Capote - Can't Think of Clever Title for This Post

Can a screenwriter and director make an interesting film out of the story of an author in the process of writing a true-crime novel? Watching someone hunched over a typewriter for two hours doesn’t stir thoughts of riveting drama. But some of my favorite films are about writers or the process of writing: "Wonder Boys," "Finding Forrester," "Barton Fink". "Capote" joins the pantheon of literate films about literary works.

The film opens when Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) first reads a news item about the horrific murder of a Kansas family, and an idea for a new novel germinates. Accompanied by friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), Capote sets off for the Midwestern state, where he manages to endear himself to one of the accused murderers and work his way into close proximity of local law enforcement.

Hoffman, an actor of remarkable diversity, has previously given life to characters ranging from rock writer Lester Bangs (Almost Famous) to the lovable tornado chaser Rusty ("Twister") to gambling addict Dan Mahowney ("Owning Mahowney"). His Capote is a man of startling complexity. He is driven as much by his need to be the center of attention as he is by artistic excellence. He is that rare egotist who possesses abilities that back up his grand proclamations about his own superiority. He appears at high-society parties as the man whom everyone crowds around to hear what profundities he may deliver. Even as he is being celebrated for the earth-shattering power of the novel that he has not even yet completed, he finds it within himself to dismiss the success of his friend Harper and her novel-turned-film “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Keener, in her portrayal of novelist Lee, provides a grounded complement to the self-absorbed Capote. She stands by him, offers him help and encouragement even as he scoffs at her achievements. Keener always brings a down-to-earth quality to her roles, and here is no exception.

The film moves between the wealthy and affluent circles of New York and the Kansas cell that accused murderer Percy Smith occupies. In both worlds, Capote is selfish and manipulative. Director Bennett Miller traverses these two worlds as easily as does Capote. The posh nightclubs and restaurants are juxtaposed with Percy’s dank, cramped cell; the exotic Spanish vacation home with the warehouse where death row inmates are executed. It is in the place where these worlds intersect that the genius of Capote, the film, and the egotism of Capote, the author, is found.

I wonder, though, whether the graphic depictions of the murders were necessary. While shocking and effective in establishing the gruesome nature of the slayings, the flashback sequences were essentially superfluous. The audience could certainly imagine that what took place in the farmhouse was unpleasant, and Percy’s account of the murders would have been no less powerful and revelatory in the absence of the gratuitous violence.