Those who've seen it, which honestly is the better movie? I'm still waiting for this to be released on vid on the 23rd but I saw Capote and absolutely loved it; I thought Hoffman was great in the role. However, just seeing the clips for Infamous; Toby's portrayal seems like it could get a lot more annoying a lot faster throughout the film. I thought Hoffman was completely sincere in the way he acted out Capote; I don't know, guess I'll just have to wait and see?
shareI think Infamous is better.
shareInfamous by far it was smarter and had better performances
I wish, for your sake, Leonard, I could be happy in this quietness-Virginia Woolf in The Hours
'Infamous had better performances'.
Are you kidding? Toby Jones, Juliet Stevenson and Sandra Bullock were overacting, or at least clearly acting. I saw Capote yesterday and Infamous today; Capote was very good (8/10), Infamous was annoying (5/10).
so true! infamous is like a piece of gaudy trash compared to capote which is executed excellently. capote is just so moving and infamous is really shallow and over-done
shareI have just finished Infamous and, although it has been a while since I saw Capote, I prefer Infamous. For some intangible reason Hoffmans portrayal irritated me all through the movie and distracted from the dialogue. Toby's effort only initially grated but for the rest of the movie I could concentrate on what he was saying rather than how he was saying it making it a much more pleasant experience.
I also prefer the portrayal of Harper Lee in Infamous. In Capote she really didnt have a role, appearing just to be sycophantic to Capote. Infamous gave her a much bigger role with more input and character.
I also agree with an earlier comment that the way they integrated with the Holcomb townsfolk was better in Infamous.
the scene when perry describes the killings in Capote? Classic. The emphasis on sounds, the music, the shotgun bright flashes in contrast to the dark house. Compared to Infamous, Infamous seemed cheesy and had no mood or tone to it. It was like the directed went to a house and said lets just shoot this scene forget about the colors,forget about the sound. Mayve its juust me but the scene felt very unrealistic other than daniel craigs good acting.
Also infamous had an unnecessary sex scene and was too direct and graphic in showing the gay relationship
Lastly Infamous went from serous drama to comedy at inappropriate times(my own opinion) and felt like a very episodic movie. However Infamous is a more ambitions film with two good performances so it is still worth checking out
Capote 10
Infamous 6.5
ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,MOVIES RULE!!1~¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø
It's a matter of personal taste, but Infamous' timing and tone was much more engaging. As you point out, Capote was seeped in atmosphere. To the degree that the atmosphere overpowered the content.
Also Hoffman was clearly gunning for an Oscar. Toby is so much more effervescent, in keeping with the real Capote. When he gets serious at the end, it's heartfelt. And real. Not atmospheric.
Not to mention Perry of Daniel Craig is miles, miles, miles ahead of whoever played that role in Capote. I don't even remember. The dichotomy of Perry's character and the dilemmas it evokes are much more textured in Infamous.
As subjective as rankings go:
Infamous 10
Capote 4.5
Graphic? Queer As Folk was graphic, Infamous just sort of acknowledged that it could have happened. Hardly counts as 'graphic'.
share6.5?? Glad you don't have your own review show. Loved this film and I knew Capote as a child, Toby nailed him.
shareI think the people complaining about Tobey as Capote really don't know what he was like. I grew up watching Capote on talk shows and Tobey nailed him. Harper Lee is harder to judge since she has avoided public appearances but it seemed spot on from what I know of her. I think Capote the film is more about myth where as Infamous is more the reality of the people involved.
shareYou make me wonder if we watched the same film... Toby Jones overacting?? Perhaps you are too young to remember Capote during his life. I'm not, and I was amazed by Hoffman's portrayal of him, but Jones was spot-on perfect. I didn't see any overacting in the film I saw.
Both films had their own high points, and I thought both were well done. I would be hard-pressed to choose a favourite of the two.
Then you really don't know acting very well because as a child I knew Capote and Toby nailed him. Toby was him. No over acting, trust me.
shareInsanity!!!!! No one can beat PSH's performance in Capote.
I guess it is just a matter of opinion.
infamous is better no doubt! yes hoffman did a terrific job and got the oscar allright but the guy who played in infamous shud hav gotten oscar as well. but well i guess oscar wont give the best actor to the same charecter two years a row
shareCapote all the way. I saw Infamous and was dissapointed. Both films cover the same material but Miller's Capote does it better. Millers film was a lot darker and had a stunning performance by Hoffman. Hoffman was at times moving and chilling. Jones was good as well but his performance felt more like a mimic of Truman Capote, Hoffman added a little extra.
shareCapote.
shareInfamous. Capote was boring and drear and Hoffman's accent unintelligle at times and extremely annoying. Toby Jones was by far the better Truman Capote - flamboyant as you would expect.
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" 'Capote' demands more from the viewer where 'Infamous' just takes you along for the ride."
Yes. And therein lies the key to which movie you will prefer. I like them both, for different reasons. I give them both an "8". I'm being fair here considering that I'm huge fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman. His versatility is amazing.
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Infamous. Maybe it was a bit overdone at times, but I thought Capote was a bit boring and at times I found it difficult to stay focused.
None of the two were really exceptionally great movies, in my opinion.
Capote - by far the better picture. In five years no one will remember this mediocre effort (Infamous), which reminds me of a movie-of-the-week sorta thing. I am amazed that Infamous has such a high rating (7+), I gave it a five. Not bad, but not too good either. Ho hum. I recommend you stick with your memories of Hoffman's beautiful rendering of Capote and just skip Infamous. I wish I did.
shareBRILLIANT!
I couldn't have described it better. Infamous had a very "movie-of-the-week" feel to it.
I totally preferred Capote to Infamous. I thought that this version of Truman Capote felt almost satirical, more like an impressionistic rendering of the man than an actual attempt to capture his true character. I know that Capote was a socialite and flamboyant, to say the least, but really, how many times during the first thirty minutes do we have to hear him be confused for a woman before we get it?
It is amazin to me that so many like one over the other. It is about the same person so I am assuming that the difference lies in the actors portrayal of the people, and not the actual story.
The actual story has been in the news enough that we know what happened and TC certainly made sure we knew what happened to him while doing the research.
I still think Infamous is the better movie simply because with Tobey, he looked the part and sounded like the real TC! It didn't seem to be acting at all.
Hoffman was definitely working it and striving hard to be convincing. That never works! if you can see the acting, then you lose most of the audience.
Infamous is better. Other than the amazing cast, Toby is more likeable and amusing. I also think it was more full on regarding the relationship between Smith and Capote. It was definitely a witter script and a bolder production.
I'm half with you there. I'd say that Toby was much more likable than Hoffman, but I don't feel that the character has to be likable in either story. And I totally agree that it was a much bolder film.
But as for the rest of the cast, I personally found them forgettable. And the relationship between Smith and Capote I didn't feel HAD to be expressed as fully as it was in Infamous, that it was perfectly acceptable, and more ambiguous (in a good way) in Capote.
I haven't seen Capote yet - I'm sure it's excellent - but I've just seen Infamous. The Director's Commentary is one of the most informative ever. I loved the performances especially Toby Jones and Sandra Bullock and the other great actors did a fantastic job with New York high society. It's been a long time since any movie has even attempted to portray that world. Sigourney Weaver is outstanding and Juliet Stevenson too. This is a film that allows you to see the best woman actors at the top of their game.The jail scenes are an extraordinary achievement with Jones and Craig inventive and believable. Iconic shots: cars arriving in heavy rain, bringing the men to their execution.
shareI saw "Infamous" tonight, and as brilliant as Toby Jones' performance is (it's quite uncanny how physically he is like TC) "Capote" is by far the better film. There are a lot of clumsy film techniques in this latter film that really don't work, like the cheap 'interview' slots explaining Truman to the audience as well as Perry's letters delivered to camera, and the tone is very inconsistent.
I thought the humour was great - the first half of the film is actually very funny, and really captures the 'society' Truman better than "Capote", but that isn't the meat of the story; I feel it lost its way with the drama. The recreation of the murders is nowhere near as well done as in "Capote", and the relationship between Perry and Truman much less compelling, mainly because of the miscasting of Daniel Craig, a good actor in the wrong part. I think "In Cold Blood" is a fabulous book (actually a far greater work of art than either film) and I think they missed something by casting Craig. It doesn't surprise me to read he was the third person to be offered the part, because he's simply nothing like the historical Perry Smith - Clifton Collins seemed like he'd researched the character fully and was utterly believable. Similarly Mark Pellegrino and Chris Cooper were far better in their respective roles. Another key difference comes in the heart of the film - Harper Lee in both - and I think Catherine Keener was in a different league to Sandra Bullock.
I got me thinking about the hierarchy of actors and putting a heavyweight like Hoffman against Toby Jones, a very good actor in his own right, seems unfair. Hoffman rightly won the oscar for his portrayal, but I doubt Jones will reap similar rewards, if any, mainly because this film missed the punch. If "Infamous" had come out first, Hoffman might not have been so lauded because of Jones' eerie likeness.
Finally I didn't really love either version of the story, although both have merits quite separate from each other, but "Capote" is the one I would watch again.
I think you, and some of the other posters, are missing one important point: this is not In Cold Blood. The depiction of the killings in both movies is ancillary. The real focus is on the effect that the writing of the book had on Capote.
shareCapote by far is better. There's a reason Hoffman got the Oscar, and I have to say Clifton Collins Jr. as Perry Smith was so much better then Daniel Craig, I mean I really do not know what they were thinking when they cast him.
but truly its a matter of personal opinion for what you look for in a movie. Some might like what this director did in Infamous, some might like Capote.
There both well made, but different in ways.
I preferred 'Infamous' but I'm not sure it's the better film. 'Capote' is probably better judged - it makes less obvious mis-steps than 'Infamous'. But for all 'Infamous' is a bit cruder (and has some very bad bits) I think it's got more ambition and more ideas. Also, the more sympathetic take on Truman Capote makes 'Infamous' the more engaging and so, maybe the more rewarding film.
shareInfamous captures the time and spirit of the people far more honestly than the one that garnered all the hype. Capote was much too careful and lacked the humor,wit,and pretentious nature of the east coast upper class.
I personally knew some of the people portrayed in Infamous and it captured their essence with great panache.
In short,Capote was carefully executed where as Infamous had balls and courage.
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Infamous is the more suitable movie for the average viewer.
The better and more atmospheric film however is Capote, and Hoffmann is by far far the better Capote!!
I think both of these movies were works of moviemakers at the top of their game. I would recommend seeing both of them to anyone who asked. Of the two I think Infamous was an actual work of art---the language was astounding--as someone who once thought she could change the world through poetry, the language of Infamous was just mind-blowing!
It really is not fair to compare these two movies as I think each of them were made to achieve different goals. I think both of them achieved their goals. I am hungry to find out more about the director, McGrath---damn! Has he done any other films, and why haven't I seen them? (8-) No, I will definitely have to backtrack on this guy, what an amazing piece of cinema.
Toby Jones has clearly been working on the stage forever, no one could be as good as he is without years of experience. I don't want to take anything away from P. Hoffman, but Toby Jones gave a genius grade performance of Capote.
I really thought Infamous was true art....if you love art, particularly the spoken and written word--Infamous is the film to watch.
Capote, period.
shareI'm watching "Infamous" now and feel that it has STAR power, but I have to say that it plays up on stereotypes that add value to entertainment. "Capote" was darker and, perhaps, less entertaining and I'm glad I watched it first. I like both movies but will side with "Capote" simply because it allowed me to focus on Capote as the journalist and author rather than a gay man with the same goals.
shareNo questions asked this movie was a piece of *beep*
There were two good things about this movie only:
Toby could look and sound like Truman
Sandra Bullock was in it.
What a let down. With reviews like 'far superior to Capote' and 'Way better than Capote' I expected one fricken fabulous movie.
There were so many blunders and f-ups.
Truman Capote was made to look like an arrogant arse. He came off rude and condescending ALL of the time. I don't think this is accurate.
Sandra Bullock held a smoke in her hand most of the time but she only bum puffed it once. This was a blatant doozy.
Daniel Craig was a moron. If anyone read 'In Cold Blood' this is the most inaccurate portrayal EVER. In the book he is smart, gentle, thoughtful, he was a brute in this movie and regularly beat up on Truman. What bullsht.
I can't believe this question is even being asked. Capote hands down. HANDS. DOWN.
Roman Polanski: The original five foot pole you don't want to touch anyone with.
I preferred 'Infamous' but I'm not sure it's the better film.
Definitely Capote. I thought it was more subtle and understated. Infamous seems to focus on the superficiality aspect a bit more and maybe it has something to do with the casting, but it was less believable.
shareI would have to go with Capote. I found Infamous way to soft for the sort of murder story it is. Especially the jazzy score, wasn't very fitting.
The film didn't seem very personal like Capote did, in Infamous, all the character cared about was his book, in Capote the character was very concerned on Perry and felt a deep connection towards him.
I thought that Capote was more subtle. Hoffman's performance was less camp and the portrayal of the relationship between Capote and Perry Smith less explicit.
Then again, perhaps Truman Capote really was that camp, and maybe he really did snog Perry Smith, as he does in Infamous.
Can any Capote experts out there throw any more light on this?
Capote was, as you say, more "subtle", which was a very dishonest choice. Truman Capote was in fact far, far more flamboyant than he was represented in the film Capote, which shied away from his outrageous wardrobe and his almost certain love relationship with Perry Smith. Infamous is much closer to the truth.
Truman bribed the guards at the prison not to walk by the cell when he was in there with Perry; the guards believed they were having sex in the cell although of course we can't be certain of the truth. But I feel Infamous was truer to the facts; certainly Jones can actually pass as Capote, whereas Hoffman, who is quite huge physically, is constantly distracting--they had to use a lot of visual tricks to make him not look his size, and you still didn't have an impression of his smallness, which is a big part of who Truman was.
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I found both movies to be superb in very different areas. Both had some drippy moments. But I prefer Infamous because it fleshes the characters out moreso.
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