Movie Review: Capote

By Frank H. Woodward Sep 28, 2005, 9:40 GMT

In 1959 the celebrated literary figure Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman), stunned by the brutal slayings of the Clutter family, sets out for Holcomb, Kansas accompanied by his friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) author of łTo Kill a Mockingbird,˛ to do investigative stories for The New Yorker.   Capote delves into the isolated small town and soon personally becomes entangled in the life of Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.), one of ...more

CAPOTE is a fascinating portrait of modern literature's most eccentric personality.  Thanks to a layered performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman and the non-judgmental eye of director Bennett Miller, the film does for Truman Capote what Capote sought to do for two murderers.  It returns him to humanity. 

On November 15, 1959, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith murdered a wheat farmer and his family in their own home.  At the time, rural Kansas had never experienced anything like it.  Truman Capote went there with his research assistant Harper Lee (soon to be a famous author herself with "To Kill A Mockingbird") to write an article on how the people were reacting to this
disturbance of normalcy.  That article evolved into one of the best works in American Literature... "In Cold Blood".

CAPOTE follows Truman's morbid fixation with the two killers.  At first, his desire to paint them in a different light seems like an act of altruistic liberalism.  Truman claims he wants to show that these men aren't mere monsters, but human beings.  Many felt his intentions were self aggrandizing. 

Truman Capote, however, saw himself vividly in Perry Smith.  Truman's not-so closet homosexuality made an indelible first impression on people.  Many outside the know either considered him a freak or an outcast.  Truman, with sheer delight, loved to force this personality on the unsuspecting.  The film shows him doing parlor tricks with his 94% recall and openly being fey with Kansas officials who probably never met a homosexual before. 

But Capote resented these knee jerk characterizations of himself.  He knew there was more to him than met the eye.  This was also how he felt about Dick and, especially, Perry.  At one point in the film, Capote describes his connection to Perry as if they both grew up in the same troubled house except that Truman went out the front door and Perry went out the back.

All this praise of Hoffman may make CAPOTE sound like a one man show, but the film depends on the performances of those around Truman as well.  Clifton Collins Jr. as Perry Smith is a prime example.  If Capote truly felt that Perry Smith the murderer was also capable of gentle humanity, Collins makes us believe it, too.

The scenes between Hoffman and Collins are some of the most unsettling for this very reason.  Not because Perry is a killer or that the prison they meet in is particularly dangerous.  The unease we feel comes from watching Capote intellectually dissect Perry while feeding him lies and false hopes. 

There's also the risk that Capote is delving into areas that could cause irreparable damage to his own self image. The other cast members (Catherine Keener, Chris Cooper and Bruce Greenwood) act as proxy for our concerns.  It is their transition from fascinated co-conspirators to aggravated and alienated friends that gives definition to Capote's obsession.

The bleak winter production design of cinematographer Adam Kimmel and production designer Jess Gonchor also helps to achieve this.  Not only does it signify the deaths of Dick and Perry's victims, but also the life that is being drained out of Truman as the writing of his book seems to go on and on.

All this may sound like a heavy night at the movies for some people and the stark nature of this film can also come off as a bit slow going.  There's no denying, however, that CAPOTE is a vivid depiction of the author's humanity... warts and all.

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