Bennett Miller’s Capote opens up with a scene that is all too familiar to those of us who have read Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. The opening scene paints the Clutter farm against a backdrop of the beautiful Great Plains of Holcomb, Kansas, closely resembling what any reader of In Cold Blood might have imagined the Clutter farm to look like. The harrowing film paints a perspective that delves into the writing process that Truman Capote put forth into writing one of the greatest novels of all time. After an article in the New York Times catches the interest of Truman Capote, he goes on to conduct extensive interviews with the murderers and other people involved in the case. In particular, Capote is drawn to one of the killers, Perry Smith. The stunning adaptation of Capote’s In Cold Blood explores the close relationship and mixed emotions that Capote experiences as a result from falling in love with Smith and writing a novel. The excellent and accurate portrayal of Capote as he writes In Cold Blood is a must see for anybody who has read the novel, for the film offers an accurate insight into the distressful writing process that Truman Capote endured, in addition to the missing pieces that are key to truly understanding Capote’s novel.
The portrayal of Truman Capote by Philip Seymour Hoffman is sure to mesmerize the viewer given Hoffman’s exceptional performance. Readers of In Cold Blood who previously knew nothing about the author will get a good feel for Truman Capote’s personality. Some might even be surprised to learn about Capote’s homosexuality and often lavish behavior, offering the viewer an insightful perspective into the side of the story that was never told in In Cold Blood. Not only does the film give insight into Capote’s true character, but into the relationships that he developed as well while writing his novel.
The film offers much insight into the relationship that Capote developed with Smith and the mixed emotions that ensued as a result. Initially, Capote is only interested in developing a relationship with the killers so that he can have the necessary information to write his novel. However, Capote begins to fall for one of the killers, Smith, and begins to sympathize and see part of himself in Perry. This is evident from the scene in the movie in which Capote mentions, “It’s as if Perry and I grew up in the same house. And one day he stood up and went out the back door, while I went out the front.” Even though the two are clearly in different positions, Capote still recognizes part of himself in Smith when Smith talks about his childhood. This is an essential piece to understanding the novel because the reader can now understand why Capote transgresses into the emotional writing that makes up the latter half of his novel.
Although the events in the film unravel rather slowly at times, the viewer is able to internalize and truly empathize with Capote, as he is torn between helping Smith and writing a novel. The scene in which Smith dies shows the viewer that Capote truly did care about Smith, but was ultimately forced to sever his relationship with Smith in order to finish his novel and career. The unique aspect that Capote offers the viewer is that writing is certainly not as easy as it often seems. Capote actually put a lot of sweat and tears into writing In Cold Blood.
Readers of Capote’s In Cold Blood, are sure to enjoy Miller’s adaptation of the famous novel, for the viewer will get a sense for what if might have been like for Truman Capote as he researched the Clutter murders and wrote his book. Although Capote at certain times appears to simply be using Perry as a means to write his novel, we really see how in fact Capote starts to feel compassionate towards him. Given the insight that the film offers into the writing process that went into In Cold Blood, Capote is a must see for any person who wants the complete picture to one of the greatest novels of all time.
