Ritz Cinemas

To celebrate its 50th anniversary Francis Ford Coppola’s (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now) seminal 1974 neo-noir thriller The Conversation (1974) is back on the big screen in a new 4K restoration from Sunday 29 September.

Reported to be the favourite of Coppola’s films, The Conversation boasts an exceptional cast lead by Gene Hackman (The French Connection, Unforgiven), and featuring a notable early performance from Harrison Ford (Raiders of The Lost Ark, Witness).

The film won numerous awards, including the Palme D’or and BAFTAs for Editing and Sound, recognising Walter Murch’s (The English Patient, Apocalypse Now) ground-breaking work.

Of the new restoration, Francis Ford Coppola says:
“As you will notice, I have never offered a new version of The Conversation, which is a film I have always been proud of, I've never felt the need to improve. It also features my wonderful collaboration with its editor (along with Richard Chew) and sound designer, Walter Murch which reinforces my belief that cinema is a collaborative effort. I am gratified to have made a film that has lived for 50 years."

For the 2024 restoration of The Conversation, the original negative was accessed for the first time and scanned in 4K. An approved reference print was used for the colour grading and the 5.1 soundtrack was created in 2000 by Walter Murch. The restoration was fully approved by Francis Ford Coppola.