CAPOTE

WITH

PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN

AND

CATHERINE KEENER

Truman Capote was looking for an idea for his next book when he found a story in his newspaper about the killing of the Clutter family (mother, father, and two children) on their farm in Holcomb, Kansas on November 14, 1959. Capote and his friend Nelle Harper Lee went to Kansas to investigate this murder.

In January 1960, two suspects – Richard Eugene Hickok and Perry Edward Smith – were arrested. Capote got permission to interview them. He and Smith became friends which gave Capote valuable information for his book In Cold Blood. Smith went on a hunger strike and Capote fed him with baby food to bring back his strength.

For those of you who haven't seen the end of the film or read the book, this is as far as the review goes.  What follows are interesting behind the scenes info.

This book took Capote four years to write because this case kept being appealed and he couldn't put an end to the book until the case was final. Once In Cold Blood was published, this established Capote forever as a writer which he is first and foremost.  He didn't finish another book after this one. 

During the time Capote was working on his book, his friend Lee finished her novel To Kill a Mockingbird.  At the reception for her, Capote was wrapped up in the frustration of trying to finish his book and he personnally couldn't see what all the fuss was about concerning his friends novel. This story was turned into a movie and Lee was later awarded the Pulitizer Prize.

In making this film, Hoffman lost 40 pounds. The actor who played Smith did lose quite a bit of weight for hunger strike scenes while on death row.

In the opening scene, wheat is weaving in the wind in November in Kansas. No wheat is ready and full grown in November in Kansas.

Many scenes were added after the major filming was completed. Quite a few of the scenes were improvised. According to Hoffman, improvisation should be with a purpose and reason.

The weather played an interesting part with the filming. Last outdoor scene – with Capote and Pauline walking – an hour after saying “CUT,” big snowflakes started falling.

This film had amazing local casting. The director hand picked ever single face.

Catherine Keener, playing Nelle Harper Lee, did good character work by the way she walked which brought more validity to the part. It was obvious when she walked as herself as opposed to when she was in character.

Hoffman won three awards for playing Capote: Oscar, Austin Film Critics Award, Bafta Film Award.


I'm Louise and this is my point of view.

Pride of Yankees

WITH
GARY COOPER AND TERESA WRIGHT

How heartwarming to see Gary Cooper's portral of the baseball great Lou Gehrig who became a first baseman for the Yankees. His mother had her heart set on him becoming an engineer like his brother. She felt being involved with baseball was “good for nothing.” Later in the film, she becomes her son's biggest fan. “Pride of Yankees” was not only about baseball but also love. The love between Lou and his mother, the affection and devotion between Gehrig and his wife, Eleanor. In Gehrig's first game with the Yankees, he loses his footing after walking into a row of bats lying on the ground. Miss Eleanor Twitchell says “How's tanglefoot?” Before a world series game, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth told a little boy in the hospital that they would hit a home run (Gehrig—2 home runs) for him. With hard work, that same boy does learn to walk again. This film garnered 11 Oscar nominations including best actor and best actress. There was enormous response of women to this story. This movie was also a story of relationships such as Gehrig's relationship with his parents, his wife, his game, his teammates, Babe Ruth and the press.

Gehrig was left handed while Cooper was right handed. To compensate for this difference, a scene would be filmed with Cooper using his right hand then the negative would be reversed. This technique allowed us to see Gehrig as left handed.

Walter Brennan worked with Cooper as his sidekick on six different films. The Gehrig's last speech to his fans has been considered baseball's Gettysburg Address. While talking to his fans for the last time, Cooper repressed a tear which added an extra dimension to his talk.

Lou Gehrig was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mrs. Gehrig donated a great deal of memorabilia to the museum. In the film, he gave her a bracelet which depicted special events in his illustrious career. This bracelet represented Gehrig's love for his wife and baseball. Mrs. Gehrig willed this bracelet to the museum after she died. During their marriage, Mrs. Gehrig kept a scrapbook of all of her husband's baseball accomplishments. This scrapbook is now in the museum preserved so the pages won't yellow. Also found in the museum is her copy of the film Pride of the Yankees as well as his uniform he wore in 1939, the year he retired.

Lou Gehrig was known not only for his baseball legacy but for the qualities he demonstrated as a man such as courage, modesty, devotion, fortitude, valor, and simplicity. 


I'm Louise and this is my point of view.