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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), French Dubbed & Subtitled, Spanish Subtitled
In November, 1959, the shocking murder of a smalltown Kansas family captures the imagination of Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman), famed author of Breakfast at Tiffany's. With his childhood friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), writer of the soon-to-be published To Kill a Mockingbird, Capote sets out to investigate, winning over the locals despite his flamboyant appearance and style. When he forms a bond with the killers and their execution date nears, the writing of In Cold Blood, a book that will change the course of American Literature, takes a drastic toll on Capote, changing him in ways he never imagined. Stellar performances from Hoffman and Keener, as well as Academy Award winner Chris Cooper (Adaptation) are why critics are calling Capote a "must-see movie."
"To miss Capote would be a crime!" James Verniere, Boston Herald
"It's a knockout!" Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Editor's Note
Bennett Miller's CAPOTE is a finely crafted biopic that recounts a historic chapter in American history and, in the process, captures the unraveling of a truly gifted mind. Starring an extraordinary Philip Seymour Hoffman as the legendary Truman Capote, the film concentrates on the seven-year period during which Capote wrote his groundbreaking nonfiction novel, IN COLD BLOOD. One morning in 1959, Capote learned of a horrific family killing in Holcomb, Kansas. With the intention of writing an article for the New Yorker, he traveled to the Midwest with his good friend Nell Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), who was about to publish her own masterwork, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Somehow, the soft-spoken, eccentric writer managed to earn the trust of local authorities--most notably, reserved K.B.I. agent Alvin Dewey (Chris Cooper). But when the two killers were caught and returned to Kansas to await trial, Capote began to form an intense emotional bond with one of them, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins, Jr.). The pressure of this connection threatened to push an already fragile Capote into the darkest recesses of himself. His only hope was to finish the book that he was convinced would shock the nation and change the course of writing forever.Hoffman's tender portrayal of the writer is a remarkable achievement. He slips into the skin of Capote flawlessly, allowing viewers to experience Capote's inner turmoil for themselves. Keener and Cooper once again deliver compassionate performances. But it is Miller's overall vision, based on a script by Dan Futterman and beautifully realized by his technical collaborators (especially director of photography Adam Kimmel and production designer Jess Gonchor), that makes CAPOTE an Oscar-worthy production.
| Features | Widescreen Presentation | | Audio: English Dolby Digital (5.1) | | Subtitles: French, Spanish
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| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Sony Pictures |
| Release Date: 11/27/2007 |
| Running Time: 114 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2005 | | Catalog ID: 12648 | | UPC: 00043396126480 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Chinese | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Independent Spirit (2006) | | | Adam Kimmel, Nominee, Best Cinematography | |
Oscar (2006) | | | Bennett Miller, Nominee, Best Achievement in Directing | |
British Academy Awards (2006) | | | Bennett Miller, Nominee, David Lean Award for Direction | |
Independent Spirit (2006) |  | Caroline Baron, Winner, Producers Award | | | Caroline Baron, William Vince, Michael Ohoven, Nominee, Best Feature | |
British Academy Awards (2006) | | | Caroline Baron, William Vince, Michael Ohoven, Nominee, Best Film | |
Oscar (2006) | | | Caroline Baron, William Vince, Michael Ohoven, Nominee, Best Motion Picture of the Year | | | Catherine Keener, Nominee, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role | |
British Academy Awards (2006) | | | Catherine Keener, Nominee, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role | |
Screen Actors Guild (2006) | | | Catherine Keener, Nominee, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | |
British Academy Awards (2006) | | | Dan Futterman, Nominee, Best Screenplay - Adapted | |
Independent Spirit (2006) | | Dan Futterman, Winner, Best Screenplay | |
Oscar (2006) | | | Dan Futterman, Nominee, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published | |
British Academy Awards (2006) | | Philip Seymour Hoffman, Winner, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | |
Oscar (2006) | | Philip Seymour Hoffman, Winner, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | |
Golden Globe (2006) | | Philip Seymour Hoffman, Winner, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama | |
Independent Spirit (2006) | | Philip Seymour Hoffman, Winner, Best Male Lead | |
Screen Actors Guild (2006) | | Philip Seymour Hoffman, Winner, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role | | | Philip Seymour Hoffman et. al., Nominee, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"Hoffman's portrayal of the petite yet outsize Truman Capote...is impeccable -- it's bound for awards..." 09/30/2005 p.69Rolling Stone
"Hoffman's unmissable and unforgettable performance as Truman Capote should make him the frontrunner for every Best Actor prize in the book." 10/06/2005 p.164-165 Entertainment Weekly
"[R]apt, absorbing and thrillingly perceptive....CAPOTE honors its subject by doing just what Truman Capote did. It teases, fascinates, and haunts." -- Grade: A- 10/07/2005 p.49-50 New York Times
"[A] fascinating and fine-grained reconstruction....Not only does Mr. Hoffman achieve an impressive physical and vocal transformation...but he also conveys, with clarity and subtlety, the complexities of Capote's temperament." 09/27/2005 p.E1 USA Today
"The complexity of a gifted author, as well as his self-aggrandizing nature, are what the film focuses on. Hoffman delivers a thrilling and profound Oscar-caliber performance that will haunt viewers well after the movie is over." 09/30/2005 p.4E Premiere
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Catherine Keener is remarkably subtle and soulful as Capote's friend and helpmeet Harper Lee." 11/01/2005 p.48 Uncut
5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he movie steers its own delicate course through the ethical minefields of 'faction' with consummate skill....It's Hoffman's film -- a tour de force..." 03/01/2006 p.124 Sight and Sound
"Philip Seymour Hoffman is in complete control of his effects....The Oscar-worthy achievement is really the voice..." 03/01/2006 p.50 Movieline's Hollywood Life
"[I]t's a stark, complex and ultimately stunning examination of a man who exploited others for professional gain and the emotional price he paid." 03/01/2006 p.106 Total Film
4 stars out of 5 -- "[Miller] deserves much credit for his sedate, seemingly effortless direction and beautifully composed style." 08/01/2006 p.99 Ultimate DVD
4 stars out of 5 -- "Beautifully shot and flawlessly acted; this captures the essence of the iconic novel and also brings a lingering poignancy to a portrait of a man as troubled and haunted as the novel's subjects." 08/01/2006 p.110 Wall Street Journal
"Ms. Keener's quiet austerity provides a counterbalance to Mr. Hoffman's brilliance." 10/16/2009 Variety.com 9 of 10
The depiction of Capote as a social alien - even when holding court at the Gotham soirees that were far more germane to him than Kansas farm country - adds poignancy to the sense of kindred, misunderstood spirits that evolves between the writer and Smith. The convicted killer transfixes Truman from his first sight of him to his much-delayed execution, fueling the writer's creative genius but also destabilizing him emotionally. In many ways, this is a tragic story of unfulfilled love. - David Rooney
Chicago Sun-Times 10 of 10
...key characters are Capote's lover, Jack Dunphy (Bruce Greenwood), and his editor at the New Yorker, William Shawn (Bob Balaban). "Jack thinks I'm using Perry," Truman tells Harper. "He also thinks I fell in love with him in Kansas." Shawn thinks In Cold Blood, when it is finally written, is "going to change how people write." He prints the entire book in his magazine. The movie "In Cold Blood" had no speaking role for Capote, who in a sense stood behind the camera with the director. If "Capote" had simply flipped the coin and told the story of the Clutter murders from Capote's point of view, it might have been a good movie, but what makes it so powerful is that it looks with merciless perception at Capote's moral disintegration. - Roger Ebert
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