Sony gives us what I believe is our first Blu-ray double feature from a major studio and this smart pairing doesn't disappoint. 'Capote'/'In Cold Blood' tackles both the biopic of famed eccentric novelist Truman Capote who wrote non-fiction marvel 'In Cold Blood' and an adaptation of the book itself, Richard Brook's classic 1967 film of the same name.
Even the order of the films is right as one might be tempted to bill 'In Cold Blood' first considering it's the predecessor but 'Capote' should definitely be viewed first as it will give 'In Cold Blood' even more context and meaning.
'Capote' was a critical darling in 2005 garnering noms for Best Picture, Writing, Directing, Supporting Actress for Catherine Keener and Best Actor for Philip Seymour Hoffman who took home the film's one win and it's certainly a confident, well-acted biopic of a fascinating character.
Oddly, a rival Truman Capote flick hit a year later with Toby Jones as Capote in 'Infamous' which also had a nice cast including Sandra Bullock and Daniel Craig and it was considered by some to be a superior handling of the same material – even if it came and went with little fanfare. My opinion is that both films are quite good and considerably different in tone; checking out both makes a much more interesting comparison than say the rival volcano and meteor movies of the late nineties.
Writer Dan Futterman (sometimes actor: Danny Pearl in 'A Mighty Heart') and Director Bennett Miller focuses the pic on the approximate five years that Capote investigated the famous Kansas murders, the result of which was his novel 'In Cold Blood'. After some NYC high-society hob-knobbing, the pic starts off proper with Truman Capote (Hoffman) reading an article about the murders and deciding to probe further with friend and fellow author Nelle Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), who would go on to helm her own classic novel, 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.
The 5'4" flamboyant Capote expectedly rubs the residents of Holcomb, Kansas the wrong way as he tries to dig up interviews, being a particular nuisance to Sheriff Alvin Dewey (Chris Cooper). It doesn't take long, though, before the charismatic Capote becomes friends with Alvin's wife, who was a fan of Capote's previous work including 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', and through her is able to gain more insight into the case.
As the killers, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins, Jr.) and Dick Hickock (Mark Pellegrino), come into custody though, Capote's drive to get their perspective on the murders draws him a little too close to them and pushes him farther away from the townspeople particularly when he goes to some lengths to secure them a competent lawyer.
He's particularly taken by Perry Smith, a contemplative, quiet man who had a terrible childhood to match Capote's own. With Smith and Hickock sentenced to death, the years tick by as Capote grows closer to Smith, works on his novel and becomes consumed by his conflicted emotions involving their looming hanging.
While Philip Seymour Hoffman doesn't look too much like the real Capote, he completely consumes the role. One might think that his take on Capote's very unique mannerisms and speech affectations are a bit over the top, but checking out the real footage of Capote on an included featurette, Hoffman is right on.
Working within a wide spectrum between alcoholic charm and the emotional turmoil of his book subjects, Hoffman is outstanding. Chris Cooper and Catherine Keener do solid supporting work but Clifton Collins Jr. provides a great turn as a cold-blooded killer who manages to gain a bit of sympathy.
Which brings us to the film adaptation of the book itself, 'In Cold Blood', a perfect companion piece as, besides some fleeting flashback moments in 'Capote', doesn't cover any of the same ground when looking at the killers.
Capote's book was one of the first major literary novels to bill itself as 'non-fiction' and as such, became an enormous success, a success that Capote was never able to follow.
Despite everybody knowing the outcome, the book 'In Cold Blood' was extremely effective as a thriller due to his then unique approach of juxtaposing perspectives; the killers going about their business of the day shopping for the tools they would need for their home invasion all the while the Clutter family, eventual victims, going about their daily routines.
This gave the book an impending sense of doom and sadness that filmmaker Richard Brooks was wise to emulate. Cranking out classics like 'Blackboard Jungle' and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof', Brooks made a meticulously shot film thanks to cinematographer guru Conrad Hall who captured some amazing B&W photography, enhanced and all the more gorgeous due to the HD transfer.
The famous sequence of Robert Blake as murderer Perry Smith as he confesses just before his hanging before a rain-adorned window, the rain reflecting on his face and rolling down his face like tears could be the best use of cinematography and lighting for emotional emphasis in a film yet.
The film, of course, follows the two trouble-making drifters as they plan and prepare for the crime, but then plays with chronological order like the book, where we find them in Mexico and Las Vegas after the crime saving the devastating murder sequence itself for the opening of the third act.
Robert Blake as Perry Smith is a spot-on, chilling performance with Scott Wilson as Hickock and John Forsythe as Alvin Dewey providing the other notable roles. Also known for Quincy Jones interestingly used jazz soundtrack, the use of music for sequences is as well thought-out as its startling images.
Given plenty room to breath, both films are presented on their own BD-50 discs with each getting a 1080p AVC 2.35:1 transfer. 'Capote', essentially an independent film, was shot on the quick with an intentionally muted palette so the whole film looks a bit soft but the transfer fits the source perfectly.
'In Cold Blood', however, is a marvel and one of the best catalog HD transfers yet. I'm not sure if Sony gave it a remastering, but the black and white film seems freshly scrubbed with outstanding detail and little to no grain or flaws that are usually found in the master of a film its age.
Both pics get a Dolby True HD 5.1 track and are as good as one could expect for these particular films. 'In Cold Blood' sounds its age but is as good as it could probably get.
The complete lack of extras for 'In Cold Blood' is a complete mystery considering the films pedigree and a definite minus to the package but 'Capote' gets the special features from the DVD carried over which include two commentaries, one with the director and Hoffman and the second from the director and the cinematographer.
I remember listening to these on the DVD years back and found both of them insightful if a bit dry. Definitely start with Hoffman's track first. We get a featurette on the real Capote which is fascinating but really too brief and a half-hour making of doc separated into two parts.
Despite comparably disappointing special features, the goose egg for 'In Cold Blood' being particularly grating, this is still a highly recommended package as 'In Cold Blood' looks amazing in high-def and is a great film to boot with the perfect companion piece ‘Capote’ offering up some well-made context.
Capote/In Cold Blood [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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