Mr. Klein (1976)

Mr. Klein
Directed by Joseph Losey
Written by Franco Solinas and Fernando Merandi
1976/France
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel

Films can illustrate our existence . . . they can distress, disturb and provoke people into thinking about themselves and certain problems. But NOT give the answers. — Joseph Losey

This is a beautifully made and acted film.  Unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of unsolved mysteries, especially those with so many distressing images of the persecution of Jews.

The film is set in 1942 Paris, France.  Robert Klein (Alain Delon) is an art dealer who lives a life of debauched luxury with his concubine,  Currently, he is profiting enormously from buying artwork offered by fleeing Jews at a deep discount.  One day, a copy of a Jewish newspaper is delivered to his door.

The police have the subscription list.  Robert goes to the police department and insists that a mistake has been made.  He is a life-long French Catholic.  The police are skeptical. Robert is required to provide certification that both sets of grandparents were not of Jewish blood.  Robert becomes convinced that there is a second Robert Klein who is trying to frame him.

So begins Robert’s investigation which takes him all over Paris and into the French countryside. He becomes completely obsessed with locating his doppleganger.  Too obsessed.  With Jeanne Moreau in a small role as a lover of the “other” Robert Klein.

My plot description does not adequately convey the twists and turns of this movie. There were many points where I was convinced that our Robert Klein and the other Robert Klein were the same person.  At other points it is equally clear the other Klein is setting up our Klein to take the fall for his Jewishness.  So, the story is a mystery within a mystery with a devastating unhappy ending.  I was certainly in no mood for this.

Anyway, Losey’s direction is spot on, the film looks great, and this has got to be one of Delon’s finest performances.  Delon produced the movie so it clearly meant a lot to him.  If the plot sounds intriguing, you might as well give it a chance.  There are parts that are not easy to look at.  (Such as the beginning where a naked woman is being examined like an animal to determine her “race”.)

Restoration Trailer