The Deer Hunter

Directed by Michael Cimino and screenplay by Deric Washburn from a story by Cimino, Washburn, Louis Garfinkle, and Quinn K. Redeker, The Deer Hunter is the story of three steelworkers from Pennsylvania who fight at the Vietnam War where their ideas of heroism has them encounter with the realness of war as one of them comes home changed and lost. The film into the idealism of men upon what they expected in the war as it is told the early years of the war to the Fall of Saigon in 1975. Starring Robert de Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, Meryl Streep, George Dzundza, Chuck Aspergren, Rutanya Alda, and John Cazale. The Deer Hunter is a gripping yet haunting film from Michael Cimino.

The film is about three men who work at the steel mills in Pennsylvania as they come from families of Russian descent as they’re set to leave to serve the Vietnam War. Yet, it’s a film that is a coming-of-age tale of sorts as Michael Vronsky (Robert de Niro), Steven Pushkov (John Savage), and Nick Chevortarevich (Christopher Walken) who all experience three different journeys upon their encounter with war as they don’t just lose their innocence but also themselves. It’s told in three different acts as the film’s screenplay takes it time to establish the characters and what they encounter. The first act is set in Pennsylvania as Steven is marrying his pregnant girlfriend Angela (Rutanya Alda) as Michael, Nick, and friends Stan (John Cazale), Axel (Chuck Aspergren) and John (George Dzundza) embark on a final deer hunt before Michael, Nick, and Steven leave for war.

The characterization of the three men showcase the different ideas of these men as Michael is a man who is no-nonsense as he believes in just one shot in order to kill a deer. Steven is a man who is quite loving and generous with his friends while Nick is the most introspective of the three as he loves hunting and the world of nature. Joined Stan, Axel, and John, they’re men who like to have a good time and such while Nick also has a girlfriend in Linda (Meryl Streep) whom Michael has feelings for. The first act is a look into innocence as well as some foreshadowing of the dark journey Michael, Nick, and Steven would encounter in the form of a drop of wine spilled on Angela’s bridal gown and the encounter with a soldier (Paul D’Amato) whom the three ask about the war as all the soldier says to them is “fuck it”.

The second act is set in Vietnam where Michael, Nick, and Steven not only encounter the horrors of war but also a world that is far more complicated where they’re captured by Vietcong soldiers who force them to play a sick, psychological game of Russian Roulette. The three would survive but the event would have bad repercussions as Nick and Michael would both take separate journeys while Steven becomes severely injured as he is later taken to a veterans hospital in the U.S. Nick would become lost in the dark world of Vietnam while Michael returns to America in its third act as a changed man as he becomes close to Linda while learning about Steven’s whereabouts that led him to learning what Nick’s been doing in Vietnam. It would play into this chilling climax about Nick’s descent as well as Michael trying to come to terms with what he’s lost and what he’s gained from his experience in the war.

Michael Cimino’s direction is definitely sprawling not just for the intimacy that he creates in the scenes at the wedding, its reception, as well as other scenes in the bars in the first act. It’s also these moments set in the mountains and forests where much of Cimino’s direction comes to life as he captures the mountains that were shot in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Washington, and Ohio to create something that feels like a world that is American at its most pure. Even in the small towns where Cimino’s direction has this sense of realism in the way men act towards each other and such as well as how they behave towards women. Some of which weren’t so good but some of it which includes the scenes between Michael and Linda are presented with great tenderness as they both deal with loss.

The direction has sequences that goes on for very long times such as the wedding and such where it establish some key moments for the characters as well as some small details that would occur. The scenes set in Vietnam was shot in Thailand as well as the infamous Russian Roulette sequence that is shot at the River Kwai. The scenes are very unsettling where there is a sense of unpredictability as it would play into the loss of innocence for the three men as Nick would descend further as he would be drawn by the world of Russian Roulette as it leads to this chilling climax during the Fall of Saigon where Michael tries to find him and take him home. It would be followed by this poignant epilogue that isn’t just about loss but how far the characters in the film have gone from the days of innocence in the late 1960s to the American nightmare at the fall of Saigon. Overall, Cimino crafts a very visceral yet touching film about three men and their chilling experience at the Vietnam War.

Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the lush scenery of the mountains in America to the desolate and eerie look of the scenes set in Vietnam as Zsigmond‘s work is a major highlight of the film. Editor Peter Zinner does excellent work with the editing from the news montage of the Fall of Saigon to some methodical cutting in the scenes at the wedding and its reception, the chilling scenes of war, and Michael‘s return to Saigon. Art directors Ron Hobbs and Kim Swados do fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the river-prisons run by the Vietcong as well as the hall for the wedding reception.

The sound work of Richard Portman, William L. McCaughey, Aaron Rochin, and C. Darin Knight is amazing for its sound mixing in the way it captures the chaos of war as well as the craziness in the lively wedding reception sequence. The film’s music by Stanley Myers is exquisite for its orchestral-driven score to play into the sense of war as well as the calmness of small-town America as it includes the theme Catavina performed by classical guitarist John Williams while the film’s music soundtrack includes some traditional Russian folk and funeral music plus Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and God Bless America.

The casting by Cis Corman is incredible as it features some notable small roles from Paul D’Amato as a war veteran at the wedding reception, Shirley Stoler as Steven’s mother, Pierre Segui as Nick’s French friend at Vietnam Julien, and Rutanya Alda as Steven’s bride Angela who becomes lost following Steven’s disappearance after his injury at the war. Chuck Aspegren is excellent as the very joyful big man Axel as he often says “fuckin’ A” while George Dzundza is superb as the bar owner/friend John who also likes to make sure everyone has fun though he is unable to fight in the war due to his hands. Meryl Streep is amazing as Linda as a woman who shares her sense of loss with Michael over Nick while wondering if he’s still alive as it’s one of Streep’s finest performances.

In his final film performance, John Cazale is great as Stan as this cowardly yet kind man who often gets himself into bad situations while bringing in some humor as it’s a very unforgettable performance from the late actor. John Savage is brilliant as Steven as this young man who gets married in the film’s first act while encountering the horror of war as he would nearly lose his sanity as it’s a mesmerizing one. Christopher Walken is phenomenal as Nick as this introspective man whose encounter with Russian Roulette has him descend into madness as he loses himself as it’s a very chilling performance from Walken. Finally, there’s Robert de Niro in a tremendous performance as Michael as this no-nonsense straight-arrow whose encounter with war has him changed as he tries to deal with what he loses and what he could get back as it’s a very intense and engaging performance from de Niro.

The Deer Hunter is a remarkable film from Michael Cimino. Armed with a great cast led by Robert de Niro along with strong supporting work from Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Savage, and the late John Cazale. It’s definitely one of the finest films about war and the myth of the American Dream as a fantasy. Particularly as it’s a film about the Vietnam War and how it affected those who served in that war. In the end, The Deer Hunter is a sensational film from Michael Cimino.

Michael Cimino Films: Thunderbolt & Lightfoot - Heaven‘s Gate - Year of the Dragon - The Sicilian - Desperate Hours (1990 film) - The Sunchaser - To Each His Own Cinema-No Translation Needed - The Auteurs #35: Michael Cimino

© thevoid99 2014

The Godfather, Part II

Originally Written & Posted at Epinions.com on 4/6/06 w/ Extensive Revisions & a New Conclusion.

For many movies, especially franchises. Sequels are often done to either cash in on a previous film's success or in continuation with a story. Yet there are some sequels that are even better than the original film in terms of its storyline and character development. One such film that had a rare sequel that didn't just surpass the original film on some levels but also equate the film in terms of its theme and approach to storytelling. That film was 1972's The Godfather based on Mario Puzo's novel and in 1974, came a spectacular sequel that told the rise of a man turned mob figure and the dark descent of his successor simply titled The Godfather, Part II.

Again based on the novel by Mario Puzo, The Godfather, Part II tells two different story. One being Don Corleone's arrival to America as a child after being on the run from mob figures in Sicily where later on, he rose to power as a mob figure of his own while balancing his work life with his devotion to his family. The other story picks up where the last film took off as Don Corleone's successor and youngest son Michael takes over the family business and moves them to Las Vegas where he loses sight of what his father's values and insightful tactics towards business. Directing the film for this sequel is Francis Ford Coppola, who also directed and co-wrote the first film. Teaming with Puzo again for the script. In their approach, the theme again is family where the story moves back and forth in time from how Don Corleone takes care of his family and the people around him and how Michael Corleone corrupts himself into destroying everything around him.

Returning to the fold from the first one are Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Robert Duvall, and John Cazale along with flashback cameos from James Caan, Gianni Russo, and Abe Vigoda. Also in the film are Dominic Chianese, G.D. Spradlin, Bruno Kirby, Gastone Moschin, Michael Vincente Gazzo, Joe Spinell, Mario Cotone, Lee Strasberg, and Robert de Niro as the young Don Corleone. The Godfather, Part II is a sprawling, heartbreaking epic drama that in undoubtably one of the finest films of American cinema.

It's the early 1900s as a young mute boy named Vito Andolini (Oreste Baldini) is at the funeral for his father in Corleone, Sicily.  When a revenge attempt on the town's don Francesco Ciccio (Guiseppe Sillato) has failed as well as an attempt to spare Vito's life by his mother (Maria Carta).  Vito secretly flees on a ship to America where he's re-named Vito Corleone.  Some years later in New York City, Vito Corleone is a family man with a wife (Francesca de Sapio) and young boys at the time.  Yet, he has issues with the way people are treated by the town's Don Fanucci (Gastone Moschin) who forced Vito's grocery boss to fire him.  After befriending a man named Clemenza (Bruno Kirby), they join forces as they also take in another young man named Tessio (John Aprea) to stand up against Fanucci.

After defeating Fanucci, Vito Corleone becomes a mob leader of his own but with more compassion as he helps the little people of Little Italy.  With their olive oil business being their front and becoming a success, it was a chance for Vito to return to Sicily to settle some business.

In the 1950s, Vito Corleone's grandson Anthony Corleone (James Gounaris) is taking his first communion in front of his parents, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) and Kay Adams (Diane Keaton). A party happens in their lake home near Las Vegas where Michael and his family are celebrating with his sister Connie (Talia Shire) and her new husband Merle Johnson (Troy Donahue), his older brother Fredo (John Cazale) with his wife Deanna (Marianna Hill), and their mother (Morgana King).  Also in attendance are Senator Pat Geary (G.D. Spradlin), Johnny Ola (Dominic Chianese), and an old friend named Frank Pentageli (Michael Vincente Gazzo) as they came to discuss some business with Michael.  Though Michael's business dealings bring discomfort to Kay, it doesn't dampen the night.

Later that night, an attack occurred at the home of the Corleones where Michael and Kay were nearly killed.  Realizing he's a possible target for another mob boss in Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg), Michael turns to family friend and former consigliere Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) to be in charge with Rocco Lampone (Tom Rosqui) and Al Neri (Richard Bright) as assistants.  Michael goes to Miami with Busatta (Amerigo Tot) to meet with Roth, who had an old business relationship with Vito.  The meeting has Michael suspecting Pentageli who has his own issues with the Rosato brothers (Carmine Caridi and Danny Aiello) as a meeting with them almost became fatal until he's saved by Willie Cicci (Joe Spinell).  Back in Las Vegas, Hagen is called Fredo's brothel place where he finds Geary in trouble as Hagen offers to help.

Michael joins Roth to Cuba for some business only to have second thoughts about the ongoing Cuban Revolution.  Michael calls Fredo to help as he reveals that Roth was the one who assassinated him.  He plans revenge on the ailing Roth by getting Busatta to kill him while Michael attends a party with Fredo, Geary, and Johnny Ola.  It is there Michael finds out some awful truths as he returns to Las Vegas learning that Kay had a miscarriage while Hagen tells him that he is to go on trial against the U.S. Senate.  Though Geary was willing to help Michael and Willie Cicci, the Senate are trying to go after Michael with Pentageli as the big witness to testify against him.  With Fredo returning home to Las Vegas, Fredo reveals his frustration towards Michael along with information about the trial.  While Michael decides to keep Fredo at bay, he finally gets Pentageli to commit perjury to win.

Though Michael won his case, his relationship with Kay has suffered forcing the marriage to dissolve following an ugly secret.  With his mother dying and Connie pleading to Michael to forgive Fredo for what he's done.  Michael gives in to Connie's pleas but his plans for some unfinished business leaves Hagen alienated and disillusioned despite choosing to stay at Michael's side.  Even as it became clear for those who were close to realize how far Michael has descended.

It's a rare feat for a film sequel to outdo the first one. With the case of The Godfather and the sequel, it's even rare to match it up where neither top each other but are equal in what both films are trying to say. With The Godfather, it's a thematic film about family in the world of crime and how an old man tries to run his business as just a business and not bring anything personal to the game. With Vito Corleone trying to protect his family and wanting a better life for them while not getting his sons too caught up in personal matters in the mob game. The ending in the first Godfather with Vito Corleone's death only reveals in the way Michael Corleone runs the business only to lose sight of himself and what his father stood for. There, it sets up the idea of what becomes the center-point of The Godfather, Part II.

The second film is clearly darker in one of its stories where the overall part of the film is very tragic. It remains a family film but one where the family disintegrates. The credit for this complex, parallel world of the young Vito Corleone and an older Michael Corleone in the 1950s goes to the team of the book's novelist Mario Puzo and co-screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola. The story in many ways is a classic rise-and-fall story but its approach of a man's rise and his son's downfall only gives the story of the Corleone family more intriguing and heartbreaking at the same time. It shows the similarities and difference of the way Vito and Michael Corleone deal with their business and family.

While Vito's story has its share of brutality and violent moments, it's only because he was forced to see violent acts as a child and tries to ignore it. Yet, when he’s a man trying to make a simple, decent life only to be pushed away by another power-hungry mob boss. He is forced to go into a life of crime to do right not just for himself but for his family. Unlike Don Fanucci and Don Ciccio, Vito doesn't make his presence known nor does he act like the big-shot of the town. Instead, he tries to help the little people while wanting to not make them feel that they'll be in trouble if they do something wrong. Still, Vito's act of violence was only personal in order to have some emotional closure. Yet, his act only helps him gain a status as a respected mob boss who doesn't like to cause trouble. Another side of him is the way he deals with his family and how he cherishes them where all of his qualities are passed down to his three sons.

In Michael's part of the story, it starts off with his cold-hearted way he deals with business as he reveals to Senator Geary that they're both corrupt in every way. His emotional take on business only leads him into this downward spiral where in the end, he alienates nearly everyone around him to the point that he becomes paranoid. The hit on him confirms his paranoia while he ends up trusting no one, not even himself. Michael, in the end, becomes as cold-hearted and ruthless than his father was when his father rarely showed that part of himself. The result of the decisions he made, the way he's corrupted himself, the way he deals with his own family, and how he tries to distance himself in the way his father does thing would only begin to haunt him in the years to come.

If the film's script in all of its dramatic elements and complex structure is filled with amazing moments, Coppola's sprawling direction takes it to new heights. The scene where Vito Corleone plans to assassinate Don Fanucci is one of the best presentation with images of a parade, a play, and the street with Fanucci walking around on the street. Coppola brings a vision that is unique in its two parallel storyline by going for a wide-open look of Sicily and old New York in the Vito Corleone sequence. His vision of Michael Corleone's world from Miami, Cuba, Vegas, and Washington, D.C. is a little bit bleaker. Coppola also heightens the emotions and tragic nature of the film that really becomes hypnotic to watch in every way and form, especially a classic scene of Michael and Fredo discussing Fredo's frustration. The way Coppola composes tragedy is very prominent throughout the film, especially in the film's flashback ending of Michael recalling his own ideal innocence which was far removed from the cold nature that he is in the late 50s. It's truly some of the best directing ever done in film.

Helping Coppola in his sprawling vision is Gordon Willis, who also shot The Godfather. The famed cinematographer brings the same, unique, sepia-like vision of orange throughout the entire film where in the Vito Corleone sequence, the film has a distinctive look that is classical. The look of the first film is given more coverage where the exteriors of Sicily is beautiful to look while the New York scenes reveal a lesser, color feel. The interiors are given an idea of intimacy with little lighting other than a light bulb or a candle to feel the look of the times. The Michael Corleone sequences has more color yet the feel of the looks is even bleaker as the colors began to decay within the story as the feel of the film looks less and less colorful. Willis' work in the series is wonderfully distinctive in its authenticity and atmosphere.

Helping Coppola and Willis with that look is Coppola's longtime collaborator Dean Tavoularis. The production designer creates a look of the film that is authentic to the period that the differing stories are in. From the poor yet simple look of Little Italy in early 1900s New York to the lavishness of Las Vegas, Tavoularis, along with art director Angelo P. Graham and set decorator George R. Nelson, create an atmosphere that plays to the feel of the film that is wonderful to look while enclosing the worlds that the Corleone men are in. Helping out with the costume design of the film is Theadora Van Runkle who captures a wonderful, flashy look of the Las Vegas, 1950s sequence of the film while giving a wonderful look to the Don Fanucci character with his white suit. Editors Barry Malkin, Richard Marks, and Peter Zinner do great work in not just giving the film a nice pacing feel but also the presentation sequences for the Don Fanucci assassination scene and the classic climax of Michael finishing his plans. Longtime Coppola collaborator Walter Murch does great sound work in capturing the tone of the film in its atmosphere.

Composers Nino Rota and Coppola's father Carmine do great work in not just the familiar themes of the film but also playing the tension of the film. While Carmine brings out more innocent moments of the film, Rota's music balances it with his dark, sprawling arrangements. The music of the film portrays the film's tragedy and disintegration of Michael while building up the innocent hi-jinks of Vito Corleone. It's the music of Rota and Coppola that stands out among the many classic films scores.

Finally, there's the film's amazing ensemble that features several famed cameos and small appearances. There's early performances from the likes of Danny Aiello as one of the Rosato brothers, Bruno Kirby as a young Clemenza, Harry Dean Stanton as an FBI agent protecting Pentageli, and former teen idol Troy Donahue as Connie's new husband, whose real name is Merle Johnson. There's also early performances from two of Coppola's children, Roman as a young Santino and Sofia as a girl on a boat arriving to America. There's also some great cameos from Roger Corman as a Senator, Gianni Russo as Carlo in a flashback, Abe Vigoda as Tessio, and a fantastic flashback performance from James Caan as Santino.

Smaller performances from Joe Spinell as Willie Cicci, Amerigo Tot as Michael's Miami bodyguard, Frank Sivero as Genco, John Aprea as a young Tessio, Richard Bright as the brooding Al Neri, Tom Rosqui as Rocco, and Morgana King as Mama Corleone along with Francesca de Sapio as the young Mama Corleone and Maria Carta as Vito's mother. Gastone Moschin and Guiseppe Sillato are great as the dons that Vito Corleone despises while Oreste Baldini is great as the young Vito Corleone. Future Sopranos star Dominic Chianese is excellent as the sly Johnny Ola while G.D. Spradlin is wonderful as the corruptive Senator Geary who ends up pledging loyalty to the Corleone family. Michael Vincente Gazzo is wonderfully hilarious as the angry, frustrated Frank Pentageli whose loyalty for the Corleone family is shaken when he believes he is tricked. Pentageli is an interesting, complex character of a man who wants what is promised to him only to realize that the old days of Mafia is dying.

While Talia Shire's role as Connie is small, her performance as Michael's frustrated young sister is one of the most memorable. Notably for Shire's plea to take care of Michael where eventually, she becomes his only family ally who is forced to realize about the family business. Diane Keaton gives an even better performance in her role as Kay whose understanding about the mob and family begins to confront Michael's ideas of family. Keaton's performance is amazing to see a woman who realizes the dangers that she's living in and how it affects her own children as she is saddened at who Michael has become. Lee Strasberg gives an amazing performance as a version of Meyer Lansky in the role of Hyman Roth. Strasberg's masterful performance reveals an ailing man who is hoping to retain the power and presence that he wanted for so many years despite his attempt to try and con Michael out of his money. Strasberg is great in his role.

The best supporting performance is the late John Cazale in the role of Fredo. Cazale brings all sorts of sensitivity, heartbreak, and frustration into a character who is so complex and emotionally that anyone can relate to him. Cazale steals the show from everyone including Al Pacino in a classic scene about Fredo being stepped over. Cazale exudes all sorts of emotions into the role that it's one that is extremely memorable. It's even sadder that Cazale would later die in early 1978 despite being in five films, all of them considered to be classics. Robert Duvall is also great in the role of Tom Hagen who plays the role of a moral conscience who does everything he can to protect Michael and the family only to find himself alienated. Duvall brings the role of a man who sees the old ways being crumbled down into something more violent and ruthless as his own conscience comes to question despite his loyalty to Michael. Duvall is great in the role as he is one of the reasons why The Godfather series is a defining moment in cinema.

Robert de Niro gives a great performance in the role of young Vito Corleone as a man who tries to live a simple life only to find a better life in the world of crime but remain a simple man. While de Niro's performance is mostly done in Italian with little dialogue, the performance is amazing since it has the same wit and charm that Marlon Brando brought in the previous film. Instead of imitating Brando, de Niro brings his own wit and quiet acting into the role as he gives the Vito Corleone character which makes the man more innocent despite his deeds. Al Pacino gives a classic performance in the role of Michael whose development from young idealist wanting to stray from the mob into a dark, mob leader is amazing to watch. Pacino's cold stare and his eerie performance is very haunting and sad as the man from the first film is gone and has become a darker, paranoid man. Pacino sells the performance in every way as he has great chemistry while bringing the right approach to parallel the performance that fellow actor Robert de Niro gives.

When the film was released in late 1974, months after Coppola released his paranoid thriller film The Conversation. Not surprisingly, The Godfather, Part II became another huge box office success which eventually won six Academy Awards for Art Direction, Film Score, Adapted Screenplay for Puzo and Coppola, a Supporting Acting win for de Niro who was going up against co-stars Gazzo and Strasberg, Directing for Coppola, and Best Picture. Nearly 30 years after the release of the film, The Godfather, Part II remains a very popular film along with The Godfather as both films are often hailed as gangster classics. For Francis Ford Coppola, his work with The Godfather series wasn't done as in 1977, he released a TV-miniseries edit of the film with extra footage that didn't make it to the final cut which was somewhat successful despite its chronological approach.

The Godfather, Part II is definitely one of the best films ever made from Francis Ford Coppola.  Armed with amazing technical work by its crew, wonderful music by Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola, and a phenomenal ensemble cast.  Though it's not easy to say whether it's as good or better than its predecessor, it's one of those films truly defines the idea of what a great sequel can be.  Even as it has a narrative structure that is unique about the way men ran things back in the early 20th Century and in the second half.  In the end, The Godfather, Part II is a masterpiece from Francis Ford Coppola.

Francis Ford Coppola Reviews: Dementia 13 - (You're a Big Boy Now) - (Finian's Rainbow) - (The Rain People) - The Godfather - The Conversation - Apocalypse Now/Apocalypse Now Redux - One from the Heart - The Outsiders - Rumble Fish - The Cotton Club - (Peggy Sue Got Married) - (Garden of Stone) - (Tucker: The Man & His Dreams) - New York Stories - The Godfather, Part III - Bram Stoker's Dracula - (Jack) - (The Rainmaker) - (Youth Without Youth) - Tetro - (Twixt)

© thevoid99 2011

The Conversation

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/25/05.

In the early 1970s, America was in a crucial spot with rising inflation, the falling out of the Vietnam War and most of all, the Watergate scandal that involved President Richard Nixon. Corruption, burglary, lies, and illegal wiretapping were surrounding the scandal that was around the 1972 Presidential election in which Nixon won. The cover-up and tape conversations from 1971-1973 were heard about that led to Nixon to resign in disgrace in August of 1974. There, a new sense of cynicism arrived to America along with a sense of disillusionment around the American government. Around that same time in 1974, a film about wiretapping and recorded conversations came out that reflected the paranoia and secrecy of American society. Now more than 30 years since its release, it's been hailed as one of the defining films of the 1970s entitled The Conversation.

Written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Conversation is a part-homage film to Michaelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film Blow-Up and a reflection of the underlying sense of paranoia and morality of wiretapping in early 1970s America. Written around the early 70s as a script right before Watergate, Coppola wanted the film to be a modern suspense thriller with a sense of character study surrounding the film's protagonist Harry Caul. Coppola, who was coming off his success of his 1972 masterpiece The Godfather used the money from that movie to make a low-budget yet minimalist film for The Conversation. Though it wasn't as known as The Godfather movies when it came out in early 1974, the film is still relevant in the mind of American society. Starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford, and Robert Duvall, The Conversation is a smart, eerie masterpiece that sends chills to its audience.

It's a typical day for a couple walking in a park in the city of San Francisco. What Mark (Frederic Forrest) and Ann (Cindy Williams) doesn’t know is that they're being followed and bugged by a group of surveillance men led by sound expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman). With his assistant Stan (John Cazale) in the van and another man named Paul (Michael Higgins) walking in the park with two other guys listening far away on buildings, they record every word of the conversation they can find. After the job is done, it's up to Harry and Stan to listen to every word, even through its distortion. For Harry, it's just another job as he is hired privately by a corporate director (Robert Duvall) to follow this couple. After calling the director, he goes back to his apartment where his day often ends in loneliness.

Privately away from his work, Harry is a very secretive man who triple-locks his apartment as he learned that his landlord broke in to give him a birthday present and later that night, he visits his girlfriend Amy (Teri Garr) for a night where she keeps asking about his secrets like why he comes in very quietly all the time. Harry doesn't have a normal life as he continues to work and filter through the sounds of the recorded conversation he’s been working on. After calling Stan's work sloppy, Harry does the work himself as he tries to turn the tapes into the director who asks for them. Instead, he meets his assistant Martin Stett (Harrison Ford) who wants the tapes but Harry decides to take them since he wanted to deliver the tapes personally to the director.

With an upcoming convention looming, Harry goes through all the distortions of the conversation where he learns of a plot that involves murder and blackmail. Haunted by a previous job he did in New York City that had a family killed, Harry feels he might happen again yet he can't let his own feelings get involved. Harry continues to work through every word and sound of the conversation as he shows up for the convention. After meeting some colleagues that included Stan, Paul, and an east coast rival in William P. "Bernie" Moran (Allen Garfield) who has been a really successful surveillance man. Harry learns he's being followed by Stett, who sends a message for the tapes to be presented to the director the next day.

A post-convention party at Harry's warehouse is held with a couple of hookers where Meredith (Elizabeth McRae) flirts with Harry as Bernie toasts Harry for his work yet keeps asking about the job he did in New York. Bernie also reveals to be a very innovative bugger who has created a bugging device shaped like a pen as he had recorded some of the conversations Harry had as he destroyed it. After Bernie, Stan, Paul, and a hooker left, Harry tried to listen to his tapes but ends up being seduced by Meredith. Dreaming that he has met Ann where he talks about his childhood illness, he wakes up learning that the tapes are gone. Then he gets a call from Stett that Meredith took them to Stett for the director to hear. Harry goes to meet Stett and the director to hear the tapes as he was given his fee. Learning that a murder might go on, Harry tries to figure out what's going on not only endangering the lives of those involved but also himself.

While comparing The Conversation to The Godfather movies is incomparable in its tone and style, both do have similar internal conflicts for its protagonists. Whereas Marlon Brando's Don Corleone is wanting a better life from his family from the mob, Harry Caul is conflicting with trying to save the life of some people in a plot that he had instigated. While The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are the more popular films, The Conversation is really Francis Ford Coppola’s best work. Bringing a diverse style in his directing were in some scenes, the camera is placed in detach setting while his close-ups and zooming in are very entrancing. It's directing at its masterful while as a screenwriter, Coppola delivers a script filled with surreal moments, especially in the third act and a restrained suspense that makes you build up for what happens. Each suspenseful moment is very unpredictable after watching it for the first time yet you're not sure if anything that you see is real. It's undoubtedly one of the best scripts ever written.

If The Conversation works in its suspenseful writing and directing, it also works in its technical achievements. The film is also a technical spectacle thanks to a wonderful film crew that includes a few of Coppola’s regular collaborators in production designer Dean Tavoularis and editor Walter Murch. The cinematography of Bill Butler (who shot most of the scenes except for the opening park scene which was done by Haskel Wexler) is wonderfully exquisite in some of the film's surreal moments along with its wonderful, dreamy lighting in the night interior scenes at the church and Harry's warehouse during the post-convention party. Dean Tavoularis also shines in the film's visual department with his wonderful detailed look of the scenes in the convention and in Harry's warehouse while getting some of the sound equipment used for the recordings that Harry works on that is very dead-on with the times.

Many of the film's genius, aside from its look and its wonderfully yet manically-paced editing of Richard Chew and Walter Murch, is the sound. The film is a masterpiece in sound thanks to the team of Murch, Art Rochester, Mike Evoe, and Nat Boxer. The sound design not only gives the film an eerie tone but also plays off with its suspense and its manipulation. There's moments where you're thinking you're hearing one thing but through its filters and distortions, you hear a whole lot more as it's a great film of sound. Also working well in the film is the film's score by David Shire that is filled with a smooth, jazz-like suspense and tone that really send chills through the film as it plays off with the sound design as well, even in the soundtrack of jazz cuts by Duke Ellington, Johnny Green, and Dave Brubeck.

The film's small, ensemble cast is excellently well-played with some small but memorable roles from Michael Higgins as one of Harry's bugging pals, Teri Garr as Harry's secretive mistress who keeps asking questions about him, and Elizabeth McRae as the model who flirts with Harry. Allen Garfield is wonderfully humorous in the role of Bernie Moran with his swagger and sneering attitude that is a great antithesis to Harry Caul. Robert Duvall is excellent in his brief role as the director while Harrison Ford brings a dark presence to his role as the director's assistant. Frederic Forest and Cindy Williams are excellent together in their complex roles as the couples of the conversation that is recorded, especially with the film's memorable line that Forest says, "He'd kill us if he had the chance". The late John Cazale delivers a great yet small performance as Harry's assistant who often asks questions about why they're recording and is seems to be the one guy who tries to get Harry out of his shell. It's really one of the more overlooked performances in the film.

The film's central performance that is widely regarded to be the best in the movie belongs to the always great, always versatile Gene Hackman. Hackman gives a very guarded, troubling performance as the secretive, paranoid, and moralistic Harry Caul. Hackman brings a sense of restraint to the role along with an intensity whenever he's driven by paranoia. We see that he's not a great man, he is very protective from himself, the way he treats women, his colleagues, and how acts towards people. Yet, we know that his life wasn't great, he also has a past that troubles him. It's really one of Gene Hackman's finest performances as an actor and he is the reason that he is considered to be one of the greatest American actors on the silver screen.

When The Conversation came out in early 1974, it was hailed by critics as a masterpiece and when it premiered internationally that year at the Cannes Film Festival in France, the film won Coppola his first ever Palme D'or (the second would be Apocalypse Now where he tied with another film in 1979). Despite the acclaim for the film, The Conversation got lost in the shuffle commercially since many film goers were anticipating the second Godfather movie. Still, 30 years since its release, it's been hailed a cinematic classic and is often considered to be Coppola's best film.

The 2000 DVD release which includes a wonderful widescreen presentation along with a remixed audio sound by Walter Murch and those at Zoetrope studios is a must-buy on DVD. The film looks even better on DVD while it includes a few features like the film's original trailer and an eight-minute featurette on the making of The Conversation where Coppola and Gene Hackman give a glimpse into the making of a few scenes. The DVD also include two audio commentary tracks, one from Coppola, and the other from sound wizard Walter Murch. Coppola's commentary on the film reveals some of the film's mystery along with some of his reasons into making the movie while giving his own feelings on why he loved The Conversation than most of his film. Walter Murch's commentary provides some more technical pointers into the film as well as his own insights into the movie. Murch admits that the gadget Harry used to filter the sounds for that infamous line doesn't really exist while he talked about some of the editing strategies he used from Coppola's notes while he was away doing work on The Godfather Part II. Murch doesn't reveal some of the secrets on the film anyway though he did mention a funny story involving him and porno magazines as a young kid.

Now thirty-years later since its release, The Conversation is still hailed as a cinematic classic thanks to Francis Ford Coppola's mind-bending script and eerie direction along with the great technical work of Bill Butler, Walter Murch, Dean Tavoularis, and company. With more recent films influenced by The Conversation that included Brian de Palma's widely underrated film Blow-Out starring John Travolta and Tony Scott's big-budgeted 1998 thriller Enemy of the State with Will Smith and Gene Hackman. The Conversation at repeated viewing remains intriguing along with the great performance from Gene Hackman and the supporting cast that includes Harrison Ford, Allen Garfield and the late John Cazale. While The Godfather movies may be his most well-known and popular work to date, The Conversation is a must-see film for anyone interested in cinema.

Francis Ford Coppola Films: Dementia 13 - (You're a Big Boy Now) - (Finian's Rainbow) - (The Rain People) - The Godfather - The Godfather Pt. II - Apocalypse Now/Apocalypse Now Redux - One from the Heart - The Outsiders - Rumble Fish - The Cotton Club - (Peggy Sue Got Married) - (Garden of Stone) - (Tucker: The Man & His Dreams) - New York Stories - The Godfather Pt. III - Bram Stoker's Dracula - (Jack) - (The Rainmaker) - (Youth Without Youth) - Tetro - (Twixt)

© thevoid99 2011

The Godfather

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 7/3/04 w/ Additional Edits.

One of the greatest films of all-time that's been imitated but never duplicated, The Godfather based on Mario Puzo's novel is one of the greatest crime stories ever told. Unlike previous mob films in the age of cinema, the film was entirely about family rather than crime. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script he co-wrote with Puzo, The Godfather is in some ways a family tragedy about a don and his relationship with crime and his family and how tries to balance his role as family and crime boss. Starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, John Cazale, and many more. The Godfather is a classic film that remains a landmark in American cinema as it inspired generations of actors and filmmakers to rethink the landscape of filmmaking.

The Godfather begins with a story of Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) at the wedding of his daughter Connie (Talia Shire) to Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo) in post-World War II 1940s. After conducting business with an undertaker named Bonasera (Salvatore Corsitto), Don Corleone returns to the wedding reception with wife (Morgana King), sons Sonny (James Caan) and Fredo (John Cazale), and his adopted son/advisor Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall). The don is awaiting the arrival of his youngest son Michael (Al Pacino) who arrives with girlfriend Kay (Diane Keaton). The wedding was a wonderful ceremony where Kay learns about what Don Corleone does but Michael insists, he's not a part of the crime thing.

The Corleone's business may be a mob business where Tom Hagen visits film producer Jack Woltz (John Marley) to convince him to have Johnny Fontane (Al Martino) to be in a film with an offer he couldn't refuse. Don Corleone may be a man of crime but his business is only to help people but when a fellow mob rival named Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) wants to make business-involving drugs, the Don refuses. The Don sends Luca Brasi (Lenny Montana) to talk with Sollozzo but things go wrong when an assassination attempt on Corleone leaves him wounded and Tom Hagen being kidnapped. Upon Hagen's return, Michael visits his father learning that he's in danger as he tries to move him but gets in trouble with corrupt police captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden). With help from the Don's right hand men Clemenza (Richard Castellano) and Tessio (Abe Vigoda), Michael decides to meet with Sollozzo and McCluskey where he kills them both.

With Michael out of the country in Siciliy and the Don at home but still wounded, it's up to the hot-headed Sonny to run things but his temper would lead him to trouble where Michael, upon returning from Sicily after a brief marriage to a woman named Apollonia (Simonetta Stefanelli), takes over. He realizes that Tattaglia (Tony Giorgio), Moe Greene (Alex Rocco), and Barzini (Richard Conte) are trying to overpower the Corleone family. Michael knew he has to take control even with the Don's decline where he would have to confront his foes in order to move the family out.

What makes The Godfather such a vastly powerful film is Coppola's subtle, wandering direction where he lets the cameras flow with such grace in its dramatic, intimate sequences while being a bit more stylized and extreme in its violent nature. The screenplay by Puzo and Coppola definitely plays up to a great Shakespearean tragedy but in a modern, American context where the nature of the story balances between crime and family drama. Easily one of the greatest adapted scripts ever written in film not for its dramatic structure but also, its catchy one-liners that is both philosophical and witty. Complementing Coppola's vision is a lush, Italian-regality look from cinematographer Gordon Willis who brings a Goth-like look in the more interior scenes while capturing more color with real-time look in the Sicilian scenes. Helping Willis in its looks is longtime Coppola-associate Dean Tavoularis for his detailing of 1940s America with lovely art direction from Warren Clymer and costume design from Anna Hill Johnstone. Another memorable moment about The Godfather is its famous score of woodwinds and arrangements from Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola's score for the wedding suite.

Then there's the film's wonderful cast of actors from the smaller roles of characters from John Marley, Salvatore Corsitto, Alex Rocco, Richard Conte, Tony Giorgio, Lenny Montana, Al Lettieri, Lenny Montana, and Gianni Russo. There is no bad performance in that film. Talia Shire's role as the abused Connie is sympathetic and harrowing to watch and towards the final act of the film, we begin to see how damaged she is that would lead to darker textures in the upcoming series of The Godfather trilogy. Diane Keaton brings a strong supporting performance as Kay; a woman who is reluctant to enter the world of the mob is understandable as we see her become the moral cornerstone that Michael would later neglect. Abe Vigoda and Richard Castellano are excellent in their performances as Don Corleone's right hand men while John Cazale is amazing as the sweet but weak Fredo whose character comes more into fruition in the second film.

Robert Duvall is brilliant as Tom Hagen, although not a son by blood, who serves as the intellectual side of Don Corleone while brings a moral guidance in the business of the mob while knowing his role in the family. James Caan is amazing as the temperamental Sonny as someone who just wants to do things his way but keeps forgetting to do things right. While he makes his character someone we care about in family matters, we see how he is doomed due to his angry nature. Al Pacino is the film's best supporting performance as a reluctant son who starts off innocent but when he descends into the mob world for revenge of his father's attempted murder, he evolves into someone darker. By the film's second half, we see that he becomes colder and more sinister where he begins to lose sight as who is which continues through the second film.

Finally, we have Marlon Brando in a performance that was regarded as a comeback at the time the film came out in the spring of 1972. While his performances like On the Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire, Guys & Dolls, and The Wild One were classics; his roles had been erratic and strange until he returned to form in The Godfather. His performance of Don Corleone wasn't just one of the most complex performances he did but he brought a character that was likeable despite what he does for a living. Brando brings a presence that is charming as he makes Don Corleone a man that has flaws but you can forgive him for that. Brando brings a moralistic intelligence to his performance with his great one-liners along with his regrets and sadness that makes his role of the Godfather one of the greatest performances of all-time. It's clearly one of his greatest performances that would follow with Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris and Coppola's 1979 Vietnam film Apocalypse Now where after that, Brando became a legend with methods that were unsound. Despite his behavior, Brando is just an actor who will continue to inspire many, even with his recent passing.

In the end, The Godfather is just an undisputed classic that everyone will seem to love. It has romance, violence, wit, and drama that have something for everyone. For Francis Ford Coppola, it's one of his greatest films while on the IMDB poll, is still the # 1 film of all-time. For many of the actors, it would be a role that would give them newfound attention and make new legends in Pacino, Keaton, Caan, and Duvall while for Brando; it was the role that would define his legend. Thirty-two years since its release, The Godfather is a film that just doesn't die since its release and it's a film everyone must see.

Francis Ford Coppola Films: Dementia 13 - (You're A Big Boy Now) - (Finian's Rainbow) - (The Rain People) - The Conversation - The Godfather Pt. II - Apocalypse Now/Apocalypse Now Redux - One from the Heart - The Outsiders - Rumble Fish - The Cotton Club - (Peggy Sue Got Married) - (Garden of Stone) - (Tucker: The Man & His Dream) - New York Stories - The Godfather Pt. III - Bram Stoker's Dracula - (Jack) - (The Rainmaker) - (Youth Without Youth) - Tetro - (Twixt)

© thevoid99 2010