with the works of the writer Franz Kafka has often been noted, for example: The Metamorphosis, telling of the brutal and sudden transformation of a man into an insect; The Castle, which describes a search for one's own identity by way of getting to know "the other"; The Trial, which sees an accused man become an outlaw of society. According to Vincent Canby, the filmmakers "are not as interested in the workings of the plot as in matters of identity and obsession". Reception The film has an approval rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 16 reviews. Vincent Canby of The New York Times who saw the film at the 68th Street Playhouse in 1977, had criticized the role of Alain Delon as Mr. Klein, saying that [he] is neither interesting nor mysterious enough to hold a film together. Awards and nominations The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival but lost to Taxi Driver. However, Monsieur Klein did win the César Award for Best Film while Losey won the César Award for Best Director. Alexandre Trauner won the César Award for Best Production Design, Alain Delon was nominated for the César Award for Best Actor, and in addition the film was nominated for Césars in three other categories. Restoration A restored version was released by Rialto Pictures in 2019. References External links Mr. Klein, an article by Christopher Weedman, at Senses of Cinema. What Cornelius Gurlitt Could Have Learned from Monsieur Robert Klein, an article by Karen Loew, at Forward. 1976 films Best Film César Award winners César Award winners Films about identity theft Films directed by Joseph Losey Films produced by Alain Delon Films whose director won the Best Director César Award Holocaust films The Holocaust in France French mystery drama films French historical drama films French psychological drama films Italian mystery drama films Italian historical drama films Italian psychological drama films French World War II films Italian World War II films 1970s French-language films 1970s Italian films 1970s French films