Capote (2005)

Director:

Bennett Miller

Writers (WGA):

Dan Futterman (screenplay)
Gerald Clarke (book)

Release Date:

3 February 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama

Plot:

Truman Capote (Hoffman), during his research for his book In Cold Blood, an account of the murder of a Kansas family, the writer develops a close relationship with Perry Smith, one of the killers.

Plot Keywords:

Execution | Boyfriend Boyfriend Relationship | Shotgun | Gay Couple | Leavenworth Penitentiary

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 43 wins & 42 nominations

Cast

Allie Mickelson	...	Laura Kinney
Kelci Stephenson	...	Nancy Clutter
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Truman Capote
Craig Archibald	...	Christopher
Bronwen Coleman	...	Barbara
Kate Shindle	...	Rose
David Wilson Barnes	...	Grayson
Michael J. Burg	...	Williams (as Michael J. Berg)
Catherine Keener	...	Nelle Harper Lee
Kwesi Ameyaw	...	Porter
Andrew Farago	...	Car Rental Agent
Ken Krotowich	...	Courthouse Guard
Chris Cooper	...	Alvin Dewey
R.D. Reid	...	Roy Church
Rob McLaughlin	...	Harold Nye (as Robert McLaughlin)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violent images and brief strong language.

Runtime:

114 min | Canada:110 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Sweden:11 | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:U | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Brazil:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | USA:R (certificate #41953) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | Norway:15 | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 | Netherlands:16 | France:U

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

Michael J. Burg plays Capote's cousin, playwright Tennessee Williams. He has also played Capote himself in two other films: The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000) (TV), and The Hoax (2006).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When we see the "prints" of the Richard Avedon photographs, the type of film can be seen in the black border - it reads as "Agfa APX 400". Agfa did not begin manufacturing their APX line of films until the 1990s. Moreover, Richard Avedon's preferred film for shooting portraiture at the time was Kodak Plus-X.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Laura Kinney: Hello? Nancy?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Joey: Joey and the Actors Studio (#2.20)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Sugar (That Sugar Baby o' Mine)

Humanizing Capote

This moving film lives and breathes on the powerful shoulders of Phillip Seymour Hoffman's stunning performance in the title role. Hoffman captures all of the unique physical characteristics that made Capote such a familiar public figure in his lifetime and invests them with a humanity that is almost unbearably poignant. The film focuses on Capote's research on the book "In Cold Blood" and the personal journey that his relationship and identification with killer Perry Smith became (Capote says at one point that it was like they grew up in the same house, and he went out the front door while Perry went out the back), a compelling and complicated relationship that this uncompromising film presents in moving detail. But what truly makes it a unique work of art is the brilliant work of Hoffman - always an interesting actor - whose performance as Truman Capote should elevate him to the pantheon of film giants.