Thank you, Sony, Thank you. The idea of a DVD or Blu-ray double feature is hardly new but the recent release of 2005’s Capote and 1967’s In Cold Blood as a double feature on Blu-ray deserves special praise. The first is a biopic that follows Truman Capote as he was doing research for In Cold Blood. The second film is director Richard Brooks’ intense, noir inspired retelling of Capote’s now classic book; rarely have two films been so tailor made for a double feature. Sony even got the order right, because it makes the most sense to watch Capote first.
As a long time Capote fan, I was amazed at how Philip Seymour Hoffman just seemed to become the author. The actor captured Capote’s voice and mannerisms so well it feels as though Hoffman was channeling the man himself. Most amazing, Hoffman managed to capture the complexities of Capote with an understated sensitivity. While other actors might have overplayed Capote’s well known flamboyant side and created a caricature of the man, Hoffman sought to make audiences think about what truly made Truman Capote the kind of man he was.
In the later years of Capote s life, the public became less concerned about Capote’s writing and more enamored with his social life. He seemed to know everyone who was anybody and showed up at the best parties. In the late seventies, Truman was a regular at New York’s famous Studio 54 as partying become more central to his life than writing.
Wisely, director Bennett Miller and writer Dan Futterman avoid those later years. Instead, they focus on the young writer who was invited to parties because he always had something to say. Prior to In Cold Blood, Capote was best known for 1958’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s; a novella about a young Manhattan prostitute. Of course, the novella was made into a successful film starring Audrey Hepburn in 1961. However, Capote always said he wasn’t happy with the way the film turned out and wanted to write something truly great.
Capote (2005) Capote begins with the author reading The New York Times. He sees an article about the Kansas murders and decides to investigate. With friend and assistant Nelle Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), who would go on to write To Kill a Mockingbird, he travels to Holcomb, Kansas to do some research. Initially, the small town people are put off by this strange, big city writer–especially Sheriff Alvin Dewey (Chris Cooper). Luckily for Truman, the Dewey’s wife (Amy Ryan) knows how famous Capote is and wants to meet him. Slowly, the Sheriff warms to him and the rest of the town soon follows suit.
However, Capote gets more than he bargained for, when the two alleged killers are caught and brought back to Holcomb–Perry Smith (Clifton Collins, Jr.) and Dick Hickock (Mark Pellegrino). The film clearly shows how dedicated Truman was to getting the story but it also shows how conflicted he became as time wore on. He finds himself drawn to Perry Smith but also needing him to be executed, so his book would have an ending. In Cold Blood would be Capote’s greatest literary success and bring him the fame he always craved. However, something about the experience ruined him; In Cold Blood was also the last novel he completed.
Capote is filled with great acting. Aside from Hoffman, Chris Cooper is great as Sherriff Dewey and Collins, Jr. is fascinating to watch as the sympathetic killer Perry Smith. One gets the feeling he wouldn’t have committed such a heinous crime without the encouragement of Dick Hickock. As the less sympathetic killer, Pellegrino seethes with the anger you imagine the leader of such a crime would have to possess.
In Cold Blood (1968) represents the filming of Truman Capote’s greatest work. The film written and directed by Richard Brooks–who also directed Blackboard Jungle, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Elmer Gantry, and Looking for Mr. Goodbar–maintains the feel of Capote’s novel with quick dissolves and cuts that take you from the killers’ world to the Clutters’ and back again. The film also marks what I think is Robert Blake’s best performance of his career. As Perry Smith, Blake is utterly chilling. Scott Wilson plays his partner-in-crime, Dick Hickock, while John Forsythe (Dynasty) plays chief investigator Alvin Dewey. The film follows the two drifters as they prepare for the crime, but then the narrative jumps around to where we see them in Mexico after the crime, watch them in Vegas where the two killers decide not to kill a person who picks them up and instead steal a car.
After the killings, much of the film deals with the police investigation to capture and put the killers on trial. While some viewers may Brooks’ style of describing events out of sequence hard to follow, I think it added to the excitement of the film.
Capote is an intriguing and engrossing film that was certainly worthy of the Oscar it earned for Hoffman, as well as the nominations that came for Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress. And In Cold Blood is an interesting film of the novel that catapulted Capote into the upper tier of American writers. Together, they make for a great package.
Both features are presented in 1080p High Definition using the films’ original 2.35:1 aspect ratios. On both titles Sony used an AVC/MPEG-4 transfer to BD-50 discs. Capote is in color, while “In Cold Blood” is black-and-white.
With Capote, the picture is fairly soft and the colors are muted. While nothing really jumps out at you, this seems appropriate for a picture that has so many dark and dreary settings. Several scenes are in a jail cell, so it works. It is worth noting yjat the BD has very little grain and detail is adequate.
In Cold Blood,looks so good, it likely got a full remastering. Black levels aren’t as strong as we’re used to on recent releases, with considerably more grays, butthat works for the subject matter. There are gray areas all through this film. The level of detail is superb in this film, and there’s actually less grain in “In Cold Blood” than there is in Capote. The only apparent flaws are occasional flickers of dirt or scratches on the master that made it onto HD.
The audio on both is an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, with additional TrueHD options in French and Portuguese on Capote and French for In Cold Blood. Capote also offers an unadorned Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 track.
While In Cold Blood has the edge in video, it’s the other way around for audio. The source materials for In Cold Blood are 41 years old, and they show their age. Technicians weren’t able to erase all of the background noise, and there’s a noticeable hiss and a number of instances where the voices flatten out in a mix that doesn’t showcase dialogue the way that contemporary soundtracks do. “Capote,” sounds crisp and precise.
Subtitles for Capote are English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, and Dutch. For In Cold Blood it’s just English, English SDH, French, Arabic, and Dutch.
Both commentaries from the DVD of Capote are here–two very low-key commentaries which have some insights. The first option pairs director Miller with Hoffman, while the second teams the director with the cinematographer. Both commentaries are average.
Other than the commentaries, there are just two features–one seven-minute quickie on Capote that really doesn’t delve too deeply but will give people who don’t know anything about Capote how important a writer he became.
The other feature is “Making Capote,” a roughly half-hour extra which combine a few talking heads interviews with film clips. Here too, there’s just enough for us to appreciate what the filmmakers accomplished with “very little money and very little time,” and nothing very in-depth.
No bonus features are included for In Cold Blood.
