Capote (film)
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Capote | |
---|---|
Directed by | Bennett Miller |
Produced by | Caroline Baron William Vince Michael Ohoven |
Written by | Screenplay: Dan Futterman Biography: Gerald Clarke |
Starring | Philip Seymour Hoffman Catherine Keener Clifton Collins Jr. Chris Cooper Bruce Greenwood Mark Pellegrino |
Music by | Mychael Danna |
Cinematography | Adam Kimmel |
Editing by | Christopher Tellefsen |
Distributed by | United Artists Sony Pictures Classics |
Release date(s) | September 30, 2005 February 23, 2006 February 24, 2006 September 30, 2006 |
Running time | 114 min. |
Country | Canada / USA [1] |
Language | English |
Budget | $ 7 million [2] |
Gross revenue | Domestic $28,750,530 [2] Foreign $20,482,631 [2] Worldwide $49,233,161 [2] |
Official website | |
Allmovie profile | |
IMDb profile |
Capote is an Academy Award-winning 2005 biographical film about Truman Capote on a writing assignment for The New Yorker. Philip Seymour Hoffman won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the title role. The film follows the events during the writing of Capote's non-fiction book In Cold Blood. The movie itself was based on the biography called Capote by Gerald Clarke. The movie was filmed mostly in Manitoba[3], in the autumn of 2004, and was released on 30 September 2005, to coincide with Truman Capote's 81st birthday.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The movie opens in Kansas with the discovery of the dead bodies of four of the members of the Clutter family by a family friend. While reading the Times, Truman Capote is riveted by the story of the Clutters and calls William Shawn, then the editor of The New Yorker, to announce that he will personally document the tragedy.
He travels to Kansas with his childhood friend Harper Lee. Lee was then in the process of getting To Kill a Mockingbird written and published, which the film references several times. Capote sets about interviewing those involved with the victims, the Clutter family, with Lee as his go-between and interpreter of rural life. When the murderers are apprehended, Capote is initially brushed off by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation's lead detective on the case, Alvin Dewey. Dewey's wife, however, is a fan of Capote's writing and persuades him to invite Capote and Lee to their house for dinner. Mrs. Dewey is starstruck by Capote's stories of being on movie sets with film stars. Dewey warms up to Capote, which facilitates Capote's visits to the prison where the suspects (Perry Smith and Dick Hickock) are being held. Capote begins to form an attachment to Perry. Following their trial and conviction, Capote is able to gain access to the murderers by bribing the warden. Capote spends the following years regularly visiting Perry and learning about his life, excepting a year long stint where Capote abandons Perry and writes the "first three parts" of the book with Jack Dunphy in Morocco and Spain. The story of Perry's life, his upset and remorseful manner, and his emotional sincerity impress Capote. The writer becomes emotionally attached to Perry and feels sympathy for him, notwithstanding his involvement in the murders. Perry refuses to tell Capote what happened on the night of the murders, which greatly angers the writer. Eventually, Perry tells him in great detail. The story becomes a meditation upon the need for redemption even in very grave circumstances.
The last appeal is rejected and Perry and Dick are hanged. Perry's hanging is explicitly shown. In the next scene Truman is talking to Nell. He tells her of the horrifying experience and laments that he couldn't have done anything to stop it. She replies "Maybe not, the fact is you didn't want to." This is the last line of the film. The next and last scene shows Truman looking at photos and some of the writings and drawings that Perry gave him.
The movie showcases Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of the openly gay Southern author with his weaknesses for fame, alcohol, and attention. Capote became an international figure upon the release of the book In Cold Blood, which he would publish after Smith and Hickock were executed. Hoffman portrays Capote's conflict between personal literary ambitions and trying to maintain his role as a confidant to Perry, one of the two condemned killers.
The film ends with the logic that Capote never wrote anything of value again, which is misleading to a certain extent. In reality the opposite occurred; Capote wrote quite a bit in his last years. It is true, though, that this material did not achieve the same level of commercial success or critical acclaim as his early works, and that he never published another book.
[edit] Cast
- Philip Seymour Hoffman — Truman Capote
- Catherine Keener — Nelle Harper Lee
- Clifton Collins Jr. — Perry Smith
- Chris Cooper — Alvin Dewey
- Bruce Greenwood — Jack Dunphy
- Bob Balaban — William Shawn
- Amy Ryan — Marie Dewey
- Mark Pellegrino — Richard Hickock
- Allie Mickelson — Laura Kinney
- Marshall Bell — Warden Marshall Krutch
- Araby Lockhart — Dorothy Sanderson
- Robert Huculak — New York Reporter
- R.D. Reid — Roy Church
- Rob McLaughlin — Harold Nye
- Harry Nelken — Sheriff Walter Sanderson
- C. Ernst Harth — Lowell Lee Andrews
[edit] Filming dates
25 October 2004 - 1 December 2004 ( 36 Days )
[edit] Reviews
[edit] Awards
[edit] Acting awards for Philip Seymour Hoffman
- 2006 Academy Award for Best Actor
- 2006 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama
- 2005 Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Drama
- 2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
- 2005 BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
[edit] Critics' awards
- Broadcast Film Critics Association: Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Boston Society of Film Critics: Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Best Screenplay - Dan Futterman, Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Keener
- Chicago Film Critics Association: Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Most Promising Filmmaker - Bennett Miller
- Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association: Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Keener
- Independent Spirit Awards: Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Best Screenplay - Dan Futterman
- Kansas City Film Critics Circle: Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Best Screenplay - Dan Futterman, Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Keener
- National Board of Review: Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman
- New York Film Critics Circle: Best First Film - Bennett Miller
- Online Film Critics Society: Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Southeastern Film Critics Association: Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Toronto Film Critics Association: Best First Feature - Bennett Miller, Best Performance, Male - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Best Supporting Performance, Female - Catherine Keener
[edit] Nominations
- 78th Academy Awards:
- Best Picture
- Best Director - Bennett Miller
- Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman - Won
- Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Keener
- Best Adapted Screenplay - Dan Futterman
- 59th BAFTA Awards:
- Best Picture
- Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman - Won
- Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Keener
- Best Director - Bennett Miller
- Best Adapted Screenplay - Dan Futterman
- Broadcast Film Critics Association:Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Keener, Best Screenplay - Dan Futterman
- Directors Guild of America: Best Director - Bennett Miller
- Independent Spirit Awards: Best Picture, Producers Award - Caroline Baron
- Online Film Critics Society: Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Keener, Best Breakthrough Filmmaker - Bennett Miller, Best Screenplay - Dan Futterman
- Producers Guild of America Awards: Best Theatrical Motion Picture
- Screen Actors Guild Awards: Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Keener, Best Ensemble Cast
- Writers Guild of America Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay - Dan Futterman
[edit] See also
- Infamous
- In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences (book)
- In Cold Blood (film)
- Truman Capote
- Lowell Lee Andrews
[edit] References
- ^ Capote (2005). IMDB.com. Retrieved on 15 November 2006.
- ^ a b c d Capote (2005). boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved on 16 November 2006.
- ^ Capote (2005) - Filming locations
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Capote at Seegest
- Capote at the Internet Movie Database
- Capote at Rotten Tomatoes
- Capote at Metacritic
- Capote at Box Office Mojo
- Lawrence Journal-World (November 28, 2005): "A crime for all time" by Mike Belt
- Lawrence Journal-World (December 7, 2005): "Actor portrays KU student in ‘Capote’" by J-W Staff Reports
- London's 020 Entertainment Movie Review
- Capote review
- Capote Mottled review
- Movie stills
- Opening titles designed by Trollbäck + Company