Klute (1971)

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

Director:

Alan J. Pakula

Writers:

Andy Lewis, David E. Lewis (as Dave Lewis)

Stars:

Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi

Won 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	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

Storyline

Six months after the disappearance of Tuscarora, PA businessman Tom Gruneman, his boss, Peter Cable, and his wife, Holly Gruneman, hire Tom's friend, private detective John Klute to find out what happened to Tom, as the police have been unable to do so, and despite John having no expertise in missing persons cases. The only lead is a typewritten obscene letter Tom purportedly wrote to Manhattan actress/model/call girl Bree Daniel, who admits to having received such letters from someone, and since having received several mysterious telephone calls as well. The suggestion/belief is that Tom was one of Bree's past johns, although she has no recollection of him when shown his photograph. Bree's tricking is both a compulsion and a financial need. In their initial encounters, John and Bree do whatever they can to exert their psychological dominance over the other, especially as Bree initially refused to even speak to him. Despite their less than friendly start, they embark on a personal ...

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Plot Keywords:

prostitute | undressing | neo noir | woman undressing | serial killer | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 June 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

El pasado me condena

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,512,637, 31 December 1971

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.,Gus Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song "Wings of Desire" (1992) by Strawpeople, later made famous in the Nicole Kidman movie To Die For (1995), features sound clips of Bree talking.

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Goofs

Several sound effects in the hotel room scene near the beginning are quite poorly dubbed in, sounding much clearer and crisper than the murky, echoey live sound from the on-set microphone, and with audible cuts and mismatched volume levels.

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Quotes

Bree Daniel: Look, will you please just try to get it from my side? A year ago I was in the life full time, I was living on Park Avenue. It was a very nice apartment, leather furniture... and then the cops dropped on me, they caged me. They started asking me about a guy, some guy, that I'm supposed to have seen a year before that. Two years ago! He could be in Yemen. Gruneman... what does that mean? It's a name! I don't know him! And they start showing me these pictures, and they don't mean anything to me. ...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

Some network TV versions omit six minutes' worth of footage, including a scene where Klute () finds the clue that leads him to the murderer.

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Connections

Referenced in Sneak Previews: The Idolmaker, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Every Man for Himself, Fade to Black (1980)

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Soundtracks

We Gather Together
(uncredited)
Written by Adrianus Valerius
Lyrics by Theodore Baker
Sung by Jane Fonda

User Reviews

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.