Klute (1971)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Alan J. Pakula

Writers:

Andy Lewis (written by) and
David P. Lewis (written by)

Release Date:

25 June 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Romance | 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:

Stalking | Call Girl | Letter | Detective | Prostitute

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 Reese
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:

Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Australia:M | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | France:Unrated | USA:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1971) | Sweden:11 | UK:18 (video: 1988) | 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:

In the original script Bree's psychiatrist was male but Fonda felt in rehearsals, that the character would never open up to a man so she requested that the part be changed to a women. Fonda requested to shoot the scenes with the shrink at the end of shooting so she would have already fully internalized the character of Bree.

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: I understand you use narcotics. Maybe I can have a policeman come here and look at your... arms.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Telling the Truth About Lies: The Making of 'All the President's Men' (2006) (V)

Artless and surprisingly delicate

Despite the rough-edges reputation of Pakula, he always manages to give us some beautifully shot, almost fragile images. Like Fonda pondering an envelope full of money and a blank invoice while surrounded by clothing-store dummies; or Sutherland choosing apricots by feel; or even Roy Scheider's silent acknowledgement that he is being used. And Fonda's artless performance is so unbelieveable, I couldn't believe it was her.

Terrifically acted - everyone takes just the right tone. My only quibble about the movie is how the mystery is solved. It's much too abrupt given the meandering pace of the rest of the movie. But the plot means nothing in this surprisingly delicate character study.