Views


# Won't you come home,

Bill Bailey? #

# Won't you come home? #

# I moan the whole night long #

# I'll do the cooking, honey,

I'll pay the rent #

# I know I done him wrong #

# Yes, you did #

# Remember that rainy eve #

# She threw me out #

# With nothing but

a fine-tooth comb #

# But I know she's to blame #

# Yeah, ain't it a shame #

# Oh, Bill Bailey,

won't you please #

# Bill Bailey,

won't you please come #

# Bill Bailey,

won't you please come home? #

# When the red, red robin #

# Comes bob,

bob, bobbin' along #

# Along #

# There'll be

no more sobbin' #

# When he starts throbbin' #

# His own sweet song #

# Wake up #

# Wake up, you sleepyhead #

# Get up #

# Get up, get out of bed #

# Cheer up #

# Cheer up, the sun is red #

# Live, love #

# Laugh and be happy #

# What if I've been blue #

# Now I'm walkin' through

fields of flowers #

# Rain may glisten #

# But still I listen #

# For hours and hours #

# I'm just a kid again #

# Doin' what I did again #

# Singin' my song #

# When the red, red robin #

# Goes bob, bob, bobbin' along #

# When the red, red robin #

# Goes bob, bob, bobbin' along #

# Along #

# There'll be no more sobbin' #

# When he starts throbbin' #

# His own sweet song #

# Wake up #

# Wake up, you sleepyhead #

# Get up #

# Get up, get out of bed #

# Cheer up #

# Cheer up, the sun is red #

# Live, love,

laugh, and be happy... #

I want to go over

to my place...

and start,

you know, getting it on...

I was terrible.

Yeah?

Did you ever, uh...

take ballet?

Be thankful.

Do you have a quarter for them?

Yes, I do.

# Bob, bob, bob, bob,

bobbin' along #

# Wake up #

# Wake up, you sleepyhead #

# Da da da da da da #

Well, what about me?

You'll see.

A lot of fun you are.

You're supposed to tease me...

give me hints,

make me guess, you know.

Oh, look. That's terrible.

He's not hurting anyone.

Neither are we.

Oh, God.

Every time I see

one of those old guys...

I always think the same thing.

What do you think?

I always think...

that he was once

somebody's baby boy.

Really, I do.

I think he was once

somebody's baby boy...

and he had a mother

and a father who loved him...

and now there he is...

half dead on a park bench...

and where are

his mother or his father...

all his uncles now?

Anyway, that's

what I always think.

How's he doing up there?

When they had

the newspaper strike...

We're gettin' better than 40%.

How about second position?

It's not so good.

Uh-oh. What have we here?

Come on, babies,

wet your lips there.

Give me some tongue.

Just a little tongue.

Come on.

How about a nice

wet French kiss now?

Come on. A nice wet one.

Pay attention

to your recordings.

She's coming in loud and clear.

Look, Mark. Do you see him?

The man with the hearing aid

like Charles.

There with the shopping bag.

Well, that's it for Paul.

They spotted him.

Give me the phones.

He's been following us all around.

It's nothing. Don't worry about it.

We're spending too much time

together here.

No. Let's stay

just a little longer.

I got burned, Harry.

She looked at me.

I know. We heard.

Oh, did we hear.

What do you think?

I got some

good pieces, maybe 25%.

Paul, I'll call you

in a couple days...

if I need you.

Paul, you going

to the convention tomorrow?

You bet.

Hey, how about you, Harry?

Yeah. Maybe.

Little party like we did

two years ago?

Huh?

Hey, Stan?

See you, Harry.

Okay.

Here.

He's a nice guy for a cop.

You go.

I'll stay here a while.

Who's interested

in these two anyway?

I don't know for sure.

The Justice Department?

No.

I figure it must be

the Infernal Revenue.

Their tapes always

put me to sleep.

Since when are you

here to be entertained?

Sometimes it's nice to know

what they're talking about.

I don't care what

they're talking about.

All I want is

a nice, fat recording.

Hello, Mr Caul.

And happy birthday.

Happy birthday, Harry.

Happy birthday.

Hello.

Hello, uh, Mrs Evangelista?

Uh, yes.

This is Harry Caul

from upstairs.

Uh, uh...

Yes.

Well...

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Uh-huh.

Yes, well,

you're really very nice.

Yes.

Uh, but...

I know, uh...

Yes, I found it. Yes.

But what I wanted to talk

to you about was, uh...

How did you put it

in the apartment?

Uh-huh.

Right.

Well, what about the alarm?

Oh, you did?

Well...

uh...

I thought I had the only key.

Uh-huh.

Well, what emergency

could possibly...

All right.

Yes.

Well, see, I would

be perfectly happy...

to have all

my personal things...

burned up in a fire...

because I don't

have anything personal.

Nothing of value.

Nothing personal

except my keys...

which I would like

to have the only copy of...

Mrs Evangelista.

Mrs Evangelista...

how'd you know

it was my birthday?

Nah. I don't remember

telling you.

Would you like to take

a guess how old I am?

that's a very good guess.

Mrs Evangelista...

as of today, my mail

will go to a post office box...

with a combination on it

and no keys.

Goodbye.

Morning, Harry.

Morning.

There's an article in here...

about the convention.

It mentions your name.

You're one of the notables...

who's going tomorrow night.

I told them I'd be there.

Listen to this here.

Listen.

"Among those

pre-eminent in the field...

expected to attend...

are Hal Lipset and Harry Caul...

from San Francisco.

Kenneth Sperry will speak...

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Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He was part of the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "The Conversation" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_conversation_5906>.

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