Search - Klute on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Not For Children, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1971 DVD Release: 02/05/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Japanese, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 54 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 15 Genres: Thriller, Detective Film, Post-Noir (Modern Noir)

The first part of his "paranoia trilogy," Alan J. Pakula's 1971 thriller details the troubled life of a Manhattan prostitute stalked by one of her tricks. Investigating the disappearance of his friend Tom Gruneman (Robert Milli), rural Pennsylvania private eye John Klute (Donald Sutherland) follows a lead provided by Gruneman's associate Peter Cable (Charles Cioffi) to seek out a call girl who Gruneman knew in New York City. The call girl is Bree Daniels (Jane Fonda), an aspiring actress who turns tricks for the cash and to be free of emotional bondage. Klute follows Bree's every move, observing the city's decadence and her isolation, eventually contacting her about Gruneman. Bree claims not to know Gruneman, but she does reveal that she has received threats from a john. As Bree becomes involved in Klute's search and realizes that she is in danger, she reluctantly falls in love with Klute, despite her wish to remain unattached to any man. When she finally comes face to face with the killer, however, she is forced to reconsider her detached urban life. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Jane Fonda - Bree Daniels
Donald Sutherland - John Klute
Charles Cioffi - Cable
Roy Scheider - Frank
Dorothy Tristan - Arlyn Page

Not only was Klute one of the key movies of the early '70s, but this Warner DVD release shows that the moody thriller has only improved with age. A complex character study combined with a detective movie, Klute (like Chinatown) not only holds the viewer's interest once the central mystery is solved, but the experience of watching it actually gets richer with each viewing. Thankfully, this disc does justice to the movie, which is noted for its brilliant cinematography, genuinely unsettling musical score, and its naturalistic acting. While the print doesn't look like it's been completely restored, and some frames show signs of wear and tear, the disc still sports a beautiful transfer that returns the movie to its original widescreen aspect ratio and corrects the picture's color balance. Willis was renown for working in natural and low-light situations, and previous video transfers of the movie were just too dark and muddy. The well-balanced sound transfer is in the original mono and Michael Small's chilling score hasn't sounded this clean since the movie's original theatrical release. As good as the technical credits on this DVD are, Klute's performances don't need any digital enhancing. Jane Fonda deservedly won an Academy Award for her clear-eyed and strikingly unsentimental performance here. The added "making of" featurette is really a short promo for the movie, but it's hard-boiled and gritty, making it better (and more fun) than most promotional documentaries that are usually just crammed with actors saying how much they loved working with everyone. Unfortunately, there isn't an audio commentary track; Klute's noted director, Alan J. Pakula, was killed in a car accident before one could be recorded. ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide