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| Capote |
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| Actors: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Chris Cooper, Clifton Collins, Jr. |
| Director: Bennett Miller |
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Studio: Sony Pictures |
| DVD release: 21 March 2006 |
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Runtime: 114 minutes (1 disc) |
| Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC |
| DVD features: Subtitles (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese, Thai), Audio tracks (English, Dolby Digital 5.1; French), Commentary by Bennett Miller & Philip Seymour Hoffman,
Commentary by Bennett Miller & cinematographer Adam Kimmel,
Unanswered Prayers - a documentary on Truman Capote,
2 behind-the-scenes documentaries |
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With a screenplay written by actor/writer Dan Futterman based on some of the work found in Gerald Clarke's book, Capote stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman in a mesmerizing performance. Though the inevitable comparisons to the 1967 film In Cold Blood starring Robert Blake will be made, this movie is a testament to good filmmaking and Hoffman's Oscar-inning portrayal of Truman Capote during that time in his life. Make no mistake about it - this is not a biography picture.
What Capote does do is to condense and encapsulate the time during which Truman Capote researched and wrote his legendary book In Cold Blood , tracing how Capote came to learn about the horrific murders in Holcomb, Kansas all the way through to the execution of the perpetrators Perry Smith and Richard Hickcock.
The film itself is a rich, multi-layered work of art. The opening shot of the wheat fields mirrors precisely the book's beginning, lush and beautiful and haunting all at the same time. We know how tremendous Hoffman's performance is, but there are many others. Catherine Keener (8MM , The 40-Year-Old Virgin ) is excellent as Truman's friend Harper Lee. Clifton Collins Jr. captures Perry Smith in an intense, disturbing performance. And Chris Cooper (Syriana , Seabiscuit ) as police chief Alvin Dewey is also laudable in his supporting role. With the great script, stellar performances, attention to detail vis-à-vis the time period and the perfect camera work, it's no wonder this movie netted so many nominations and both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Hoffman.
With a seven million dollar budget, the movie grossed a respectable 28 million domestically and forty-three million when you add in the foreign gross. Though not comparable to the huge summer blockbusters, the movie still did well. The DVD extras include subtitles in English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Thai, French, and Spanish; behind the scenes documentary; audio commentaries with Hoffman, director Bennet Miller, and cinematographer Adam Kimmel. Overall, Capote is a great movie worthy of all the praise and awards that it has won.
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