Philip Seymour Hoffman brings Capote back to life

Rating: 10/10 (7 February 2006)

When I first saw Truman Capote on one of the late night TV talk shows my reaction to him was, "Who is this funny, sad, charming, off-putting, self-centered, peculiar little man?" I wondered if he was putting on an act or whether he was for real. Anyone who sees this film understands that he was very much for real. Hoffman, in a stunning performance, captures the essence of Capote. Is it the case that Hoffman may be the best actor to come along since Brando?
Capote needed to be the center of attention, he needed to be admired, he needed love. His needs were as great as his ego and such a person is usually vulnerable and winds up being unhappy. This was true for Truman. This movie shows Capote at his peak and then shows him on the precipice of his downhill slide. We are led to believe that Capote's experiences in writing "In Cold Blood," his account of the murders of a family of four on a rural Kansas farm, not only raised him to the pinnacle of success as a writer but also contained the seeds of his destruction. The relationship that developed between Capote and Perry Smith, one of the killers, is ambiguous. Capote was a master manipulator and the little pas de deux he does with Smith is fascinating, since Smith himself is not above manipulating Capote. Of course Capote wins that contest, but it is implied that the emotional toll it took on him was significant. He was conflicted by wanting Smith and his accomplice to be hanged, so he could have a final chapter in his book, and by having established a bond with Smith. Journalists have to distance themselves from their subjects because they have to move on and cannot sustain emotional involvements; "Capote" examines what happens when that rule is disregarded. There are parallels between Capote's career and that of Joeph Mitchell, another writer for the New Yorker (of distinctly different personality), who became close to one of his subjects, one Joe Gould. After achieving success with his articles on Gould, Mitchell never published again. Mitchell's story is detailed in the movie, "Joe Gould's Secret." Apparently if a journalist flies too close to the flame he stands to get seriously burned. In the beginning of Capote's last major work "Unanswered Prayers" (fragments published six years after his death) is "More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones," so he was not without introspection.
The relationship that Capote had with Harper Lee, as depicted in this movie, gives insight into both of their characters. Lee had a deep understanding of Capote and his self-centered nature, but the relationship meant enough to her to maintain it. There are some good scenes between them. Lee recognized that your typical small town Kansan was probably going to have some trouble dealing with someone as unusual as Capote and she runs interference for him on occasion by dealing with people that Truman would not have been able to get to first base with. One has to wonder if "In Cold Blood" could ever have been written without Lee's accompanying Capote to Kansas. Her presence in the movie is certainly an added attraction. She could be brutally honest with Capote on occasion, but, as with most everyone, he seemed rather oblivious to what she said or did.
In one scene Capote is shown reading selections from "In Cold Blood" to a large New York audience. He revels in the applause after the reading - you can sense him purring like a cat. This is an important scene in that it shows what a beautiful writer Capote was and why he was justly famous for his writing. This scene is so wonderfully filmed, from being backstage before Capote's entrance to the rousing standing ovation at the end, it is transfixing.
With the exception of Bob Balaban, who gives a rather uninspired performance as Wallace Shawn, the editor of the New Yorker, the supporting cast is excellent. Chris Cooper turns in another fine performance.
The score is suitably subdued and not without merit.
This film is an altogether impressive work.