The filmmaker Bradley Cooper called “one of the best auteur directors”
Bradley Cooper is perhaps best known for his work as an actor, and although his first wave of films, including the likes of Wet Hot American Summer, Wedding Crashers, The Hangover and Limitless, are not the most critically lauded movies of all time, eventually that began to change.
Cooper started to find a higher level of praise as he moved through his acting career, with each of his efforts in Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and American Sniper earning him a nomination at the Academy Awards. It wasn’t long after that that Cooper turned his attention to directing.
He began with 2018’s musical drama A Star is Born before following up with 2023’s Maestro, which has both made Cooper a well-considered director. With directing in mind, it’s worth noting Cooper’s biggest filmmaking heroes, whom he once discussed in a feature with Rotten Tomatoes.
Of those favourite movies and directors, Cooper spoke glowingly of Francis Ford Coppola, and particularly of his 1974 mystery thriller The Conversation. “The Conversation is just, I think, a movie made by one of the best auteur directors of the 1970s and 1980s,” Cooper said.
The film stars Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Harrison Ford and Robert Duvall and tells of a surveillance expert who faces a difficult ethical choice when he inadvertently records evidence of a potential murder. It’s the movie’s sound design that is most impressive to Cooper.
He said: “To me, I think the reason that I would choose that one is the sound editing. Even though Hackman does play a sound guy, the sound of the movie is really innovative. You have conversations that are happening in the foreground that you can barely hear, and yet that’s the main conversation, so they play around a lot with where they put the microphone. It’s really awesome.”
The Conversation was well-received critically, winning the Palme d’Or at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival and being nominated for three Academy Awards. Coppola is known for his excellent work in the film industry, having made several masterpieces, including The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, but it’s his 1974 mystery thriller that is Bradley Cooper’s favourite.
As Cooper progresses into his directing career, he’s likely to continue taking inspiration from his favourite filmmakers, and it looks like Francis Ford Coppola is at the top of that list.
Check out the trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation below.
