In 1959, Truman Capote, a popular writer for The New Yorker, learns about the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Holcomb, Kansas. Inspired by the story material, Capote and his partner, Harper Lee, travel to the town to research for an article. However, as Capote digs deeper into the story, he is inspired to expand the project into what would be his greatest work, In Cold Blood. To that end, he arranges extensive interviews with the prisoners, especially with Perry Smith, a quiet and articulate man with a troubled history. As he works on his book, Capote feels some compassion for Perry which in part prompts him to help the prisoners to some degree. However, that feeling deeply conflicts with his need for closure for his book which only an execution can provide. That conflict and the mixed motives for both interviewer and subject make for a troubling experience that would produce an literary account that would redefine modern non-fiction.
Students will analyze the movie Capote, shedding information on the life of Truman Capote as documented by Gerald Clarke in his biography. Students will have completed the novel following the film and take an open book quiz on the novel. Events in the movie that relate to the 'non-fiction novel' In Cold Blood will be discussed. Film terminology will be presented as they are demonstrated in the exhibition of the motion picture.
Biography for murders Perry Smith and Richard Hickock.
