Mini Movie Review
Well, I finally got myself down to the theatre to see Capote which was shot here in Winnipeg (mostly) last November/December. This is definitely Phillip Seymour Hoffman's film. He is always on the screen and he has Capote's voice and mannerisms down pat. (At least from what I've seen of Capote in interviews, etc.) The only one who doesn't seem to disappear when sharing a scene with PSH is the young actor who plays convicted killer Perry Smith (Clifton Collins, Jr.) The movie starts in November of 1959 when the Clutter family is brutally murdered in their home in rural Kansas. Capote learns of the murders from a newspaper article and becomes intrigued with the case. He decides that he is going to write a new type of non-fiction novel and tell the story behind the killings. The movie toys with the idea that Capote may have manipulated certain events in order to make the story he was writing a little more readable. (Finding a new and better lawyer for the Smith & Hickok initially then refusing to help during their final appeal.) There is also something suspect about the relationship Capote develops with Smith. A very good movie but definitely carried completely by PSH. (His Golden Globe nom is well-deserved.)
I liked Capote's description of viewing the bodies of the Clutter family while they were in the funeral home. He describes the white cotton which covered their faces as resembling snow. (*Note: the Hokum, Kansas funeral home is actually Gilbart's Funeral here in my hometown of Selkirk. I nearly laughed out loud when I recognized a few other local landmarks including the pet store.)
- Capote never completed another novel after In Cold Blood
- He also wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's
Three and a half purple paws (out of 4)