Page 18 - Film
P. 18
THE TIMES ®
AUSTRALIA
emotional weight and reveal its directorial triumph. unnaturally close to the action. It is almost as if we
are just behind the characters, peering over their
Also underappreciated is the flm’s subtle yet shoulders. These foreground obstructions create
remarkably stylish visual aesthetic arranged by a sense of claustrophobia and keep the viewer on
Pakula with cinematographer Gordon Willis. The edge, constantly straining to see through doorways
frst noticeable trait of the flm’s visual style is the and around the heads of characters. This proximity
relative stillness and otherwise subtlety of the roots the audience frmly in the shoes of our heroes
camera movement, which is in sharp contrast to as they too are searching for the truth in a world flled
the raw chaos of Freidkin’s The French Connection with obstructions and ambiguities.
(1971), released the same year. This creative choice
lends the flm a painterly quality and diferentiates The thriller thread in the flm is fueled by the
it from some of the more visceral thrillers from the constant presence of total darkness, which threatens
same era. Pakula forces the viewer to reinvest in the to envelope our characters completely. The black
images as opposed to immediately cutting to a close within the frame is a source of tension and anxiety
up of what he wants us to see. This can be seen in the for the audience and this basic fear of the unknown
unorthodox introduction of Bree as we dolly along is exploited to full efect. This is displayed in the
a line of hopeful models and straight past Fonda as scene in which Klute tells Bree that “There’s someone
she is brutally assessed by faceless ad executives. The on the roof” and exits to investigate. What follows
camera almost moves past her entirely but stops short, is a series of shots illuminated by Klute’s feeble
leaving her marginalized to the left, half covered by torch beam as he searches for the intruder in pitch
executives as they comment on the girl next to her. darkness. This scene is as frightening as anything in
This two shot favoring the model next to Bree is the Hitchcock’s cannon. It is this darkness that poses the
perfect introduction to our struggling heroine and narrative question of the flm in visual terms. Klute is
the harsh environment she inhabits: the unforgiving concerned with what exists in the dark spaces of the
city. Bree’s introduction is unglamorous and sets her city and more importantly the darkness within us as
character up as an unremarkable aspiring actress, human beings. This could be the darkness that lures
which in traditional Hollywood terms would seem Bree back to prostitution and drugs, or the darkness
counter-intuitive. Pakula’s conviction with this simple that urges Peter Cable to kill and Bree’s pimp, to
yet important moment shows directorial poise and exploit the weak.
faith in the audience.
Klute has all the trappings of a great flm but it is
The compositions of Klute are flled with constant Pakula’s passion to fnd the human truth, in what
foreground obstructions in the frame. It is as though could be a throwaway pulpy thriller, which pushes
the city itself is driving Bree and Klute apart as Klute into a higher realm. His direction has created
they speak to each other upon their frst meeting not just a frightening thriller but also a flm about
through the sliver of a doorway. There are also many redemption and how love can grow in the dark with
instances in which characters loom out of focus just the slightest fragment of light.
in the immediate foreground, putting the viewer
18 Independent Media Inspiring Minds
AUSTRALIA
emotional weight and reveal its directorial triumph. unnaturally close to the action. It is almost as if we
are just behind the characters, peering over their
Also underappreciated is the flm’s subtle yet shoulders. These foreground obstructions create
remarkably stylish visual aesthetic arranged by a sense of claustrophobia and keep the viewer on
Pakula with cinematographer Gordon Willis. The edge, constantly straining to see through doorways
frst noticeable trait of the flm’s visual style is the and around the heads of characters. This proximity
relative stillness and otherwise subtlety of the roots the audience frmly in the shoes of our heroes
camera movement, which is in sharp contrast to as they too are searching for the truth in a world flled
the raw chaos of Freidkin’s The French Connection with obstructions and ambiguities.
(1971), released the same year. This creative choice
lends the flm a painterly quality and diferentiates The thriller thread in the flm is fueled by the
it from some of the more visceral thrillers from the constant presence of total darkness, which threatens
same era. Pakula forces the viewer to reinvest in the to envelope our characters completely. The black
images as opposed to immediately cutting to a close within the frame is a source of tension and anxiety
up of what he wants us to see. This can be seen in the for the audience and this basic fear of the unknown
unorthodox introduction of Bree as we dolly along is exploited to full efect. This is displayed in the
a line of hopeful models and straight past Fonda as scene in which Klute tells Bree that “There’s someone
she is brutally assessed by faceless ad executives. The on the roof” and exits to investigate. What follows
camera almost moves past her entirely but stops short, is a series of shots illuminated by Klute’s feeble
leaving her marginalized to the left, half covered by torch beam as he searches for the intruder in pitch
executives as they comment on the girl next to her. darkness. This scene is as frightening as anything in
This two shot favoring the model next to Bree is the Hitchcock’s cannon. It is this darkness that poses the
perfect introduction to our struggling heroine and narrative question of the flm in visual terms. Klute is
the harsh environment she inhabits: the unforgiving concerned with what exists in the dark spaces of the
city. Bree’s introduction is unglamorous and sets her city and more importantly the darkness within us as
character up as an unremarkable aspiring actress, human beings. This could be the darkness that lures
which in traditional Hollywood terms would seem Bree back to prostitution and drugs, or the darkness
counter-intuitive. Pakula’s conviction with this simple that urges Peter Cable to kill and Bree’s pimp, to
yet important moment shows directorial poise and exploit the weak.
faith in the audience.
Klute has all the trappings of a great flm but it is
The compositions of Klute are flled with constant Pakula’s passion to fnd the human truth, in what
foreground obstructions in the frame. It is as though could be a throwaway pulpy thriller, which pushes
the city itself is driving Bree and Klute apart as Klute into a higher realm. His direction has created
they speak to each other upon their frst meeting not just a frightening thriller but also a flm about
through the sliver of a doorway. There are also many redemption and how love can grow in the dark with
instances in which characters loom out of focus just the slightest fragment of light.
in the immediate foreground, putting the viewer
18 Independent Media Inspiring Minds
