Soundtrack Review: Capote

By Douglas Strassler Feb 17, 2006, 1:12 GMT

Soundtrack for the movie Capote ...more

Capote, Bennett Miller’s biographical drama of the famous writer Truman Capote, recently triumphed with five Oscar nominations, including best picture and best actor, which Philip Seymour Hoffman is heavily favored to win for his portrayal of the flamboyant writer.

Capote focuses on the period during which Capote wrote the stirring real-life account In Cold Blood, about the Clutter family killings in Kansas, and the bonds he made and broke during that period.Mychael Danna, who has scored many of Atom Egoyan’s films, contributes to the score of this film. I say “contribute” deliberately, as the majority of the soundtrack features outtakes of Hoffman’s specifically affected dialogue as Capote, reading from the novel. As a result, the soundtrack, just like the movie itself, becomes a mere celebration of In Cold Blood, which is indeed a masterfully written account full of vivid imagery and detail.

On the few tracks that offer his selections, one can get a sense of his delicate rhythms. He uses mostly string work, including solo violins, violas, and celli. Tracks like “Epigraph” and “Answered Prayers” also emphasize deft piano work. But this does little justice to Danna’s efforts, and one is better off just buying a complete audiobook of In Cold Blood.