Klute
Updated: 12/10/2025, 9:02:00 PM Wikipedia source
Klute is a 1971 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed and produced by Alan J. Pakula and starring Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Nathan George, Dorothy Tristan, Roy Scheider and Rita Gam. Its plot follows a high-priced New York City call girl who assists a detective from Pennsylvania in solving the missing person case of a john who may be stalking her. It is the first installment of what has informally come to be known as Pakula's "paranoia trilogy", followed by The Parallax View (1974) and All the President's Men (1976), all films dealing with themes of paranoia, conspiracies and surveillance. The original screenplay for Klute was written by brothers Andy and Dave Lewis, with Andy drawing inspiration from a serial he 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. Klute was released theatrically in the United States on June 23, 1971, by Warner 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. Klute received two nominations at the 44th Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay, with Fonda winning Best Actress. At the 25th British Academy Film Awards, Fonda received a nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. At the 29th Golden Globe Awards, it received a nomination for Best Screenplay, with Fonda winning Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
Infobox
Tables
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | Best Actress | Jane Fonda | Won | |
| Best Original Screenplay | Andy Lewis and Dave Lewis | Nominated | ||
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Jane Fonda | Nominated | |
| Edgar Allan Poe Awards | Best Motion Picture Screenplay | Andy Lewis and Dave Lewis | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Jane Fonda | Won | |
| Best Screenplay – Motion Picture | Andy Lewis and Dave Lewis | Nominated | ||
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | Classic Film Tribute Award | Klute | Won | |
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actress | Jane Fonda | Won | |
| London Film Critics' Circle Awards | Best Director | Alan J. Pakula | Won | |
| 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 | ||
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Drama – Written Directly for the Screen | Andy Lewis and Dave Lewis | Nominated |
References
- The Recordhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-record/125490039/
- The Numbershttps://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Klute#tab=summary
- Parish 1990, p. 316.
- Thomson 2009, p. 124.
- Silver & Ward 1992, p. 404.
- LoBrutto 2021, p. 55.
- Dean 2003, p. 371.
- Stallonehttps://archive.org/details/stallone0000eich/page/26/mode/2up
- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jun/25/klute-film-50th-anniversary-jane-fonda
- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jun/25/klute-film-50th-anniversary-jane-fonda
- TruStory FMhttps://trustory.fm/blog/a-qa-with-klute-co-writer-andy-lewis/
- The Calgary Albertanhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-calgary-albertan/125491738/
- Kachmar 2015, p. 27.
- Jane Fonda in Five Acts
- DuJour Mediahttps://web.archive.org/web/20221005192255/https://dujour.com/cities/new-york/jane-fonda-on-klute-i-said-i-cant-do-it-hire-faye-dunaway/
- "In conversation with...Jane Fonda"https://web.archive.org/web/20190212134921/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7SAg5nyW_w
- Press & Sun-Bulletinhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/press-and-sun-bulletin/125491712/
- Kachmar 2015, pp. 27–29.
- Calgary Heraldhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald/125487395/
- Windsor Starhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-windsor-star/125487324/
- Dayton Daily Newshttps://www.newspapers.com/article/dayton-daily-news/125487264/
- McSweeney 2020, pp. 254–255.
- McSweeney 2020, p. 254.
- AFI Catalog of Feature Filmshttps://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/53858
- DVD Talkhttps://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/3379/klute/
- Slant Magazinehttps://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/blu-ray-review-alan-j-pakulas-klute-on-the-criterion-collection/
- Variety
- Rotten Tomatoeshttps://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/klute
- Metacritichttps://www.metacritic.com/movie/klute
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/65529949/
- Chicago Sun-Timeshttps://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/klute-1971
- Chicago Tribunehttps://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-gene-siskel-movie-review/89037506/
- Professional Psychology: Research and Practicehttps://doi.org/10.1037%2Fh0021505
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/24/archives/-klute-a-thriller-with-jane-fonda-and-donald-sutherland.html
- Chicago Readerhttps://chicagoreader.com/film/klute/
- "The 44th Academy Awards (1972) Nominees and Winners"http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1972
- "Film in 1972"http://awards.bafta.org/award/1972/film
- "Category List – Best Motion Picture"https://edgarawards.com/category-list-best-motion-picture/
- "Klute"https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/klute/
- "KCFCC Award Winners – 1970–79"https://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1970-79/
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/30/archives/-claires-knee-jane-fonda-and-finch-picked-by-national-critics.html
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/29/archives/-clockwork-orange-wins-critics-prize.html
- "Awards Winners"https://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551