Overshadowed by the book
Capote
dir. Bennett Miller.
‘I thought Mr Clutter was a very nice gentleman. Right up to the moment I cut his throat.’ A great and violent line from a nearly great, and violent (emotionally at least) film. Perry Smith (responsible for the above utterance) and Richard Hickock would be remembered by very few were it not for Truman Capote. And while Capote himself would be well remembered for much besides them, his real literary resonance is on account of his strange and extraordinary telling of their story.
In 1959 Capote was drawn to the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, after reading a tiny newspaper article about the violent killing of a family by the name of Clutter. He planned to write an article about the murders for The New Yorker. But it wasn’t long before Capote realised this material was too big for an essay. It represented something much greater—in both subject and literary potential. This material was worthy of a book—In Cold Blood—that would do no less than change the way readers experienced non-fiction.
But that’s the book. The movie, Capote, is quite another matter. The film is about the experience of writing In Cold Blood and its being written (quite a different thing). But the book’s existence casts a long and murky shadow over the film. The film mixes (as does the book) the reality of Capote’s life and the violent events chronicled in the book. And try as I might, I couldn’t help but compare the two accounts. But there is no comparison. The book is genius, the film … nearly great.
What can be said for the film is that it is full to the brim with extraordinary performances. Needless to say, Philip Seymour Hoffman is breathtaking as the magnificently odd wit we know as Truman Capote. But he is not alone. Chris Cooper does what few actors can manage—a supporting role that defines the very meaning of the term. As the police officer Alvin Dewey he is discreet but essential. Catherine Keener plays Harper Lee with a dry confidence that suits (as well as one can know) the strangely inscrutable novelist.
Capote is Miller’s first feature. And as such he should be applauded. He directs this story with an unexpected rhythm that makes it much more than a standard biopic. Most scenes float with an odd grace that many a seasoned director