Monday 12 March 2018

On Japanese Blu-ray - David Hare finds Joseph Losey's late masterpiece MR KLEIN (France, 1976)

Alain Delon as Mr Klein has just extracted a bargain price for major artwork from a desperate Jewish seller in 1942 Paris, just before the notorious Vel' d'Hiv roundups of 16 and 17 July which would send tens of thousands of Jews still in Paris to their deaths. (Click to enlarge the image) 
Klein regards his reflection in a long mirror and ponders the possibilty of a "double" after receiving a fatal missive (below) that fingers him also as a Jew in Losey's superb (best?) late period French movie, Mr Klein from 1976.

Screens are from a new Japanese Blu-ray on Kadokawa label. No English subs, only Japanese. The source, from rights holder StudioCanal, may look pale-ish to modern tastes but this reflects a certain luxurious 70s Eastman gloss which was typical of the era. Shot by maestro and Losey regular Gerry Fisher with decors by Trauner the movie looks like a pristine first release print. They don't look like this anymore. Here's hoping Canal takes this on for the Anglophone world.

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