Mr. Klein

"In the nightmare labyrinth of the Occupation"

1976 2h 3m FR

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 297

MysteryDramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Paris, France, 1942, during the Nazi occupation. Robert Klein, a successful art dealer who benefits from the misfortunes of those who are ruthlessly persecuted, discovers by chance that there is another Robert Klein, apparently a Jewish man; someone with whom he could be mistakenly identified, something dangerous in such harsh times.

“In the nightmare labyrinth of the Occupation”

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Cast

Alain Delon
Mr. Robert Klein
Jeanne Moreau
Florence
Francine Bergé
Nicole
Juliet Berto
Jeanine, Robert's mistress
Jean Bouise
Seller of the painting
Suzanne Flon
Concierge of rue des Abbesses
Massimo Girotti
Charles, Florence's husband
Michael Lonsdale
Pierre

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joseph Losey
Writers: Franco Solinas, Fernando Morandi, Costa-Gavras
Languages: French
Countries: France, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

50 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joseph Losey, shot by Gerry Fisher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Egisto Macchi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Editor Marie Castro shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Alain Delon and Jeanne Moreau and Francine Bergé carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "In the nightmare labyrinth of the Occupation".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0074916 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joseph Losey directs. Gerry Fisher behind the camera. Egisto Macchi scores. Marie Castro cuts. Produced in France, Italy. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

150 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.
3Directed by Joseph Losey, shot by Gerry Fisher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Egisto Macchi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Marie Castro shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Alain Delon and Jeanne Moreau and Francine Bergé carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "In the nightmare labyrinth of the Occupation".
8IMDB entry: tt0074916 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "paris, france", "world war ii", "jew persecution", "art dealer".

The technical file

Cinematography: Gerry Fisher
Original score: Egisto Macchi
Editing: Marie Castro
Costume design: Colette Baudot
Makeup / hair: Michel Deruelle
Runtime: 123 min · 2h 3m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Mr. Klein (1976)

Awards

César Award for Best Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Joseph Losey

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-11-05
★ 7/10
Alain Delon is near his best as the eponymous, rather odious, art dealer quite happily fleecing the terrified Jewish community of their precious possessions at cut race prices as they make preparations to try and flee the Nazi occupation of Paris. It's when one such victim is leaving his elegant apartment one day that "Klein" notices a Jewish newspaper at his door - with his name on it! He goes to the police to make it clear that he is not the "Robert Klein" on the address, but do they believe him? Do they think that perhaps he is trying to pull the wool over their eyes too? He concludes that the only way he can be certain is to track down the real doppelgänger before he ends up suffering the same dispossession and deportation as those he had thus far all too readily exploited. One can never have enough of Jeanne Moreau and her role as the enigmatic "Florence" is a little undercooked here, but as the rest of this complex thriller builds up steam we see Joseph Losey using Delon, and our own appreciation of just how terrifying it must have been for most during the occupation let alone the Jewish population, as weapons to potently reveal that terror and to ultimately maybe even humanise - as well as, perhaps, ridicule - this most venal and shallow of men. Is he now the hunted? Can he escape with his life? The more he thinks he has swum away from danger, the more the maelstrom seems to embrace him - and that catch 22 scenario is enthralling to watch play out here. It's cleverly photographed with a score that augments our own - and his - sense of increasing peril and frustration and though it's perhaps just a little slow at the start, it turns into a cracker.

Production companies