Klute (1971), Jane Fonda and women's voices

Last night I stayed up late to analyse an old movie: Klute (1971) starring Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland. Lately I haven't had much time for analysing more movies and have mostly been editing the 600 pages my book already has. However, I'm really glad I made the time yesterday because this was an atypical film. The subject matter, broadly speaking, is not since it is about a prostitute, and Hollywood has made dozens of movies about women who prostitute themselves. What differentiates this movie lies in the storytelling. It contains thought provoking dialogue, and women actually have a voice. It passes the Bechdel test, and Fonda has more than one relatively lengthy conversation with her psychiatrist (a grey-haired woman, which is another rarity). Fonda, who plays Bree Daniels, has longer lines than women have in movies nowadays. She is insightful and the real star of the movie so it is a mystery why it is called Klute--after John Klute, played by Sutherland--instead of Daniels or Bree. Not surprisingly, Fonda won the Oscar for best actress that year. One of the things I especially liked was the realistic light shined on prostitution in Klute. It was not glamorized. Instead it was portrayed as lonely, harmful and very dangerous.

© 2017 Alline Cormier