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Capote, 2005
Back when I was a lowly video store clerk, we had a screener that played current release trailers on a loop. And in 2005 there was not one, but two films about Truman Capote and the circumstances surrounding his writing of In Cold Blood. I watched Infamous back then, and it was jarring today to watch Capote and hear line readings that are etched into my brain from hearing them on the screener a billion times.
The film begins with the Kansas murders and Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) becoming intrigued by certain details in the case. Once he catches sight of the murderers, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr), Capote is hooked for reasons he doesn't entirely understand. As Capote researches a book about the case with the help of his childhood friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), he becomes emotionally entangled with Smith.
It's really a delight when a film stars a lot of actors I know, and yet they seem to disappear into their characters. I find it increasingly hard to not be like "OH LOOK! LEONARDO DICAPRIO!" these days. But this film really worked on that level for me. Hoffman's Capote is incredibly well-realized-- a man who operates on incredible emotional wavelengths but also has an almost compulsive need for self-promotion and sometimes turns the power of his communication skills to portraying the world the way he wants it to be instead of the way it is.
The rest of the cast is equally strong. Keener's Harper Lee is loyal to Capote, but sees him for who he is. Chris Cooper plays Alvin Dewey, the man who investigates the murders. Bruce Greenwood turns in a nicely understated performance as Jack Dunphy, Capote's lifelong romantic partner.
The film seems to position Capote's fascination with Smith as arising from the way that Smith pushes the emotional and attention-seeking buttons in Capote. Smith's wounded, gentle masculinity creates a sort of charisma. And the story that he represents--the lurid farmhouse murders--are, as Capote puts it, "a gold mine." In Smith, Capote finds personal and professional attraction. And as Capote begins to nurture his relationship with Smith, he finds himself interfering with the course of events.
The film touches a bit on the idea of journalistic ethics. Part of how Capote gains access to Smith and Hickock during their trials and appeals is to promise financial and legal assistance. It blurs a line, and many people along the way are complicit in it.
This is the third version of this story I've seen (I have also watched In Cold Blood), and I'd actually be hard pressed to choose a favorite. A deservedly praised performance from Hoffman and a very assured first narrative film from director Bennett Miller.
Capote, 2005
Back when I was a lowly video store clerk, we had a screener that played current release trailers on a loop. And in 2005 there was not one, but two films about Truman Capote and the circumstances surrounding his writing of In Cold Blood. I watched Infamous back then, and it was jarring today to watch Capote and hear line readings that are etched into my brain from hearing them on the screener a billion times.
The film begins with the Kansas murders and Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) becoming intrigued by certain details in the case. Once he catches sight of the murderers, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr), Capote is hooked for reasons he doesn't entirely understand. As Capote researches a book about the case with the help of his childhood friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), he becomes emotionally entangled with Smith.
It's really a delight when a film stars a lot of actors I know, and yet they seem to disappear into their characters. I find it increasingly hard to not be like "OH LOOK! LEONARDO DICAPRIO!" these days. But this film really worked on that level for me. Hoffman's Capote is incredibly well-realized-- a man who operates on incredible emotional wavelengths but also has an almost compulsive need for self-promotion and sometimes turns the power of his communication skills to portraying the world the way he wants it to be instead of the way it is.
The rest of the cast is equally strong. Keener's Harper Lee is loyal to Capote, but sees him for who he is. Chris Cooper plays Alvin Dewey, the man who investigates the murders. Bruce Greenwood turns in a nicely understated performance as Jack Dunphy, Capote's lifelong romantic partner.
The film seems to position Capote's fascination with Smith as arising from the way that Smith pushes the emotional and attention-seeking buttons in Capote. Smith's wounded, gentle masculinity creates a sort of charisma. And the story that he represents--the lurid farmhouse murders--are, as Capote puts it, "a gold mine." In Smith, Capote finds personal and professional attraction. And as Capote begins to nurture his relationship with Smith, he finds himself interfering with the course of events.
The film touches a bit on the idea of journalistic ethics. Part of how Capote gains access to Smith and Hickock during their trials and appeals is to promise financial and legal assistance. It blurs a line, and many people along the way are complicit in it.
This is the third version of this story I've seen (I have also watched In Cold Blood), and I'd actually be hard pressed to choose a favorite. A deservedly praised performance from Hoffman and a very assured first narrative film from director Bennett Miller.