Join us for our Free Film Friday, a viewing of Mr. Klein — a high-stakes thriller about a Paris art dealer who never cared much about politics until politics began caring a whole lot about him.
Our viewing will be followed by host Jon Lewis and his guests Robert Nye, Katherine Hubler, and Kara Ritzheimer from OSU’s School of History, Philosophy, and Religion for a discussion.
Directed by the American cineaste Joseph Losey, Mr. Klein offers a Kafkaesque satire of two parallel bureaucracies, a story of mistaken identity set against the infamous Vél d'Hiv roundup of Jews in Paris in 1942.
Losey knew plenty about accusations and political persecution; in 1951 he ducked a HUAC subpoena and spent most of the rest of his life in exile in Europe, where his talents were more fully appreciated than they ever were back home.
Mr. Klein won 3 César Awards (French Oscars) in 1977, including Best Picture and Best Director.