Monday, August 11, 2008

Klute

Klute; romantic thriller, USA, 1971; D: Alan J. Pakula, S: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Roy Scheider, Dorothy Tristan

Bree Daniels is a young woman who lives in New York and works as a prostitute since she can't get a job as an actress. She had all very decent clients, except for one who beat her up and in the last time she gets bizarre letters. One day, detective John Klute arrives in her apartment who searches for the missing scientist Tom who also slept with prostitutes. With her help, John looks for informations while his boss Peter wants to shut down the case. John and Bree fall in love. It turns out that Peter killed Tom because he discovered he secretly slept with prostitutes, which would ruin his career. Peter attacks Bree, but is killed by John.

Great romantic thriller "Klute" is, thanks to the intriguing theme about the life of a prostitute, even today an undated and much more agile achievement than many overhyped "classics". Director Alan J. Pakula has a simple approach: the story follows the "taboo" occupation of young Bree (genius Jane Fonda) who works as a prostitute but also lives a normal, everyday life in New York. After intercourse with a client, during which she secretly looked at her watch while she was faking an orgasm, Bree goes out shopping, cooking or walking through the town. Bree even tells her psychologist that, while she is working as a prostitute, she is the "best actress". She is quite simply a fascinating character. Her interaction with the calm and official detective John Klute is in advance programmed for a deep, marathon job for the authors Dave and Andy Lewis, who coped with the task in a flawless manner, complimentary with the wild 70s cinema. They also have a great sixth sense for wonderful little situations, like the one where John announces that he was tapping her phone and has the transcripts on tape; Bree gets angry, but already in the next second she relaxes, starts unbuttoning her dress and says: "I'll trade you for the tape. You are surely very lonely in your empty room..." Their romance is wonderfully even and neatly sums up the story. 

Grade:+++

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