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Klute

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Klute
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAlan J. Pakula
Written by
Produced byAlan J. Pakula
Starring
CinematographyGordon Willis
Edited byCarl Lerner
Music byMichael Small
Production
company
Gus Productions
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • June 23, 1971(1971-06-23)[1]
Running time
114 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.5 million
Box office$12.5 million[2]

Kluteis a 1971 Americanneo-noirpsychological thriller[3][4]film directed and produced byAlan J. Pakula,and starringJane Fonda,Donald Sutherland,Charles Cioffi,Nathan George,Dorothy Tristan,Roy Scheider,andRita Gam.Its plot follows a high-priced New York Citycall girlwho assists a detective from Pennsylvania in solving themissing personcase of ajohnwho may bestalkingher.[5]It is the first installment of what has informally come to be known as Pakula's "paranoia trilogy", followed byThe Parallax View(1974) andAll the President's Men(1976), all films dealing with themes of paranoia,conspiracies,andsurveillance.[6][7]

The original screenplay forKlutewas written by brothersAndyand Dave Lewis, with Andy drawing inspiration from aserialhe read as a child about a man attempting to solve his brother's murder in a city. Principal photography took place in late 1970 and early 1971 in New York City.

Klutewas released theatrically in the United States on June 23, 1971, byWarner Bros.to critical and commercial success. Reviewers praised the film's direction and screenplay, with Fonda's performance receiving widespread critical acclaim, while the film grossed over $12 million against a $2.5 million budget.

Klutereceived two nominations at the44th Academy Awards,includingBest Original Screenplay,with Fonda winningBest Actress.At the25th British Academy Film Awards,Fonda received a nomination forBest Actress in a Leading Role.At the29th Golden Globe Awards,it received a nomination forBest Screenplay,with Fonda winningBest Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Plot[edit]

After Pennsylvania chemical company executive Tom Gruneman disappears, the police find an obscene letter in Gruneman's office addressed to a New York Citycall girlnamed Bree Daniel, who had received several such letters. After six months of fruitless police work, Peter Cable, a fellow executive at Gruneman's company, hires family friend and detective John Klute to investigate Gruneman's disappearance.

Klute rents an apartment in the basement of Bree's building, taps her phone and follows her as she turns tricks. Bree appears to enjoy the freedom of freelancing as a call girl while auditioning for acting and modeling jobs, but she reveals the emptiness of her life to her psychiatrist. Bree refuses to answer Klute's questions at first. After learning that he has been watching her, Bree says that she does not recognize Gruneman. She acknowledges having been beaten up by ajohntwo years earlier, but cannot identify Gruneman from a photo. She further admits to Klute that she is a nervous andparanoidperson. Bree takes Klute to meet her formerpimpFrank Ligourin, who had managed Jane McKenna, a prostitute who had referred the abusive client to Bree. McKenna has apparently committed suicide, and their other colleague Arlyn Page has since become a drug addict and disappeared.

Klute and Bree develop a romance, although she tells her psychiatrist that she wishes their relationship would end because she felt more in control of herself when turning tricks. She tells Klute that she is paranoid that she is being watched. They find Page, who tells them that the photo of Gruneman is not that of the client, who was an older man. Page's body is later found in the river. Klute connects the apparent suicides of the two prostitutes, surmising that the client was using Gruneman's name. He also thinks the client killed Gruneman and might kill Bree next. Klute revisits Gruneman's acquaintances. By typographic comparison, the obscene letters are traced to Cable, to whom Klute has been reporting during his investigation. Klute asks Cable for money to buy the "black book"of McKenna's clients to learn the identity of the abusive client. He leaves enoughbread crumbsto see whether Cable reveals his own complicity in the murders.

Cable follows Bree to a client's office and reveals that he sent her the letters. Cable tells her that after Gruneman accidentally found him physically abusing McKenna, Cable was worried that Gruneman would use the incident to sabotage Cable's career, so Cable tried to frame Gruneman by planting the letter in his office. After playing asnuffaudiotape he recorded as he murdered Page, he attacks Bree. When he sees Klute rush in, Cable abruptly lurches backward, crashing through a window to his death.

Bree vacates her apartment with Klute's help. Avoiceoverconversation with her psychiatrist reveals her hesitancy to surrender her life of autonomy to enter into a traditional relationship with Klute, saying that she would lose her mind if she turned to a domestic lifestyle. She admits that although she will miss Klute, she is unable to tell him, and jokes that the doctor will likely see her again the next week. As they leave the apartment, Bree receives a telephone call from a client, and she informs him she is leaving New York and does not expect to return. She and Klute leave the apartment together.

Cast[edit]

In addition,Robert Milliappears briefly as Tom Gruneman, andSylvester Stalloneappears as an uncredited extra in a club scene.[8]

Themes[edit]

Writer Karen Gai Dean notesparanoiaandsurveillanceas principal themes inKlute.[7]She writes that the film's recurrent use of audio tapes as both "visual and aural themes... presciently evoke the paranoia of theWatergateera. "[7]

The film wasretconnedto form the first installment of Pakula's "paranoia trilogy",[9]followed byThe Parallax View(1974) andAll the President's Men(1976), which similarly dealt with themes of paranoia,conspiracies,and surveillance.[6][7]Scott Tobias ofThe Guardiannoted that while the film "doesn't have the conspiratorial flavor of Pakula's more political films,Kluteapproaches the genre with the same creepy ambience, with camera angles that suggest surveillance, and an excellent score, by Michael Small, that would seem more suited tohorror,with its jangling of keys on the far end of a piano. There's an aura of danger and instability that keeps the film on edge. "[9]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

Andy Lewis,a writer who had primarily worked in television, developed the screenplay forKlutewith the goal of wanting to transition into feature films.[10]His initial inspiration for the screenplay originated from a serial story he had read as a child inThe Saturday Evening Postabout a man from the country who ventures into the city in an attempt to solve the murder of his brother who was killed there in an empty lot.[10]Lewis focused on two themes he felt were resonant to Americans, firstly "therubewho turns the tables on the city slickers ", and secondly, paranoia:" I'm sure this afflicts people all over the world, but I somehow think of it as typically American. The hidden pattern of things. The darkness. The people out there watching you, plotting against you, waiting to hurt you. Sounds you hear at night. Silences on the phone. All that stuff. I figured I would write this thing, however it went, to take the fullest possible advantage of this—what should we call it?—instinct. Deliberately. "[10]

Thespec scriptwas completed by Andy Lewis in collaboration with his older brother, Dave.[10]The brothers corresponded by letters and phone—Andy from hisMassachusettsresidence, and Dave from his home inCalifornia—with Andy undertaking much of the scripting.[10]Andy commented that the writing was highly collaborative, concluding: "I'd have trouble attributing any part of the original script to one or the other of us solely."[10]

Casting[edit]

The casting of Jane Fonda, who had recently completedThey Shoot Horses, Don't They?(1969) was announced in April 1970.[11]At the time, Fonda had attracted significant scrutinyfor her activism against the Vietnam War,[9]and much of the publicity surrounding the film made note of this.[12]To prepare for the role, Fonda spent a week in New York City observing high-class call girls andmadams.She also accompanied them on their outings to after-hours clubs to solicit men. Fonda was disturbed that none of the men showed any interest in her, which she believed was because they could see that she was really just an "upper-class, privileged pretender".[13]

Fonda had doubts about whether she could portray the role and asked Alan Pakula to release her from her contract and hireFaye Dunawayinstead, but Pakula refused.[14]One of Fonda's primary concerns was that she, as an emerging feminist, should not play a prostitute, but when Fonda admitted this concern to a longstanding feminist, she was disabused of the notion. To overcome her doubts that she could play such a role, Fonda turned to her memories of several call girls whom she had known while living in France, all of whom worked for the famedMadame Claude.She remembered that all of them had been sexually abused as children, and Fonda used this as an "entry" to her own character and as a way to understand Bree's motivations in becoming a prostitute.[15]

Donald Sutherland was cast as private investigator, John Klute, signing onto the project in May 1970.[16]Sutherland later admitted that he clashed with Pakula during the production, commenting that it "was a film where the director had a specific idea, which I didn't particularly understand, nor was I particularly interested in."[12]Roy Scheider was cast as Bree's pimp, Frank Ligourin, a role that brought him significant attention and notably furthered his career.[17]

Filming[edit]

Principal photography ofKlutebegan in December 1970 in New York City.[18][19]In March 1971, it was reported that filming had completed.[20]

The film was shot by cinematographerGordon Willis,a frequent collaborator of Pakula known for his employment of darkness and shadows in his cinematography.[6]Film scholar Terence McSweeney writes inThe Other Hollywood Renaissance(2020) that the film's cinematography is deliberately destabilizing and disorienting, utilizing close-up shots while lacking establishing shots, and that its editing style features abrupt transitions and a lack of traditional film cues.[21]Actor Donald Sutherland, reflecting on the film, commented that, "there were a lot of things inKlutethat didn't make any sense in terms of movies. "[22]

Release[edit]

Klutewas released theatrically in the United States byWarner Bros.,premiering on June 23, 1971, in Los Angeles and New York City[1]before opening wide on June 25.[23]

Box office[edit]

The film earned US$8 million (equivalent to $60,187,346 in 2023) intheatrical rentalsat the North American box office.[24]

Critical response[edit]

Jane Fonda's performance received widespread critical acclaim, earning her theAcademy Award for Best Actress.

Klutewas widely praised by critics for its screenplay and Fonda's performance, though some criticized Pakula's unconventional direction.[12]On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,the film holds an approval rating of 93% based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Donald Sutherland is coolly commanding and Jane Fonda a force of nature inKlute,a cuttingly intelligent thriller that generates its most agonizing tension from its stars' repartee. "[25]Metacritic,which uses aweighted average,assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[26]

TheLos Angeles Times'sCharles Champlinpraised Fonda and Sutherland's performances, summarizing: "Kluteis visually stunning, full of surprises, bewildering and suspenseful, faultless in its timing... Like the best mysteries always,Kluteoffers more than its diversions and redeems its sordid materials by understanding them and finding them worth pity, not amusement. "[27]

Roger Ebertof theChicago Sun-TimesawardedKlute3.5 stars out of a possible 4, writing that while the thriller elements were poorly executed, the performances of Sutherland and especially Fonda carried the film. He suggested that the film should have been titledBreeafter her character, who is the "soul" of the film and avoids thehooker with a heart of goldstereotype:

What is it about Jane Fonda that makes her such a fascinating actress to watch? She has a sort of nervous intensity that keeps her so firmly locked into a film character that the character actually seems distracted by things that come up in the movie.[28]

Gene Siskelof theChicago Tribunewas similarly appreciative, writing: "More interesting than the mystery is the character of Bree... the nicest part of her character (due to the script and Miss Fonda's fine performance) is that this prostitute doesn't have a heart of gold. She's a hungup little broad who, when cornered by violence or tenderness, will scratch and bite. Director Alan Pakula's... crisply edited movie runs too long only in drawing out its conclusion….Sharp eyes will solve the mystery midway thru the film. Miss Fonda's performance is superior to her most recent work inThey Shoot Horses, Don't They?... Sutherland... presents a controlled posture as the industrious detective. His low profile nicely balances Miss Fonda's incendiary role. "[29]

J. Luria, writing for theProfessional Psychology: Research and Practicejournal, praised the film for its psychological elements, particularly its nuanced depiction of prostitution, noting that "a good mystery plot and excellent acting make this film entertaining. But the sociopsychological scrutiny of the prostitution subculture makes it outstanding. The film unfolds on several levels, the description of the call girl, the struggle for her growth, the relationship of Klute and Bree, and the mystery theme. Overall, it is an excellent blending of the clinical and the literal."[30]

Roger GreenspunofThe New York Times,in one of the few negative reviews, wrote, "Pakula, when he is not indulging in subjective camera, strives to give his film the look of structural geometry, but despite the sharp edges and dramatic spaces and cinema presence out ofCitizen Kaneit all suggests a tepid, rather tasteless mush. The acting inKluteseems semi-improvisatory, and in this Jane Fonda, who is good at confessing, is generally successful. Everybody else merely talks a lot, except for Sutherland, who scarcely talks at all. A normally inventive actor, he is here given precisely the latitude to evoke a romantic figure with all the mysterious intensity of a youthfulCalvin Coolidge."[31]

Writing for theChicago Readerin 1985, criticDave Kehrdeclared the film "as close to a classic as anythingNew Hollywoodproduced. "[32]

Accolades[edit]

Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Actress Jane Fonda Won [33]
Best Original Screenplay Andy Lewisand Dave Lewis Nominated [33]
British Academy Film Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role Jane Fonda Nominated [34]
Edgar Allan Poe Awards Best Motion Picture Screenplay Andy Lewis and Dave Lewis Nominated
Fotogramas de Plata Best Foreign Movie Performer Jane Fonda Won
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Won [35]
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture Andy Lewis and Dave Lewis Nominated [35]
Gotham Independent Film Awards Classic Film Tribute Award Klute Won
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actress Jane Fonda Won [36]
London Film Critics' Circle Awards Best Director Alan J. Pakula Won [23]
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Donald Sutherland Won
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Jane Fonda Won
National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Actress Won [37]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actress Won [38]
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Drama – Written Directly for the Screen Andy Lewis and Dave Lewis Nominated [23]

Home media[edit]

Warner Bros. Home EntertainmentreleasedKluteon DVD first in February 2002.[39]The Criterion Collectionreleased the film onBlu-rayin July 2019 featuring a new4K restorationfrom the original film elements.[40]

References[edit]

  1. ^abCrittenden, John (June 23, 1971)."'Klute' Proves Enjoyable Psycho Film ".The Record.p. C–16 – via Newspapers.
  2. ^"Klute (1971) – Financial Information".The Numbers.RetrievedApril 5,2024.
  3. ^Parish 1990,p. 316.
  4. ^Thomson 2009,p. 124.
  5. ^Silver & Ward 1992,p. 404.
  6. ^abcLoBrutto 2021,p. 55.
  7. ^abcdDean 2003,p. 371.
  8. ^Eichhorn, Dennis P.(1986).Stallone.Seattle: Turman Pub. Co. p. 26.ISBN978-0-89872-205-5.
  9. ^abcTobias, Scott (June 25, 2021)."Klute at 50: a thriller less interested in a killer and more in character".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2023.
  10. ^abcdef"A Q&A with" Klute "Co-Writer Andy Lewis".TruStory FM.April 10, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2023.
  11. ^"Jane Fonda stars in Klute".The Calgary Albertan.April 23, 1970. p. 11 – via Newspapers.
  12. ^abcKachmar 2015,p. 27.
  13. ^Susan Lacy (2018).Jane Fonda in Five Acts.HBO Films.
  14. ^Pascual, Ivy (September 2, 2012)."Jane Fonda on" Klute ": I Said," I Can't Do It. Hire Faye Dunaway "".DuJour Media.Archived fromthe originalon October 5, 2022.
  15. ^Fonda, Jane (November 16, 2018)."In conversation with...Jane Fonda"(Interview). Interviewed bySamira Ahmed.British Film Institute.Archivedfrom the original on November 28, 2021 – viaYouTube.
  16. ^"Sutherland Signed".Press & Sun-Bulletin.May 23, 1970. p. 16 – via Newspapers.
  17. ^Kachmar 2015,pp. 27–29.
  18. ^Beck, Marilyn (December 11, 1970)."Entertainment Stars Winging In And Out For Upcoming Christmas Holiday Season".Calgary Herald.p. 30 – via Newspapers.
  19. ^"Klute film starts".Windsor Star.December 22, 1970. p. 38 – via Newspapers.
  20. ^Haber, Joyce (March 6, 1971)."Poitier Plaint Ousts Director".Dayton Daily News.p. 18 – via Newspapers.
  21. ^McSweeney 2020,pp. 254–255.
  22. ^McSweeney 2020,p. 254.
  23. ^abc"Klute (1971)".AFI Catalog of Feature Films.RetrievedMay 29,2023.
  24. ^"All-Time Film Rental Champs".Variety.January 7, 1976. p. 44.
  25. ^"Klute".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedApril 5,2024.
  26. ^"Klute".Metacritic.RetrievedDecember 8,2017.
  27. ^Champlin, Charles(June 24, 1971)."Jane Fond in Sex, Suspense Thriller".Los Angeles Times.p. 63 – via Newspapers.
  28. ^Ebert, Roger(January 1, 1971)."Klute Movie Review & Film Summary (1971)".Chicago Sun-Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 13, 2016 – viaRogerEbert.
  29. ^Siskel, Gene(July 1, 1971)."The Movies: 'Klute'".Chicago Tribune.p. 22 – via Newspapers.
  30. ^Luria, J. (1972). "After hours:" Klute "".Professional Psychology: Research and Practice.3(1): 82.doi:10.1037/h0021505.
  31. ^Greenspun, Roger(June 24, 1971)."'Klute,' a Thriller with Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2023.
  32. ^Kehr, Dave(October 26, 1985)."Klute".Chicago Reader.Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2023.
  33. ^ab"The 44th Academy Awards".Academy Awards.Archivedfrom the original on November 12, 2014.
  34. ^"Film in 1972".British Academy Film Awards.Archivedfrom the original on May 2, 2013.
  35. ^ab"Klute".Golden Globe Awards.Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2023.
  36. ^"KCFCC Award Winners – 1970–79".Kansas City Film Critics Circle.December 14, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on July 15, 2014.
  37. ^Thompson, Howard(December 30, 1971)."'Claire's Knee,' Jane Fonda and Finch Picked by National Critics ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2023.
  38. ^Weiler, A. H.(December 29, 1971)."'Clockwork Orange' Wins Critics' Prize ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2023.
  39. ^Jawetz, Gil (February 11, 2002)."Klute".DVD Talk.Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2023.
  40. ^Bowen, Chuck (August 8, 2019)."Blu-ray Review: Alan J. Pakula's Klute on the Criterion Collection".Slant Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2023.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Dean, Karen Gai (2003). Knight, Peter (ed.).Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia.Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO.ISBN978-1-576-07812-9.
  • Kachmar, Diane C. (2015).Roy Scheider: A Film Biography.Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.ISBN978-1-476-60903-4.
  • LoBrutto, Vincent (2021).The Seventies: The Decade That Changed American Film Forever.Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.ISBN978-1-538-13719-2.
  • McSweeney, Terence (2020). ""There Will Be No Questions": 1970s American Cinema as Parallax in Alan J. Pakula's "Paranoia Trilogy"".In Lennard, Dominic; Palmer, R. Barton; Pomerance, Murray (eds.).The Other Hollywood Renaissance.Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 250–264.ISBN978-1-474-44265-7.
  • Parish, James Robert(1990).The Great Cop Pictures.Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press.ISBN978-0-810-82316-7.
  • Silver, Alain;Ward, Elizabeth, eds. (1992).Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style(Third ed.). Woodstock, New York:The Overlook Press.ISBN978-0-879-51479-2.
  • Thomson, David(2009).The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder.New York: Basic Books.ISBN978-0-465-02009-6.

External links[edit]

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