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Five things you should know about Truman Capote.
He died in 1984, but had he lived the elfin author would be 85 years old today. Any self-respecting gay guy probably already knows the basics: He wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's, he wrote In Cold Blood, he was lifelong friends with Harper Lee. He conducted a lifelong public feud with Gore Vidal, he hosted the infamous Black & White Ball. Oh, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman won an Oscar playing him in the 2004 film, Capote. After the break, 5 things you might not know about Truman Capote. 1. The author's photo that appeared on the back oh his first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms (1947), arguably got more attention than the book. Many felt it was too suggestive (i.e. gay) and the controversy actually launched Capote as a public figure, rather than simply an author.
2. He claimed to have had an affair with Errol Flynn (but then he often claimed to be intimate with people he had never actually met.) 3. He was hired by Rolling Stone magazine in 1972 as a correspondent to cover the The Rolling Stones' U.S, tour. He accompanied the band on the road but had a falling out with Mick Jagger and then refused to finish the article. 4. He died at the LA home of Joanne Carson (Johnny Carson's ex wife and one of Capote's few remaining society friends.) His last words were.... "It's me, it's Buddy [his childhood nickname]," followed by, "I'm cold." 5. Phillip Seymour Hoffman may have won an Oscar for his portrayal in 2005's Capote, but Infamous, which came out less than a year later and starred Toby Jones as Capote, Sandra Biullock as Harper Lee, and Daniel Craig as convicted murderer Perry Smith was a far more entertaining film. Be sure and check it out if you haven't seen it.
Toby Jones and Daniel Craig in Infamous Anything else fellow readers should know about Truman Capote's life and career? Please share in the comments. Submitted by on Wed, 2009-09-30 14:26. |
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I dunno.
I watched CAPOTE and INFAMOUS back to back and found CAPOTE to be the stronger pic. And I thought Hoffman's portrayal was superior.
I've always been intrigued by the rumor/urban legend that Capote actually wrote TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Some claim that's the simple explanation as to why Lee never wrote another novel. Not sure I believe it but it's a fascinating notion.
haven't heard that one...
Yes, her papers are at the U
Oh, very interesting
Mannered
I saw both films essentially back-to-back as well and I came out on the other side of the equation. I really like Philip Seymour Hofman as an actor, but I could see the seams in his performance. I could see how he put it together, whereas with Stephens it didn't seem so much like a caricature. It's just a personal taste thing, I guess.
With Harper Lee, I always thought she was a cousin of Capote's and from little I know about her (mostly through biographies of Capote), I got the impression that she was a ver simple person in some respects. She wrote her story, didn't like the attention she received and so stopped doing things that would make her famous (ie writing another novel).
Capote/Infamous
For me the 'better' Truman story was told with Infamous!
It really helped that Daniel Craig was in it though.
True-Blood?
Hand-carved Capote
Capote had a long term lover, witer Jack Dunphy, who stayed home while Capote traveled the world alone most of the time. The character was played by Bruce Greenwood, in CAPOTE, but was not in INFAMOUS. Lee Pace (PUSHING DAISIES, A SOLDIER'S STORY) played the other murderer, Dick Hickock, in INFAMOUS.
In his short story LA COTE BASQUE, 1965 Capote wrote about a real-life murderess, Anne Woodward. She claimed to have accidentally shot her wealthy husband, William Woodward, Jr. Her mother-in-law stepped in to prevent further scandal. In 1975 when she learned of Capote's upcoming publication, Anne Woodward, commited suicide. The mother-in-law said, Anne killed William and Truman has killed Anne, now we are done with it. The Wooward scandal was also the source for the lte Dominick Dunne's firSt novel, THE TWO MRS. GRENVILLES.
Both BIO-films are a close tie but Hoffman's performance edged it out. The problem with INFAMOUS was that they opened the door to Capote's relationship with his socialite friends but could not exam them without distracting from the story. At this point in time I don't think there is room for a third movie.
That's all I am saying...
INSIDEGUY
Jack Dunphy
capote..hayworth...let's analyze this...
^ Rita Hayworth kneels on a bed...wearing something that is meant to get a 'rise' (pun intended) out of men. seeing as she is on a BED and wearing NEGLIEE..well, you wanna talk about suggestive....well, you just take a good look at that photo.
AHA, but it's only suggestive and okay because it's geared towards men.
now, truman capote is simply...well, lying down and doing, what i guess is a "sexy look" into the camera. but nowhere in that photo can i tell who it is....geared towards.
eh, maybe i am missing something
More about Jack Dunphy etc.
He was the ex-husband of Joan McCracken -- a dancer and singer who got her start in Oklahoma! and has the best number in Good News (1947) "Pass That Peace Pipe." She left him for Bob Fosse. There's a very good bio of her The Girl Who Fell Down.
Holly Golightly was largely inspired by Carol Matthau -- who figures in "La Cote Basque" along with her best friend Oona O'Neil. Read her memoir, Among the Porcupines for great Capote dish.
He was a good writer but a very disorganized and wildly self-destructive individual.
His feud with Vidal was hilarious. My favorite story is that one summer he wanted to go visit Paul Bowles in Morocco but wanted to be sure that Gore wouldn't be there. So he asked all thier mutual friends what was up. Gore got wind of this and let it be known that he wasn't coming to visit Bowles. So Capote booked passage on a ship (the major mode of transport then) and arrived at the dock waving wildly to Bowles who was there waiting for him. His happiness was short-lived as right from behind Bowles stepped
Gore Vidal.
Gore hung around a few more days to annoy Truman then left.
When Truman died Gore said "Good career move."
LOVE THAT GORE!
Every picture tells a story
You need to think of the jacket photo of Capote in relation to the book itself (Other Voices, Other Rooms) to see what might have raised eyebrows. There is something of Dorian Gray in the photo, but it was surely meant as an evocation of Randolph's character in the book.
One interesting bit of trivia: The character of Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird was modeled on Capote. He was played in the film by John Megna, for my money the best Truman ever.
But if it comes down to a contest between Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toby Jones, I cast my vote for Jones in Infamous. At least he got the height thing right!
By the way, my favorite photo of Capote is this one by Carl Van Vechten:
Again, there is a hint of madness in the photo, along with references to Other Voices, Other Rooms. I also like Van Vechten's famous photo of Gore Vidal:
And while we're on the subject, here's the best photo I could find of Dill (Megna):
"The mountain has wings."
"Infamous"....
I never see/heard it in my country.