--- "Stephen D. Rogers" <
cc_sdr633@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I'd be interested in hearing people's
> thoughts on noir as it relates to
> THE CONVERSATION, with Gene Hackman.
>
While I don't believe there is what most people call
neo-noir, there is a post-noir. A film that continues in the
tradition but expands upon the view in a more modern way. THE
CONVERSATION is one of those films as is Godard's BREATHLESS
and Melville's SAMURAI. While the two French films continue
to the ineluctable tragic end, the Coppola film ends with the
unsettling realization that the character is trapped by his
own device and he will never be the same.
That's my opinion and that's the only way I know how to say
it. It may not be noir in the real sense of the word (and I'm
using the original French definition and not that sloppy and
vague nonsense that followed all the misunderstanding of what
the critics didn't say) but what makes THE CONVERSATION so
good is that it doesn't seem to follow precepts or design
demands
(like the completely retro Coen Brothers film THE MAN WHO
WASN'T THERE). Whatever it is, THE CONVERSATION is a damn
fine film.
William
Essays and Ramblings
<http://www.williamahearn.com>
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