Day 113 - Capote

Day 113          Capote [2005]

                          

Screenplay                    Dan Futterman

Based on                       ‘Capote’ by Gerald Clarke

Director                         Bennett Miller

Cinematography            Adam Kimmel

Music                            Mychael Danna

Leads                            Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Chris Cooper, Bruce Greenwood, Clifton Collins Jr., Mark Pellegrino, Bob Balaban, Amy Ryan

Production                     Colombia Pictures, Stanley Jaffe Production

IMDb                                 7.4/10

Rotten Tomatoes                 90%

Rest in peace Philip Seymour Hoffman. A brilliant, brilliant actor. Very deserved of his Academy Award for his portrayal of Truman Capote in this thoughtful film. The film covers Capote’s life during the writing of his seminal ‘In Cold Blood’, a non-fiction true-crime novel about the murder of a Kansas family at the hands of two recently released convicts. It’s a wonderfully nostalgic film. I say this because of Capote’s relationship with Harper Lee (write of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’). She helped him with his research on this book before becoming super famous herself. She is played by the awesome Catherine Keener. Full marks for the cast on this film. It’s possible that Hoffman’s performance pulls one’s attention away from the weakness of the story. I didn’t connect with Capote because of his character or his relationship with killer Perry Smith (Collins Jr.), but rather I just sat at a distance and admired his acting. The cinematography has a bleakness to it that reflects Capote’s struggles and the inevitable capital punishment that awaits the murderers. Not my style really but this one’s definitely worth a watch for Hoffman’s performance, as well as some important American literary history.

Acting                            4 / 4

Writing                           3 / 4

Cinematography             3 / 4

Music                             2 / 4

HWF rating                3 / 4