Harry Caul is a protagonist, a loner who says little, lacks courage and has an unruly dispassion about his work (which he was fully dedicated to) only for his privacy, which he has denied for others, to finally be denied for him.
Harry Caul is a character totally obsessed with his own privacy; he spends his days as a wiretapping expert, invading the privacy of others. Harry's character is impossible for viewers to sympathise with as he is a man, completely obsessed with making himself unavailable to others, that he almost loses his own personality.
Harry suffers intense guilt from a previous assignment - which resulted in the deaths of an entire family.
He becomes engaged in the conversation he has recorded between Ann (Cindy Williams) and Mark (Frederic Forrest). He soon becomes pre-occupied by the true motive and meaning to the conversation. As Harry tries to uncover the meaning of this conversation he creates a meaning of (his romantic obsession) Ann's impression, persecution and her possible death. Harry acts as the films director developing a believable story, he fills the narrative gaps, adding what is visible and heard, with what he believes to be the truth.
We see the film entirely through his eyes, knowing only what he knows. We either see what really happened or what Harry assumes happened. For example, the hotel room murder, watching this, the viewer feels very confused as to what really happened.
Harry is a sad man looking for love and expecting others to give and give without receiving anything in return. In addition to this, he also seeks a clear conscience, remembering the disastrous job resulting in the family deaths.
The shock and paranoia that is unleashed by Martin Stett (Harrison Ford)'s betrayal, results in Harry destroying his apartment. This madness is brought on by his extreme self consciousness and his want to be left alone to himself or perhaps his fear of someone looking and listening to him, and he, Harry Caul, becoming the spy who is being spied upon.
******
In an article I found online, Professor Metcalf described the significance of Harry Caul's name and character. CAUL - a word used to describe the translucent embryonic covering that can cover a newborn’s head, this idea is brought up many times throughout the film, and also the superstitions associated with the CAULBEARERS, which Professor Metcalf also explains.
Relating to the word "CAUL" he notes that Harry's see-through jacket is a direct reference and a visual symbol of the protection from his childhood. This jacket is meant to act as the barrier, separating him from the rest of the world, but really it does nothing at all to protect his privacy.
This type of censoring continues throughout the film, obstructing paths between Harry and his threats to his privacy and security. For example the scene where Harry is in the church, confessing his sins, the camera moves from a focus on Harry, to the screen, separating Harry and the priest, the camera then focuses on the priest concealed by the screen, listening.
At the climax of the film Harry hears Ann and her husband talking - violently. Harry panics in his room wish is next to Ann and her husbands room (room 773). This shows Harry's overwhelming fear and guilt, he continues to pull the curtains over, blocking out the light and the world (relating back to the idea of him being a 'loner') and he goes to his bed and blankets for "protection". All this is forming a barrier between Harry and his guilt.
With all these examples, it show the further developing isolated, loner, private, distrustful personality of Harry Caul.
No comments:
Post a Comment