DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Capote
By Jeff Swindoll
Mar 15, 2006, 15:39 GMT

My life – as an artist, at least – can be charted as precisely as a fever; the highs and lows, the very definite cycles. – Truman Capote, Music for Chameleons.

Fans of Truman Capote’s writing, the story of In Cold Blood, or bio-films in general will enjoy Capote. Philip Seymour Hoffman is dead on as Truman Capote and, in my opinion, deserved his win for best actor. The film takes its time telling the story behind the writing of In Cold Blood, and how writing the book changed Capote’s life.
 
In November of 1959, the Clutter family was murdered in their beds. Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) reads an article about the multiple murders in the New York Times and decides to go to Kansas to write a magazine article about the crime. He takes his friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) along, at the beginning of the movie her novel To Kill a Mockingbird has not been published. 

Capote arrives in Kansas to looks of suspicion since he at first dresses in his usual flamboyant fashion, so locals are more likely to talk to Lee than to Capote. However, Capote tones down his dress and uses his literary fame to get in good with Detective Alvin Dewey’s (Chris Cooper) wife. While Capote is in Kansas the killers, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins, Jr.) and Richard Hickock (Mark Pellegrino), are caught in Las Vegas. Capote manipulates his way into seeing the killers. He then sets out to write the novel In Cold Blood that unbeknownst to him will be he last novel that he ever finishes. He toils on the book for five years and realizes that for him to finish the book that the killers, who he has developed some attachment to, must be put to death.

He has Capote’s mannerisms and his whining, nasal voice.  Catherine Keener also provides excellent work as Harper Lee and Chris Cooper provides good support as Detective Dewey. Clifton Collins, Jr. and Mark Pellegrino also turn in impressive work as the killers. I was expecting the movie to have more focus on the trial of the killers but only cursory attention is paid to it and viewers wanting to find out more about that aspect should rent In Cold Blood (1967 movie or 1996 miniseries). 

The movie is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include two informative commentary tracks. The first is with Philip Seymour Hoffman and director Bennett Miller and surprisingly we hear that Hoffman did not “get” his performance for the first two weeks of shooting. I guess that the Oscar sitting on his mantle might make him feel that he got it finally. The second commentary is with director Miller and cinematographer Adam Kimmel (who cameos as photographer Richard Avedon in the film). Screenwriter Dan Futterman was supposed to participate in the commentary but his wife had a baby hours before the commentary was to begin. There’s some good-natured ribbing of Futterman for not being dedicated to his craft and not coming to the commentary anyway. 

Next up are three featurettes that you can watch individually or there is a play all function. The first one is called “Answered Prayers” and is about Truman Capote. Sadly this only runs nearly 7 minutes. I was hoping for a feature length documentary about Capote, heavens knows there’s enough material for one. We hear from biographer Gerald Clarke in this documentary. There is also some video footage of the real Truman Capote (though thankfully not the Mike Douglas show appearance where he’s drunk, stoned, or both. I’ve seen that footage and it shows how Capote’s life went downhill after In Cold Blood and his uncompleted tell all novel Answered Prayers).

The second is a 17 minute documentary called “Making Capote: Concept to Screen.” It has interviews with director Bennett Miller, screenwriter Dan Futterman, Capote biographer Gerald Clarke, producers Caroline Baron and William Vince, and actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Chris Cooper (whose grandmother met Truman Capote!), and Clifton Collins, Jr.  The third featurette is 18 minutes and is called “Making Capote: Defining a Style.” This feature deals with the production design of the movie and has interviews with director Miller, producer Baron, cinematographer Adam Kimmel, production designer Jess Gonchor, costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone, and editor Christopher Tellefsen. 

Fans of Truman Capote or good bio-films should check out Capote. Hoffman’s Oscar is well deserved and performance is excellent. The movie uses the Clutter family murder as a backdrop to tell the story of Capote’s writing of In Cold Blood – a book that changed much of how American literature would be written from then on, and took a great personal toil on its author.

Capote is available for pre-order at Amazon for a March 21st release. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.