Klute, pt 3: Fresh Produce, Real Tears, and a Sick Confession

In the first third of Klute (1971) we met the two fascinating central characters, a smart angry prostitute/actress Bree Daniels (Jane Fonda) and a hard-to-read detective John Klute (Donald Sutherland) investigating the disappearance of a man who might have been her client. In the middle of the picture, a volatile romance between the two blossoms just as the speculative danger becomes real. 

part 3 by Mark Brinkerhoff

01:17:20 As we left part two of this retrospective, the body of another of Bree's friends was found. Klute is putting the pieces together and it doesn't look great for Bree, the only one of the three prostitutes involved with the mystery man who is still alive. Boy does the suspense really ratchet up towards the end! So we'll keep this final installment briefer in appreciation of quickening heartbeats...

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Klute, pt 2: Sleazy Pimps, Dead Ends, and Surprising Intimacy

by Ben Miller

In Part 1 of this Klute retrospective (and best shot appreciation) Nathaniel guided us through the introduction of a vague central mystery and soon to be classic film characters in sex worker Bree Daniels and the titular character, John Klute, who is investigating the disapperance of his best friend, who the police believe to be a former client of Bree's. In part two, I'll be guiding you through the middle act.

We pick back up as Bree keeps switching tactics, alternately trying to seduce Klute, turn the tables on him, or rage at him, rather than play dutifully along with his questioning. 

Obviously these retrospectives contain SPOILERS so if you've never seen this classic, head to HBOMax first before continuing...

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Klute, pt 1: Auditions, Tricks, and Transformations

Occasionally we'll take a movie and baton pass it around the team and really dive in. If you missed past installments we've gone long and deep on Rebecca (1940), West Side Story (1961),  Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966), Rosemary's Baby (1968), Cabaret (1972), Silence of the Lambs (1991), Thelma & Louise (1991), Aladdin (1992) and A League of Their Own (1992).  

KLUTE
A Mini-Series Retrospective with "Best Shot" Choice
Part 1 by Nathaniel R

The Oscar winning thriller Klute (1971) is now just over a half-century old. Since it's a personal favourite of mine, and features the iconic Jane Fonda in her first Best Actress winning performance, it's high time we really gave it its due here at The Film Experience. So let's start from the beginning and dive into what makes it great. Along the way we'll pick a "Best Shot" from each section, too, to coincide with that series...

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Cláudio's Best Shot Pick: Klute (1971)

The next episode in our series, 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot,' arrives Thursday night. This week we're celebrating Alan J. Pakula's seminal Klute with multiple posts. You still have time to participate! In the meantime, here's Cláudio's entry:

"I'm afraid of the dark, " says Bree Daniels, a New York sex worker trying to keep herself from becoming a serial killer's next victim. This confession happens relatively early in a film bearing the name of the taciturn Pennsylvania detective who comes to the Big Apple to investigate his friend's disappearance. He is the man to which she tells of this private fear, not necessarily a gesture of honesty but a weaponizing of her vulnerability. As ever, Bree wants control of the situation, and to bear herself naked is often the key to such dominance. Nakedness, of course, can come from truth rather than bared flesh. Watching Klute, one gets the sense that Bree is truly afraid of the dark, even though that very darkness is the poisonous womb within which she exists at all time, like an unborn babe striving for the light of birth while keeping itself smothered in the comfort of shadow…

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Streaming: "Grace and Frankie" Walk Off Into The Sunset

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin say goodbye to "Grace and Frankie" after seven seasons on Netflix.By: Christopher James

Grace and Frankie was designed in a lab to be perfect comfort TV before bed. Living legends Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin have delivered elevated TV-Land-without-censors gold for 94 episodes over seven seasons. Unfortunately, the time has come for our titular odd couple to say goodbye, making Grace and Frankie the longest running Netflix show of all time. 

Even after all this time, our favorite ladies have kept it fresh and fun until the very end. Grace and Frankie never set out to reinvent the wheel. However, they earn points for consistency as they keep things funny and emotional all the way to the bitter (and star studded) end. We’ll miss seeing Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin on our screens regularly. However, the show is charming and lighthearted enough to be the perfect rewatchable comfort food...

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