Most-quoted character in The Conversation (1974): in 16 of its 30 quotes
Most scenes with: Amy (3), Stan (2)
A line from Harry Caul
[to an exhibitor] I build all my own equipment. Thank you.
More lines from Harry Caul
5 quotes
Harry Caul [on the phone]
This is Harry Caul from upstairs...Yes, well, thank you very much. Thank you...You're really very nice, yes, but...what I wanted to talk to you about was how did you put it in the apartment?...What about the alarm? Oh you did?...I thought I had the only key...well, what emergency could possibly...all right, yes. You see, I would be perfectly happy to have all my personal things burned up in a fire because I don't have anything personal. Nothing of value. No, nothing personal except my keys, you see, which I really would like to have the only copy of, Mrs. Evangelista. As of today, my mail will go to a post-office box with a combination on it and no keys. Goodbye.
Harry Caul [in a confessional]
Bless me Father for I have sinned. Three months since my last confession. I - these are my sins. Took the Lord's name in vain on several occasions. On a number of occasions, I've taken newspapers from the racks without paying for them. I've - deliberately taken pleasure in impure thoughts. I've been involved in some work that I think, I think will be used to hurt these two young people. It's happened to me before. People were hurt because of my work and I'm afraid it could happen again and I'm - I was in no way responsible. I'm not responsible. For these and all my sins of my past life, I am heartily sorry.
Harry Caul It had nothin' to do with me, I mean, I just turned in the tapes...What they do with the tapes is their own business.
Harry Caul Oh God, what I have done. I have to destroy the tapes. It cannot happen again. The family was murdered because of me. Oh God, no protection. I can find them wherever they go, and I can hear them.
Harry Caul [to Ann, in a dream]
Listen, my name is Harry Caul. Can you hear me? Don't be afraid. I know you don't know who I am, but I know you. There isn't much to say about myself. I - was very sick when I was a boy. I was paralyzed in my left arm and my left leg. I couldn't walk for six months. One doctor said that I'd probably never walk again. My mother used to lower me into a hot bath - it was therapy. One time the doorbell rang and she went down to answer it. I started sliding down. I could feel the water starting to come up to my chin, up to my nose, and when I woke up, my body was all greasy from the holy oil she put on my body. I remember being disappointed I survived. When I was five, my father introduced me to a friend of his, and for no reason at all, I hit him right in the stomach with all my strength. He died a year later. He'll kill ya if he gets the chance. I'm not afraid of death but I am afraid of murder.
Scenes with Harry Caul
10 scenes
Who's interested in these two, anyway?
Harry I don't know for sure.
Harry No.
Then I figure it must be the Infernal Revenue. Their tapes always put me to sleep.
Harry Since when are you here to be entertained?
Sometimes it's nice to know what they're talking about.
Harry I don't care what they're talking about. All I want is a nice fat recording.
Does something special happen between us on your birthday?
Harry Like what?
Harry What?
Like, uhm, telling me about yourself. Your secrets?
Harry I don't have any secrets.
I'm your secret. You do have secrets, Harry? I know you do. Sometimes you come over here and you don't tell me. Once I saw you up by the staircase, hiding and watching for a whole hour. You think you're gonna catch me at something, you know? I know when you come over. I can always tell. You have a certain way of opening up the door. You know, first the key goes in real quiet, and then the door comes open real fast, just like you think you're gonna catch me at something. Sometimes I even think you're listening to me when I'm talking on the telephone.
Harry What are you talking about?
I don't know. I just feel it. Really, I do.
Where do you work, Harry?
Harry Oh, in different places, different jobs. I'm kinda a musician. A free-lance musician.
Where do you live? And why can't I call you over there?
Harry 'Cause I don't have a telephone.
Harry Why are you asking me all these questions?
Because it's your birthday.
Harry I don't want people to ask me a lot of questions.
Harry Yes, I know you want to. I don't feel like answering any more questions.
Harry You never used to ask a lot of questions.
Harry, I was so happy when you came over tonight. When I heard you open up the door, my toes were dancing under the covers. But I don't think I'm gonna wait for you anymore.
What the hell are they talkin' about, for Chrissake?!
Harry Well, I'm gettin' fed up.
Harry About your asking me questions all day long.
Harry Don't say that.
Harry Stan, don't say that again, please. Don't use that word in vain. It bothers me.
What's the matter, Harry?
Harry Your work's getting sloppy. We'd have a much better track here if you'd paid more attention to the recording and less attention to what they were talking about.
Harry, if you filled me in a little bit, once in a while, did you ever think of that?
Harry It has nothing to do with me and even less to do with you.
It's curiosity. Did you ever hear of that? It's just god-damned human nature.
Harry Listen, if there's one sure-fire rule that I have learned in this business is that I don't know anything about human nature. I don't know anything about curiosity. That's not part of what I do. This is my business.
Let me tell you somethin' about Harry Caul...I know you heard this a thousand times, Harry, but let me say it again. Here's to Harry - the best bar none. I'll drink to that.
Harry The best what?
The best bugger on the West Coast.
Meredith I want to hear all about you. Where are you from?
Harry New York.
Meredith I used to live in New York. At first, I worked as a receptionist and then I got promoted to secretary and then I was promoted to gal-Friday and special assistant to the Boss. Then I married him. Do you live far from here? Harry?
Harry Are you still married?
Meredith Oh, I don't know. Probably. Why then, maybe I am. The last thing I heard, he was trying to scrape up enough money to buy another hardware store. And I ended up out here in San Francisco - unemployed - which is the entire story of my life up until tonight. You don't like me very much, do you? You don't want to talk to me or anything.
Harry I didn't say that.
Meredith Something is on your mind. I wish you'd tell me. I do, I wish that, I wish that you'd feel that you could talk to me and, and that we could be friends, I mean, aside from all of this junk.
Harry If you were a girl who waited for someone...
Meredith You can trust me.
Harry ...and you never really knew when he was gonna come to see you. You just lived in a room alone and you knew nothing about him. And if you loved him and were patient with him, and even though he didn't dare ever tell you anything about himself personally, even though he may have loved you, would you..would you, would you go back to him?
Meredith How would I know - how would I know that he loved me?
Harry You'd have no way of knowing.
Harry You should have seen it, though. These new microphones are just incredible. They really - I couldn't really believe it myself. We were over two hundred yards away and it was absolutely readable. I broke in a couple newreel cameramen and, you should have been there, Bernie, it was really...
L Lurleen
What did they do?
Harry Well, they took the cross-hairs of the telescope and they lined it up on the mouths of the...
L Lurleen
No, the boy and the girl, what did they do?
Harry Oh, I don't know. But it was really beautiful. Really something to see.
Harry It's no ordinary conversation. It makes me feel...something.
Meredith Forget it, Harry. It's only a trick.
Harry What?
Meredith A job. You're not supposed to feel anything about it. You're just supposed to do it. That's all. Relax, honey.
Other characters in The Conversation
