Stream On: Outsiders, ‘In Cold Blood’ and ‘Capote’
In 1960, Truman Capote, inspired by the Time magazine article “Kansas: The Killers,” a story about the murders of the Clutter family, wrote his great “non-fiction novel,” ‘In Cold Blood.’
In the early morning of November 15, 1959, four members of the Clutter family were murdered in their rural home just outside the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas. In January 1960, Time magazine published “Kansas: The Killers,” a story about the murders. Inspired by that article, Truman Capote (Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Answered Prayers) wrote his “non-fiction novel,” In Cold Blood, detailing the murders and the trial of the killers.
/Amazon /Streaming /🍅76%🍿88% /Trailer /1967 /R
In 1967 ex-journalist Richard Brooks, an acquaintance of Capote, wrote and directed the film of Capote’s book In Cold Blood. He was given drafts while Capote, who was considering a film version, was still writing it.
Producers Fred Kohlmar and Otto Preminger were also interested in the film rights, but Brooks and Columbia Pictures won Capote’s favor by assuring the author that their adaptation would remain faithful to the book, which it mostly did, except for a “reporter” character inserted by Brooks. I assume that this character was a nod to Capote, who, of course, was there, covering the action, although Capote asserted that the reporter's inclusion “didn't make sense.” Apparently Capote, the novelist, resisted the temptation to make himself a part of his own story.
As it opens, a bus appears in the dark void of the Missouri night: its destination sign reads “Kansas City.” On it, thoughtful ex-con Perry Smith (Robert Blake, Baretta) is traveling to meet up with another ex-con, the unserious Dick Hitchcock (Scott Wilson).
The opening credits read “Robert Blake as Perry, Scott Wilson as Dick,” preëmptively humanizing them. They’re fixing to take off in Dick’s car to do some robbing. While the rest of the credits run, we see, in noirish black-and-white, the Kansas plains, the Clutters’ modest farmhouse, and Perry’s bus arriving. Dick drives into Kansas City to meet it as the Clutters begin their day.
Clutter’s teenaged daughter is facing “practically a catastrophe,” as she has promised to help a friend bake a cherry pie, and help another with a trumpet solo—and “errands for Mother in Garden City, lunch with Susan…” Herb Clutter offers to help with Mother’s errands.
“Thank you, Daddy,” sixteen-year-old Nancy says. Catastrophe averted, as wholesome music (Quincy Jones scored the film) plays on the soundtrack.
In the book, Capote writes, “Like the waters of the river... like the yellow trains streaking down the Santa Fe tracks, drama in the shape of exceptional happenings, had never stopped here.”
Perry bathes in the sink at the bus station while he awaits Dick. There’s a definite gay subtext with Perry and Dick, picked up from Capote’s book—a common supposition was that Capote fell in love with Perry Smith during the trial. Perry certainly is the star of this movie.
Dick shows and they take off in the car. Dick has heard that there’s $10,000 or more in farmer Clutter’s safe, in his house, and off they go—to kill the Clutter family and then go on trial. The movie is economical—and foreboding—from beginning to end, as we tremble first for the Clutters—and then for Perry and Dick.
Roger Ebert gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, writing, “At times one feels this is not a movie but a documentary where the events are taking place now.”
/Amazon /Streaming /🍅89%🍿82% /Trailer /2005 /R
In 1959, the Clutter family murders take place on their Kansas farm. While reading The New York Times, Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won the Academy Award, British Academy Film Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for the performance) is riveted by the story and calls The New Yorker magazine editor William Shawn to tell him that he plans to document the tragedy.
Capote travels to Kansas, inviting childhood friend Nelle Harper Lee (who would later write To Kill a Mockingbird) to come along. He intends to interview those involved with the Clutter family, with Lee as his go-between and facilitator. (Capote was pretty flamboyant for 1960 Kansas.) Alvin Dewey (Chris Cooper, 11.22.63; John Forsythe played Dewey in In Cold Blood), the lead detective on the case, brushes him off. But Dewey's wife Marie is a fan of Capote's writing and persuades her husband to invite Capote and Lee to their house for dinner.
Capote's stories of movie sets and film stars captivate Marie; her husband warms to Capote and lets him see the victims’ photographs. The Deweys, Lee, and Capote are having dinner when the murder suspects, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr., NYPD Blue, The Shield) and Richard Hickock (Mark Pellegrino), are caught. Flattery, bribery, and an insight into psychology facilitate Capote's visits to the suspects.
Here the idea that Capote fell in love with fellow outsider Perry Smith is considered, although as shown here it’s not quite that simple. Based on Gerald Clarke's 1988 biography Capote, it makes a great double feature with In Cold Blood.
Sources include The AFI Catalogue of Feature Films, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED).
Pete Hummers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to earn fees by linking Amazon.com and affiliate sites. This adds nothing to Amazon's prices. This column originally appeared on The Outer Banks Voice.