Klute (1971)

Director:

Alan J. Pakula

Writers:

Andy Lewis (written by) and
Dave Lewis (written by)

Release Date:

25 June 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

One man is missing. Two girls lie dead. ...and someone breathing on the other end of the phone. [USA Theatrical]

Plot:

A small-town detective searching for a missing man has only one lead: a connection with a New York prostitute.

Plot Keywords:

Stalker | Executive | Rooftop | Psychotherapy | Psychological Drama

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Jane Fonda	...	Bree Daniels
Donald Sutherland	...	John Klute
Charles Cioffi	...	Peter Cable
Roy Scheider	...	Frank Ligourin
Dorothy Tristan	...	Arlyn Page
Rita Gam	...	Trina
Nathan George	...	Det. Lt. Trask
Vivian Nathan	...	Psychiatrist
Morris Strassberg	...	Mr. Goldfarb
Barry Snider	...	Berger
Betty Murray	...	Holly Gruneman
Jane White	...	Janie Dale
Shirley Stoler	...	Momma Rose
Robert Milli	...	Tom Gruneman
Anthony Holland	...	Actor's Agent

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | West Germany:18 (original rating) | France:Unrated | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1971) | Sweden:11 | UK:18 | USA:R | Canada:18A

Filming Locations:

Filmways Studios - 246 East 127th Street, East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Gus Productions

Trivia:

Bree's apartment was built on a sound stage at a New York film studio where Jane Fonda could spend the night. The director even had a working toilet installed in the bathroom of the set. Jane contributed to decorating the apartment by deciding Bree would be a romance reader and have a cat. Jane remembered an actress from 'Lee Stasberg' 's private class that occasionally serviced JFK, so she decided Bree had done this as well. A signed photo of Kennedy appears on the fridge in Bree's apartment.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Bree and Klute return to Bree's apartment from the market, the phone rings. Klute lifts the receiver halfway through the third ring whereupon the sound of the bell abruptly cuts off (rather than resonate a couple of seconds as it did during the first two rings), revealing the phone's ring as a studio recording.

Quotes:

John Klute: Miss Daniels, can I ask you some questions now?
Bree Daniel: [notices Klute's surveillance gear] You bastard! Is this a shakedown, hon'? 'Cause you picked a loser, I don't have it.
John Klute: I'm looking for Tom Gr ...
Bree Daniel: [interrupts him] Jesus, do you think I'd still be living in this kip if I was still in the line fulltime? I'd be back on Park Avenue.
John Klute: Can I ask you some questions?
Bree Daniel: Or you'll have me thrown back in the brig, you mean.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Indie Sex: Censored (2007) (TV)

Impressive delivery from Pakula, a solid mystery and an impressive performance from Fonda

When Tom Gruneman goes missing, the FBI can offer no solutions to his wife other than a handful of obscene letters he had previously written to a New York call girl. With no progress, the family decide to employ Tom's friend, John Klute, to act as private detective. Klute's first step is to seek out the call girl, Bree Daniels who unsurprisingly cannot remember this specific one trick. Klute sticks with her though and finds her a confused character. As he gets drawn into her, his simple missing persons case grows into something much more deadly.

With a delivery that is unmistakably Pakula this is a strange mix of a film that works in some ways and could have been better in others. As a detective mystery it could have been stronger and have more a sense of urgency and those looking for the usual "bad guy/good guy" stuff may find themselves a bit frustrated by the apparent slow pace. However after taking a minute to get into it I found it convincing that we didn't know that much about what was brewing – in the same way that Klute didn't. Pakula delivers the story with a sense of slightly paranoid foreboding that befits the city setting and the fragile state of our main character.

I say main rather than title because although Klute has the billing, the film is as interesting because of the character of Bree as it is because of the detective story. This is helped by an Oscar-winning turn from Fonda, who is very much the heart of the film. The mystery is still the mystery but she fills so much silence with her convincing character, full of nervous energy and contradictions. Whether or not she is representative of the call girls she spent time with before the film doesn't really matter but what is important is that she feels like a very real person. By surprising contrast Donald Sutherland plays his part as if someone had forgotten to plug him in; he is flat and rather dull but perhaps he was directed to not distract or compete. The rest of the cast sees some nice support from Cioffi and Scheider but in the acting stakes Fonda owns the film.

A slow film perhaps but one that draws you in if you preserve with what at first appears to be very cold and dull. The mystery aspect gives the film a direction while Pakula's cold and close direction gives it atmosphere but it is Fonda's performance that has the biggest impact and is the main reason the film works.