Luke
stu-kicks
CibbuanoKlute
June 5th 2006 09:52
I think it's mainly the film-stock used in 60s and 70s films that kind of guarantees their appeal to me. When combined with shadowy cinematography it makes them look really gritty and atmospheric, and lends the acting a kind of vintage authenticity that you can't get with the clear angles and crispness that comes with today's high-quality sheen of film. 'Klute' has oodles of shadows and grit, and milks it for all it's worth.
Klute (Sutherland) is, oddly, not really the main character. Klute is a detective investigating the mysterious disappearance (ha - what disappearance isn't mysterious?) of a colleague; an investigation that leads him to a harassed New York hooker Bree (Fonda). From here the film comes into focus, Bree is given centre-stage, and the quiet, intriguing character of Klute remains mostly unexplored.
This strange shift of focus works to the film's benefit for two reasons... the first is that it pushes it apart from other films of the genre, and the second is that it gives the film a compelling kind of mystery that it would be otherwise unable to build upon. As Klute investigates the case, we - the audience - investigate him. The film is slow in letting us get to know it's namesake, instead building parallel mysteries and keeping the film’s sense of tension intact where it would otherwise be slackened by obvious revelations. Sutherland plays to his strengths but lets Fonda take centre-stage, and Fonda gives a strong, confident method-styled performance worthy of it's critical appraisal at the time of the film's release. The direction is careful and unintrusive, playing on a ‘watching’ motif, using telling camera angles as Bree is watched by Klute, watched by the stalker, and watched by us.
It's not a ground-breaking film by any stretch, but it has a winningly cinematic style unique to it's time, and makes great use of an intelligent script and well thought-out characters.
TRIVIA: Jane Fonda, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role here, improvised several of the therapy scenes.
Sylvester Stallone makes an uncredited early appearance as a dancing extra in one of the nightclub scenes.
Fonda and Sutherland became lovers whilst making this film.
Barbra Streisand turned down the role of Bree.
Klute (1971)
Klute (Sutherland) is, oddly, not really the main character. Klute is a detective investigating the mysterious disappearance (ha - what disappearance isn't mysterious?) of a colleague; an investigation that leads him to a harassed New York hooker Bree (Fonda). From here the film comes into focus, Bree is given centre-stage, and the quiet, intriguing character of Klute remains mostly unexplored.
This strange shift of focus works to the film's benefit for two reasons... the first is that it pushes it apart from other films of the genre, and the second is that it gives the film a compelling kind of mystery that it would be otherwise unable to build upon. As Klute investigates the case, we - the audience - investigate him. The film is slow in letting us get to know it's namesake, instead building parallel mysteries and keeping the film’s sense of tension intact where it would otherwise be slackened by obvious revelations. Sutherland plays to his strengths but lets Fonda take centre-stage, and Fonda gives a strong, confident method-styled performance worthy of it's critical appraisal at the time of the film's release. The direction is careful and unintrusive, playing on a ‘watching’ motif, using telling camera angles as Bree is watched by Klute, watched by the stalker, and watched by us.
Yo Klute wassup?
It's not a ground-breaking film by any stretch, but it has a winningly cinematic style unique to it's time, and makes great use of an intelligent script and well thought-out characters.
TRIVIA: Jane Fonda, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role here, improvised several of the therapy scenes.
Sylvester Stallone makes an uncredited early appearance as a dancing extra in one of the nightclub scenes.
Fonda and Sutherland became lovers whilst making this film.
Barbra Streisand turned down the role of Bree.
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