Dean and I saw Capote last night. Philip Seymour Hoffman does an incredible impersonation of him, even down to the annoying twangy nasal voice. Capote comes off as a very driven, and brilliant, writer; but also wickedly deceitful: he lies to just about everybody. He drinks too much and his relationship with childhood friend Nelle Harper Lee becomes strained (her book "To Kill a Mockingbird" is published, and made into a movie, and he blows her off at the premier party). His long term partner, Jack Dunphy, plays virtually no role in the movie (or the life, it seems). I was left wondering if Capote really felt for these convicted murders he was writing about (it is really just one of them that he falls for), or was it just a story he told himself. Is it enough to be a brilliant writer? Or do you have to have some personal integrity, too? Was he an untreated bipolar, who self-medicated with booze and drugs? Or just a flaming queen who burned out?
3 comments:
Peter, I just posted a little blurb on Capote as well. It seems Capote was all these things. The question for me is, was he startlingly talented and con man material all at once, or did he sort of fade in and out like most (I think) of the the rest of us? Good film, period. Great film for getting us talking like this.
I'm dying to see this movie.
BTW--sent you an e-mail about the fantasy b-ball league. It (the league) is up and running; you can register at your convenience. And if you can think of any other blogger(s) who might be interested, feel free to send 'em my way. ; )
Saw this film before I went on my trip and it was brilliant. Hoffman should definitely get some awards for this. I loved the way it was filmed and Capote must have been both hilarious and monstrous to be around in real life.
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