Robert Klein, an immoral art dealer, discovers that there is another man of the same name, this mysterious man is Jewish which proves very dangerous for Mr. Klein considering it is Paris in 1942. Klein goes on a mission to find out who this other Mr. Klein is, he strives to prove his true identity but is ultimately unable to do so.
This film is a fantastic psychological exploration of the French indifference to the horrific treatment of the Jews, “Indifference is like a still flat sea around a drowning man. Like a flock of sheep grazing in the ruins of a village. Or like a worm crawling over a putrid wound.” This existential thriller is full of magnificent symbolism and some incredibly poignant images. Joseph Losey often compares Klein to a vulture, feasting off of the misery and misfortune of the Jews and preying on them to gain business. Written by the great director Costa-Gravas (whose filmography is one I’m itching to dive into).
Alain Delon gives a terrific performance here, it could be his best performance I’ve seen so far! He’s a lot more expressive in this role compared to his previous characters of Jef Costello (Le Samuraï 1967) and Corey (Le Cercle Rouge 1970), I really enjoyed this slightly more invigorated version of Delon and thought his portrayal of a morally ambiguous art dealer was perfectly executed. This is definitely his most uncool character and I actually quite enjoyed that, it felt strangely more human than his other rather cold characters. I definitely need to watch more of him now.
Visually this film was fabulous, very stylish cinematography and some very powerful and beautiful shots that really accentuated the depth of the film’s message.
I feel like there is a lot more to say about this film but I will leave it here, I thoroughly enjoyed this one from the performances to the visuals. A very strong commentary on the dire atrocities of the Nazi Party and the underlying ignorance of the French people.
Robert Klein, an immoral art dealer, discovers that there is another man of the same name, this mysterious man is Jewish which proves very dangerous for Mr. Klein considering it is Paris in 1942. Klein goes on a mission to find out who this other Mr. Klein is, he strives to prove his true identity but is ultimately unable to do so.
This film is a fantastic psychological exploration of the French indifference to the horrific treatment of the Jews, “Indifference is like a still flat sea around a drowning man. Like a flock of sheep grazing in the ruins of a village. Or like a worm crawling over a putrid wound.” This existential thriller is full of magnificent symbolism and some incredibly poignant images. Joseph Losey often compares Klein to a vulture, feasting off of the misery and misfortune of the Jews and preying on them to gain business. Written by the great director Costa-Gravas (whose filmography is one I’m itching to dive into).
Alain Delon gives a terrific performance here, it could be his best performance I’ve seen so far! He’s a lot more expressive in this role compared to his previous characters of Jef Costello (Le Samuraï 1967) and Corey (Le Cercle Rouge 1970), I really enjoyed this slightly more invigorated version of Delon and thought his portrayal of a morally ambiguous art dealer was perfectly executed. This is definitely his most uncool character and I actually quite enjoyed that, it felt strangely more human than his other rather cold characters. I definitely need to watch more of him now.
Visually this film was fabulous, very stylish cinematography and some very powerful and beautiful shots that really accentuated the depth of the film’s message.
I feel like there is a lot more to say about this film but I will leave it here, I thoroughly enjoyed this one from the performances to the visuals. A very strong commentary on the dire atrocities of the Nazi Party and the underlying ignorance of the French people.
