Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in Cinema Mr. Klein w/Matthew Specktor
Writer and critic Matthew Specktor, author of the new novel The Golden Hour, joins hosts Harry and Daniel to discuss Joseph Losey’s haunting 1976 film Mr. Klein. Set in Nazi-occupied France during the lead-up to the infamous Vel d’Hiv roundup of Jews, the film follows Alain Delon as an art dealer who becomes ensnared in a chilling case of mistaken identity with another man who may be Jewish—and may not even exist.
Together, they first talk about real life cases of mistaken identities of their lives. Then the trio move on to explore the film’s Kafkaesque tone, its eerie resonance with contemporary concerns about identity and complicity, and how Mr. Klein confronts France’s legacy of antisemitism and historical erasure.
With the episode’s release coinciding with Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, we hope you’ll find added connection to the day and think of those lost.
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