..Gary
Dretzka
..Noah
Forrest
..Leonard
Klady
..R.J.
Matson
..David
Poland
..Douglas
Pratt
..Ray
Pride
..Michael
Wilmington
..MCN Review by Ray Pride ..MCN Review by David Poland
Capote
An inspired retelling of In Cold Blood from the perspective of the author who immortalized the crime, Capote, has been released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (UPC#043396126480, $29). Philip Seymour Hoffman won a well-deserved 2005 Oscar for his portrayal of the title character, Truman Capote, an effete fish-out-of-water New York writer who was nevertheless able to insinuate himself with everyone in the small Kansas town who was affected by the massacre of a family, including the criminals. During the flow of the 114-minute film, there are nuggets of conversation that provide biographical background for Hoffman's character, but the course of the movie is the course of the crime, from the day it was committed to the day the murderers were hung. In that Hoffman's character sinks into a deep depression during the appeals process, the final act of the film is less engaging than what has preceded it, but that will only bother impatient viewers (other viewers may be tweaked at times by the Canadian accents of the bit players, the film having been shot in Manitoba). The movie's emotional climax actually comes before the last act begins, when Hoffman's character reads from passages of his 'work in progress' book to an audience. The selections that are read do not fully convey the innovative 'dramatic nonfiction' format that Capote developed, but they do reveal the depth of his powers of observation and his ability to organize those observations with a poetic brilliance. The film tells a terrific story, deftly explores the art of journalism, builds a compelling profile of a unique personality, and is a stimulating examination of two very different American cultures intersecting and bonding.The picture is presented in letterboxed format only, with an aspect ratio of about 2.35:1 and an accommodation for enhanced 16:9 playback. The color transfer is excellent. The 5.1-channel Dolby Digital sound has an efficient mix. There is an alternate French audio track in 5.1 Dolby, optional English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Bahasa subtitles, and 42 minutes of informative production featurettes. There are also two commentary tracks featuring the director, Bennett Miller. On one, he sits with Hoffman, and on the other, he is accompanied by cinematographer Adam Kimmel. The Kimmel talk is the better of the two, filling in more background information about how the film was staged and what Capote was really like. The Hoffman talk brushes on insight, again about Capote and about how Hoffman tackled the role, but it never delves too deeply into any topic.
June 7, 2006
DVD Roundup: This Week's DVD Releases
The Review VaultDouglas Pratt's DVD-Laser Disc Newsletter is published monthly.
For a free sample, call (516)594-9304 or go to his website at www.DVDLaser.com
