Capote (2005)

In 1959, Truman Capote learns of the murder of a Kansas family and decides to write a book about the case. While researching for his novel In Cold Blood, Capote forms a relationship with one of the killers, Perry Smith, who is on death row.

Director:

Bennett Miller

Writers:

Dan Futterman (screenplay), Gerald Clarke (book)

Stars:

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Clifton Collins Jr., Catherine Keener

Won 1 Oscar. Another 59 wins & 86 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Allie Mickelson	...	Laura Kinney
Kelci Stephenson	...	Nancy Clutter
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Truman Capote
Craig Archibald	...	Christopher
Bronwen Coleman	...	Barbara
Kate Shindle	...	Rose
David Wilson Barnes	...	Grayson
Michael J. Burg	...	Williams (as Michael J. Berg)
Catherine Keener	...	Nelle Harper Lee
Kwesi Ameyaw	...	Porter
Andrew Farago	...	Car Rental Agent
Ken Krotowich	...	Courthouse Guard
Chris Cooper	...	Alvin Dewey
R.D. Reid	...	Roy Church
Rob McLaughlin	...	Harold Nye (as Robert McLaughlin)

Storyline

Famed writer Truman Capote, southern born and bred but now part of the New York City social circle, is growing weary of his current assignment of writing autobiographical type pieces for the New Yorker. After reading a newspaper article about the just occurred November 14, 1959 cold blooded murders of the Clutter family in their rural Kansas home, Truman feels compelled to write about that event as his next article. So he and his personal assistant Nelle Harper Lee, also a southern born New Yorker and an aspiring writer of her own, head to Kansas to research the story first-hand. Truman hopes to use his celebrity status to gain access to whomever he needs, such as to Laura Kinney, a friend of the Clutter daughter she who discovered the bodies, and to Alvin Dewey, the lead police investigator and also a Clutter family friend. If his celebrity doesn't work, Truman will grease the wheels by whatever means necessary. When the police eventually charge suspects, two young men named Dick ...

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Plot Keywords:

gay lead character | kansas | prison | reading | death penalty | 

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violent images and brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Classics [United States]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Truman Capote

Filming Locations:

Manitoba Legislative Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$324,857, 2 October 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$28,747,570, 23 April 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists, Sony Pictures Classics, A-Line Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min 110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film cast includes two Oscar winners: Philip Seymour Hoffman and Chris Cooper; and three Oscar nominees: Catherine Keener, Amy Ryan and Bob Balaban.

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Goofs

When Capote is speaking on the phone with William Shawn in 1959, after first reading about the Clutter murders, the phone's dial is plastic. At the time, rotary phones had metal dials.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Laura Kinney: Hello? Nancy?

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Hot Tub Time Machine/Chloe/How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

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Soundtracks

My Man Is Gone
(1953)
Written by Jack Lauderdale
Performed by Emanon Trio
Courtesy of Tuff City Records / Night Train International
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

Well done, moving account of Capote's life during the writing of 'In Cold Blood'

I saw a press screening of this film recently, and was highly impressed by its moving account of the period in Truman Capote's life during which he wrote 'In Cold Blood'. The direction by the relatively unknown Bennett Miller is personal, evocative and affecting, but without being over-dramatic or saccharine. This is helped immensely by Philip Seymour Hoffmann's incredible performance as Capote, as well as solid acting from Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins Jr., and Chris Cooper. Cooper plays K.B.I. Agent Alvin Dewey with perhaps a bit too much intensity, given his relatively small amount of screen time, but the portrayal nonetheless comes off as heart-felt.

The cinematography by Adam Kimmel is suitably gray and moody, with many evocative views of the flat Kansas plains, but most of the screen time is spent with the camera focused on Hoffmann - all of it time well spent.

While I haven't read the biography by Gerald Clarke on which it's based, the script seems to hit enough salient details to evoke Capote's frame of mind, without inundating the audience with more than would fit in a feature-length film. I suppose one of my only complaints about the film would be that at times the conversations take on a sheen of Hollywood, saying things for dramatic impact that perhaps might not have been said in real life. But then again, I never met Capote, so who knows for sure.

All in all, this was a deeply engrossing film, and one I would highly recommend, especially if you're a fan of Truman Capote.