Why two films about Truman Capote were released just one year apart
In short: In 2006, Douglas McGrath released Infamous, a drama about Truman Capote’s research for In Cold Blood. It arrived just one year after the acclaimed film Capote, forcing a direct comparison. While both explored the author's descent, they offered starkly different perspectives on his complex relationship with the convicted killer Perry Smith.
Douglas McGrath conceived Infamous in 2000, basing his script on George Plimpton’s 1997 biography, Truman Capote. The film explores the author’s life from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s, focusing on his time in Holcomb, Kansas, while researching his 1965 bestseller. McGrath aimed to capture the celebrity culture Capote inhabited, using an all-star cast to represent the socialites and friends who surrounded him. The production was made on a $12 million budget and featured Toby Jones as Capote, a choice McGrath made after an extensive search for an actor who could embody the writer’s physical and vocal mannerisms.
A central point of contention in the film is its depiction of the relationship between Capote and Perry Smith. While the 2005 film Capote kept their dynamic more ambiguous, Infamous explicitly portrays a romantic attraction, including a controversial jail cell kiss. McGrath defended these creative liberties by noting that Capote himself used similar inventions in his own writing. The film also features mock interviews with Capote’s Manhattan friends, providing a structural contrast to the Kansas-based narrative. These scenes were designed to highlight the author as a cultural phenomenon, though critics remained divided on whether the film achieved the emotional depth of its predecessor.
The release of Infamous was delayed by a year to avoid direct competition with the earlier film, which had already earned Philip Seymour Hoffman an Academy Award. Despite the shadow cast by the previous production, Infamous received generally favorable reviews. Critics praised Toby Jones for his uncanny physical resemblance and performance, with some arguing he captured the man’s soul more effectively than the Oscar-winning portrayal. Ultimately, the two films serve as a case study in how the same historical period can be interpreted through different lenses, reflecting both the brilliance and the tragic unraveling of one of America’s most famous authors.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Infamous (2006 film)
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