In the 1974 film The Conversation, what kind of professional is Harry Caul?

Harry Caul is a surveillance expert in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 film The Conversation.

Played by Gene Hackman, Caul specializes in recording private conversations for clients. He is highly skilled at capturing sound while trying to remain anonymous, but he is also deeply concerned about privacy and the possible consequences of his work.

The film begins when Caul records a couple talking in San Francisco’s Union Square. He becomes increasingly troubled as he replays the recording and suspects that the conversation may be connected to a planned murder. The mystery depends on sound, interpretation, and the uncertainty of what the words really mean.

The Conversation was written, directed, and produced by Coppola. It was released between the first two films of The Godfather saga and received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Its themes of surveillance and technological intrusion became especially resonant during the post-Watergate era.