November 16 - Infamous

This film has a scene that happens today – November 16. I hope you enjoy this movie and watch it tonight.

INFAMOUS

On November 16, 1959 [4:20 to 5:44, 7:05 to 9:35] Truman Capote, flamboyant New York homosexual writer and bon vivant, reads an article in the New York Times about the murder of the Clutter family in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. For some reason the story intrigues him and he decides to write a magazine article about the reaction of the people in the town. He persuades his childhood friend and fellow author, Nell Harper Lee to accompany him as his assistant. However his exotic and abrasive persona rubs the townspeople the wrong way. A chance encounter results in an invitation to the home of the prosecuting attorney for Christmas dinner. There Truman regales them with stories about the Hollywood stars that he knows. This leads to invitations from dozens of residents. Then two suspects are arrested for the murders and Truman uses his contacts to finagle access to the suspects. One of them, Richard Hickock quickly agrees to cooperate with Capote. The other, Perry Smith refuses in spite of Capote’s appeal to a shared interest in Tennessee Williams and Humphrey Bogart. Harper Lee returns to New York and Capote follows her to be questioned by his friends about the case and his book. Capote sends pornographic magazines to Smith who writes and says he wants to be exposed to truth and beauty during the time he has left, so Capote sends him copies of his own books. Smith writes and says that he does not want to talk to Capote because in his books Capote was unkind. Capote goes to see Smith and a break through is achieved when Capote reveals that his mother, like Smith’s committed suicide. Smith tells him about his childhood as the son of rodeo riders who divorced leaving him wanting to be rescued by his absent father, just like Capote. Smith becomes extremely upset when he learns the book’s title is to be In Cold Blood, thinking that depicts him as a heartless killer and he assaults Capote in his cell during a visit. Capote eventually calms Smith down enough so that Smith finally tells Capote what happened the night he and Hickcock killed the Clutters. Smith and Hickcock are convicted but their appeals drag on for four years, during which Capote cannot finish the book. Finally he is present when the two are hung. Smith leaves his possessions to Capote.

A gritty biopic. This is no Hollywood biopic of the 1940’s but a tough, warts and all look at some brutal stuff. This is a very serious film and not a piece of fluff.

Capote: A Biography by Gerald Clarke (Carroll & Graf, NY, 1988) at page 317 and the film at 4:30 give the date Truman Capote read the article about the murders

Producers - Christine Vachon and Jocelyn Hayes

Director - Douglas McGrath

Screenplay - Douglas McGrath

Runtime – 1 hour 58 minutes

Released – August 31, 2006

Starring –

Toby Jones as Truman Capote

Sandra Bullock as Harper Lee

Lee Pace as Richard Hickock

Daniel Craig as Perry Smith

Jeff Daniels as Alvin Dewey

Peter Bogdanovich as Bennett Cerf

Hope Davis as Slim Keith

Isabella Rossellini as Marella Agnelli

Juliet Stevenson as Diana Vreeland

Sigourney Weaver as Babe Paley

Michael Panes as Gore Vidal

John Benjamin Hickey as Jack Dunphy

Gwyneth Paltrow as Kitty Dean