Re: The Conversation
Posted: August 21st, 2009, 9:08 pm
Welcome to SSO KR. Nice to have you here.
While Blow up (1966) and The Conversation might share a theme (isolationism), I really don't find much else connecting the two works. I personally find Antonioni's movie has aged poorly (Mr. ChiO will have me on the ropes for this) and not of the same caliber as his earlier films, which opened the sixties. As for The Conversation, I see it as a Neo Noir and while isolation is one of its points, it's certainly not the only one. Common noir landmarks such as paranoia, flashback, fate, and a sense of claustrophobia pervade Harry's world. As in Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958), he is the man with a second chance who still finds failure because he loses objectivity.
Misogynistic? Personally, I find Hemming's view and treatment of women poorer than Harry's. Although both use the fairer sex as a salve for their empty lives, Harry's non-commitment is due to his past and fears of what the future might hold. Marc seems to be unaware of his place in the world until the closing frames of the film, so his abuse does not stem from fear, but a sense of entitlement. This complaint also seems to be at odds with the Femme Fatale comment, where in Film Noir most females who fit this title are portrayed as vampire-like hellions. While in a few cases, this role is shown in an empowering light, the majority of these performances are negative ones.
I do agree with your idea that these films are approached in different ways with Antonioni's imagery and Coppola's pessimistic ideals. You might say that one embraced optimism of the early sixties, while the other endorsed hard realism, which followed. Comparing this film with same year’s Chinatown offers more perspective on one's personal taste than their actual stature in the neo noir cannon. As in Blowup, Polanski's film is dominated by color whereas Conversation is muted, or in your words, intentionally “drab”. The Conversation is also filled with images, but it’s the internal ideas about human mentality behind those images that give the movie its compelling power. I like both films, but I can’t agree on Nicholson over Hackman. Nor could I call Chinatown its better. Both are great films that stand on their own merits and should be viewed accordingly.
While Blow up (1966) and The Conversation might share a theme (isolationism), I really don't find much else connecting the two works. I personally find Antonioni's movie has aged poorly (Mr. ChiO will have me on the ropes for this) and not of the same caliber as his earlier films, which opened the sixties. As for The Conversation, I see it as a Neo Noir and while isolation is one of its points, it's certainly not the only one. Common noir landmarks such as paranoia, flashback, fate, and a sense of claustrophobia pervade Harry's world. As in Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958), he is the man with a second chance who still finds failure because he loses objectivity.
Misogynistic? Personally, I find Hemming's view and treatment of women poorer than Harry's. Although both use the fairer sex as a salve for their empty lives, Harry's non-commitment is due to his past and fears of what the future might hold. Marc seems to be unaware of his place in the world until the closing frames of the film, so his abuse does not stem from fear, but a sense of entitlement. This complaint also seems to be at odds with the Femme Fatale comment, where in Film Noir most females who fit this title are portrayed as vampire-like hellions. While in a few cases, this role is shown in an empowering light, the majority of these performances are negative ones.
I do agree with your idea that these films are approached in different ways with Antonioni's imagery and Coppola's pessimistic ideals. You might say that one embraced optimism of the early sixties, while the other endorsed hard realism, which followed. Comparing this film with same year’s Chinatown offers more perspective on one's personal taste than their actual stature in the neo noir cannon. As in Blowup, Polanski's film is dominated by color whereas Conversation is muted, or in your words, intentionally “drab”. The Conversation is also filled with images, but it’s the internal ideas about human mentality behind those images that give the movie its compelling power. I like both films, but I can’t agree on Nicholson over Hackman. Nor could I call Chinatown its better. Both are great films that stand on their own merits and should be viewed accordingly.