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:

Call Girl | Stalking | Detective | Prostitute | Letter

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:

According to her autobiography, Jane Fonda hung out with call girls and pimps for a week before beginning this film in order to prepare for her role. When none of the pimps offered to "represent" her, she became convinced she wasn't desirable enough to play a prostitute and urged the director to replace her with friend Faye Dunaway.

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:

Referenced in "American Dad!: The Best Christmas Story Never (#2.9)" (2006)

"Are you a button freak?"

What an awesome film. A good movie to contrast this with, is the film "Devil's Own". Both were directed by the late, great Alan J. Pakula, but were products of vastly different quality. You couldn't pick up a paper, and not read about how much Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt hated each other, and the end product suffered because of it. You had the core of a good movie torn apart, because the Pitt part, and the Ford part didn't co-exist.

No Such problem with "Klute". Here, all the pieces fit together. Scheider's suave, non-chalant pimp, Sutherland's lonely, enigmatic pseudo-gumshoe, and Fonda's basket case call girl all fit wonderfully. In fact, there are no slackers in this cast. Michael Small's creepy score also deserves mention, as does Pakula's masterful use of gritty, realistic New York City.

It's almost depressing to watch the raw talent at work in films like "Klute". Nowadays, films are so much the result of magazine polling, and the ever-present bottom line. It's true, we still have independent films, but even they are getting co-opted by big money. Still, I suppose there still are the John Sayles' of the world holding out. God bless 'em.