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 & 87 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

Jack Dunphy (1914-1992) and Truman Capote had a long-term relationship. Dunphy was 10 years older than Capote. They met in 1948 and stayed together until Capote's death in 1984. Capote's will named Dunphy as the chief beneficiary. Dunphy died of cancer 8 years after Capote's death.

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Goofs

Although depicted in several scenes typing furiously on a typewriter, Truman Capote was famous for writing everything in longhand. He never typed any of his novels or short stories.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Laura Kinney: Hello? Nancy?

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Connections

Referenced in The Dirties (2013)

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Soundtracks

My Little Suede Shoes
(1951)
Written by Charlie Parker
Performed by Paul Smith Trio
Courtesy of Criterion Music Productions

User Reviews

Conjuring Capote

Brilliant portrayals are chilling. Philip Seymour Hoffman's invocation of the essence of Truman Capote is mesmerizing. I suspect that most of the readers on websites such as these may not have stored memories of Capote in the 60's. An unlikely media darling, I vividly recall his flaunting gay affectations and cosmopolitan barbs. Hoffman's detailed and incisive performance implores, "And the Oscar goes to........"

Beyond his performance is a riveting and eerie story directed with flawless craft and impressive restraint. It is a film that left me sitting and discussing its nuances and its depth, until the theater's lights flickered to oust me. The film surrounds the time when Capote wrote "In Cold Blood," a book nearly everyone read in the late 60's, its title seeming obvious. This latest movie inserts Capote into the original crimes that inspired "In Cold Blood" and challenges us to revisit that title.