Fascinating biopic hits DVD

Many times, when renting a film based on hype or awards season, the viewing ends in disappointment: the acting is not as great as its accolades suggest, the story is not as interesting or the plot is not as driven. "Capote" is certainly not one of these films. While watching this movie it is easy to understand why "Capote" found such incredible critical success and garnered so many awards for Phillip Seymour Hoffman who nails the role of his life.\nThe film begins slowly, but once the plot gets rolling it is impossible to look away. And while the beginning may be a little slow paced, the writing is sensational and witty enough to keep any viewer intrigued. \nWe find out from the outset that a family has been killed in a small town in Kansas. We are then introduced to Truman Capote, the author and famous playwright, and immediately are drawn to the way he interacts with friends, strangers and acquaintances. He is affable, pitiable and his strange voice forces the viewer to wonder if something is wrong with this man.\nCapote reads about the murders and decides to write an article about them for The New Yorker magazine. After meeting the two men accused of the horrific crimes, Capote develops an intense friendship with one of them, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.). Collins gives a performance just as impressive as Hoffman's, which is the key to this film's success. \nThe two performances bounce off each other and gain strength and momentum as the friendship blossoms. It all comes to a head, however, when Smith asks Capote what he plans to title the book he is writing about the situation. Earlier in the film, Capote has bragged about his title, "In Cold Blood," to the police chief of the town. Now, however, Capote claims to have no title chosen. Perry knows about the title, though, and in one of the most powerful scenes in a film, he confronts Capote about it.\nThe power of "Capote" lies in this scene and in director Bennett Miller's ability to humanize a murderer to the point that being a cold blooded killer can crush his spirit; not because it is a lie about the title, but because it is the untarnished truth. Perry tells Capote about the crime and Capote cries upon hearing the story; not because he is sad for the victims, but because he is sad for Perry. This may sound morally bankrupt if you have not yet seen the film, but the way the story is presented is absolutely fascinating and believable.\nThere have been two films produced in Hollywood based on Capote's masterpiece "In Cold Blood," but neither have become classics. The reason? Because they ignore the most important part of the story; the fact that the author of the story was the character who drew out of these murderers a vibrant sense of humanity.\nThe most interesting special feature on the single disc DVD is not about the movie at all, but is a short featurette entitled "Answered Prayers," which provides viewers with an interesting and important biography of Capote. This featurette contextualizes his life within the film and I suggest watching it before watching the film.\nWith the novel "In Cold Blood," Capote invented a type of genre; the infusion of literary novelistic writing into journalism. With "Capote," Hoffman and Miller give a new breath of life into an old and important Hollywood genre: the biopic. This film does not deal with Capote's entire life from childhood, instead we are given the most formative years of the most important work of Capote's life.