There was not much chance that today’s group of guests would be in dispute about the quality of the MOTM for March, “The Conversation” from Francis Ford Coppola. This widely admired, minor classic was sandwiched between the first two “Godfather” films and it was a part of a phenomenal run of movies from the dominant director of the era.
David Brook takes over hosting, as he was the champion of the film. Richard and David are joined by Lisa Leaheey, Todd Liebenow , and James Wilson and they all take turns finding wonderful things to highlight throughout the film. Sound editing, paranoia, horror and Gene Hackman all come in for some scrutiny.
What has happened to our expectation of privacy? How much is technology rendering privacy obsolete? Is Google listening to this podcast right Now? We go off on a few tangents to show the continuing relevance of the film to today’s world. James as a former sound editor is particularly looking for the magic box that turns off all the sound except for the voices, I can tell you it’s not a button on Audacity.
In case you are unaware, “The Conversation” cast includes the great John Cazale, who only made five movies, all of which were Best Picture Nominees, Teri Garr who worked with Hackman this same year in “Young Frankenstein”, Allen Garfield who Todd thinks is creepy, and Harrison Ford who plays a character who really is creepy. Robert Duvall not only goes uncredited in the movie, he goes unmentioned in the podcast.
There are a lot of comments about how the film is shot, the sound is edited and how our brains work. Is jazz a perceptual filter that twists Harry Caul’s memory of the conversation or is it just a cheat that sound editor Walter Murch indulges in? Listen to us try to justify it so it is not a flaw in the film. Also, do you think that there was a sequel? Some of us suggest there was one.
Introduction
Discussion 3:20:45
Lambscores 1:07:30
Rants/Raves/Reviews 1:13:45
What’s the Line Game 1:39:45
Plugs 1:44:45
Lisa The Siblist Between the Scares
James Blogging By Cinema Light Forgotten Filmcast
Todd Forgotten Filmcast
David Blue Print Review
Richard KAMAD The Conversation
The show can be found, of course, via iTunes – just do a search for “LAMBcast.” Also, I always post a link to the show on the LAMBcast’s Facebook page, and there’s a player there if you’d like to listen online. Find the show here:
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/lambcast/episodes/2022-03-15T09_52_26-07_00
If you’d ever like to catch up on back episodes, go there. If you’re interested, you too can be a LAMBcaster – we love new blood! For more information on the LAMBcast, check out the topic at the LAMB Forums. Music provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod’s Incompetech website. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service. Closing song by Cake. The LAMBcast loves feedback, too – if you’d like yours read on a future show, leave it in the comments section at the LAMB. Please visit and like our Facebook page, and finally, we’re on iTunes, and would still love a review, even if it’s a bad one. Thanks for listening!