The Capote Tapes (2019)

Directed by: Ebs Burnough | 99 minutes | documentary, biography

Truman Capote once said “all writers are voyeurs”. You can also say the same about the film lover. And as if ‘The Truman Capotes’ were previously unreleased footage, this documentary offers an intimate look at the life of this notorious writer. Capote wrote the renowned non-fiction book ‘In Cold Blood’ (1966), which is about a brutal murder of a family. The book was highly controversial at the time and he was deeply disappointed that he did not receive the Pulitzer Prize for this painstaking work. This was typical Capote. He settled for nothing less than the highest honor achievable, plus all the additional attention.

‘The Capote Tapes’ provides a lot of information at a rapid pace, the viewer flies from Capote’s childhood to the end of his life in just over ninety minutes. You get to see a lot of old-fashioned footage from amateur recordings from the private sphere to his many public appearances. The documentary also shows the obligatory talking heads. Usually these are fellow writers and friends of Capote looking back at what made him so special. Pretty standard actually.

If you have already studied Capote’s work, the many anecdotes are not very shocking. Nevertheless, all the backstabbing tastes juicy. For example, the documentary shows all kinds of dirt and grime about American high society figures. After all, Capote has been among the richest people on earth since the 1950s. These wealthy saw him as an art project with which they could fulfill their patron’s desire. However, Capote had other plans with his role as court jester. The writer dealt without mercy with this wealthy elite in ‘Answered Prayers’. After hearing about this novel, almost everyone in that circle dropped Capote. Later, Capote argued that ‘Answered Prayers’ was a satire, not just gossip but also a critique of the upper class in the United States. Besides, he didn’t understand at all why his old penny friends were being so touchy, because what did you think would happen if you let a writer into your group?

Ultimately, the documentary is especially recommended for the beginning Capote fan or if the viewer is interested in the cultural glory days of the United States. ‘The Capote Tapes’ places the writer in an interesting picture of the time: one of a country with an abundance of prosperity and unbridled power. Like the life of Capote himself, this country produced unparalleled achievements in the twentieth century, but was equally notorious for its decadent celebrations and wide-spread conflict.

There is also the feeling that the fiction films ‘Capote’ (Bennett Miller, 2005) and ‘Infamous’ (Douglas McGrath, 2006) offer more than the juicy backbiting and the pleasant biographical overview of ‘The Capote Tapes’. ‘Capote’ is about the creation of ‘In Cold Blood’ and mainly makes Truman a tragic figure, played almost to perfection by Philip Seymour Hoffman. ‘Infamous’ shows the more flamboyant side of Capote in the New York years. This last film with Toby Jones as the man of the high word comes closest to the documentary in tone and approach and can therefore be programmed as a tasty diptych.