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?
shareCapote & Infamous are both excellent... if you can, see both, as they give different angles on it.
Coming away, my feeling was Capote was more focused on getting the book right & detailed and the process of creating the story he was trying to tell. The personal relationship was more secondary.
Infamous has more feeling in my opinion because it focuses more on Truman & Perry relationship and how it builds during their time together... the book is just the axle it spins around. There's still focus on the book but the dialogue/emotion centers more on the journey of 2 men finding common ground where Capote has book driven quest feel and the emotion follows it.
Capote is 60/40 on the book, Infamous is 60/40 on the human relationship
On a sidenote, I found Infamous mich easier to listen to the Truman character... Hoffmans voice was difficult to hear at times in Capote, the feminity of it too overwhelming. I've never head Capotes real voice, I'm sure its ultra feminine, but Infamous was easier to hear & adjust to... Capote I found myself really having to strain & focus on his dialogue.
But you won't be disappointed witrh either imho.
Both.
They are two very different movies. In approach and execution.
But Hoffman deserves the Oscar because his film was constructed around him. Toby won't get nominated because his film was a much broader canvas.
"You live in the land of the weird, what else do you need?"
Infamous.
I thought Toby's performance was superior to Phillip Seymour Hoffman's.
I have just watched Infamous after seeing Capote moths before...I loved Capote, but I have to say that Infamous was a pleasant surprise. I adored it. I loved the fact that is it much more "no holds barred" that Capote. It has a more raw edge about it, although it pays more homage to the killer Perry than to the crime itself. I found myself having to remind myself that Perry was indeed a killer. Sympathising with someone like him makes a movie good does it not? Well acted, I likes Infamous better, although Capote is a great film.
shareInfamous is (at the risk of sounding condescending to some) certainly more "mainstream viewer" friendly. The peripheral characters are much more vivid in Infamous and so the film seems to move along more swiftly and "less boring-ly."
Philly Hoffman did a much more subtle portrayal of Capote (in "Capote") and a lot of what actually transpired between Capote and Perry Smith is assumed and left to the viewers imagination.
In Infamous all of the possible scenarios that MIGHT have transpired between Capote and Smith are portrayed in the film. Whether it was intentional or not, Infamous does exactly what Capote's novel "In Cold Blood" did. That is, it is a glorified -and largely embellished- telling of the subject matter.
To put it in SAT format: "I Shot Andy Warhol" is to "Capote" as as "Basquiat" is to "Infamous."
All four films are absolutely amazing!
"It's a great thing when you realize you still have the ability to surprise yourself."
Both!
I´m from europe, and unfortunately the playwrights and authors of that era of the american literature are not as well known here as they probably should be.
So the storytelling in "infamous" was easier to comprehend, you could understand and get to know the characters much better.
"Capote" left the uneducated viewer pretty much in the dark, and I think that is why it didn´t do that good in europe.
But: Both movies are amazing, and I personally like Capote better, partly because it is "darker". On the other hand: When Perry is hung in "infamous", and truman is there to witness the death of a man he so desperately loves, i felt sick to my stomach. I cried, because i felt the helplessness of those two men.
My conclusion: Although both movies have exactly the same subject, they are very very different and both very worth viewing.
They're both great movies and I love both of them but I'll say CAPOTE is the better film but INFAMOUS is the one I'd probably find myself waltching more.
CAPOTE does go for the darker aspect which I'm sucker for.
INFAMOUS though greatly felt like the Woody Allen movie Woody Allen should've made (makes sense since Douglas McGrath was a co-writer on some of Allen's best later era films).
But at the same time I'm probably bias but I never fully bought or believed the romance between Capote and Perry. I wish it had been more subtle and not have fallen into the sudden Titanic like love story.
Still, a great movie and it's a shame that INFAMOUS is being looked over because people just lump it up as "That Other Capote Movie".
They both are about Capote and the same time in his life but the two films couldn't be any different.
Wow! I am pretty excited to see that a European person like yourself has a desire to appreciate something like "American literature." I do not mean this in a condescending fashion at all, rather, I have been accused by many of being an "Anglophile" and I tend to find UK/all European culture (i.e. proper spoken English -and slang-ish cockney ala "Snatch"- poetry, playwrights, certainly music, etc.) much more interesting than that of my native land - as they say; "the grass always seems greener on the other side." I sometimes feel that I may be the only person residing in Queens, NY who even knows who The Libertines, Massive Attack and The Stone Roses are. But that's cool because it's like my little secret! Moreover, being an American isn't exactly something to brag about in it's current state. I am certainly not ashamed to be an American, but lately (like, for about the last 6 years or so) I find it a bit embarrassing to be associated with that silly man in that big, white house.
What is the deal with ol' boy Petey Doherty by the way?!?! I just saw the video from the Sun on the internet. He is 27 now, so if anything bad is gonna' happen this would be the "rock-star-cool" year for it. (Janice, Jimmi, Kurt and more all died at 27.) I hope that homie pulls through it all though. I just think that he is too brilliant. (You probably think it corny as I imagine the news there is as played out as Anna Nicole Smith has been here recently.) Then again, could the world (of pop-culture at least) really handle an old, fattened-up, creatively barren Pete Doherty? Perhaps a more relevant query is; could Pete handle that? I am trying to grow out of the whole "live fast, die young, leave a pretty corpse" mindset... but that's just Rock n' Roll isn't it?
"It's a great thing when you realize you still have the ability to surprise yourself."
"Infamous is (at the risk of sounding condescending to some) certainly more "mainstream viewer" friendly."
On the contrary, Capote is more mainstream viewer friendly, with its toned-down, less flamboyant Truman and no messy gay romance. Both films are great, however.
Ahh. I live in NYC. I am not saying that because it is supposed to be cool in some way. It just honestly never dawned on me that the homosexuality and flamboyance would turn off the "mainstream viewers" within my general surrounding area. In fact, I thought that these items (along with the interview segments with famous NYC socialites) were the things that made Infamous a bit more tolerable (moving the story line along some) to the "mainstream" that I was referring to. But you make a good point... outside of any major US city.
You know; us elitists can be a tad isolated at times. LOL...
Thanks again for the filmtalk.*
* It's my very own portmanteau!
"It's a great thing when you realize you still have the ability to surprise yourself."
probably because the people who would debate this are less fanatic then those who would argue Infernal Affairs vs. The Departed. (probably not a fair analogy though.)
in any case it seems most people are agreeing on the differences of the two.
i certainly enjoyed watching Infamous (today) more - the word "more accessible" coming to mind and pretty much echoed by these three posts that i would agree with (only read the thread fully halfway down though !)
without knowing the details of what ACTUALLY happened, i'm guessing that Capote was "more accurate", while Infamous tried to make it a "better story" - which is what i enjoyed about it (disregarding "truth"). Capote was so 'drab' but that was it's "atmosphere" - and Hoffman certainly put more effort into his role - but i still enjoyed Toby Jones portrayal.
anyway - these are the points i "connected" with;
by harryfableson (Fri Jan 26 2007 02:02:24)this post is the closest to my 2 cents !
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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.
by loleeb (Fri Jul 6 2007 09:24:49)i *enjoyed* Infamous more - but i suppose "artistically" Capote is "better".
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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!!
by - williehellenbach on Wed Feb 14 2007 11:07:58good take that.
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Infamous is (at the risk of sounding condescending to some) certainly more "mainstream viewer" friendly. The peripheral characters are much more vivid in Infamous and so the film seems to move along more swiftly and "less boring-ly."
...Whether it was intentional or not, Infamous does exactly what Capote's novel "In Cold Blood" did. That is, it is a glorified -and largely embellished- telling of the subject matter.
I bought a copy of Capote the day it came out and have not watched it yet (I saw it in the theater originally). However, since Infamous has been playing on 'Showtime' lately, I have watched it 2 or 3 times again.
"It's a great thing when you realize you still have the ability to surprise yourself."
Infamous. Much more visceral. Toby deserves huge props for this performance. I liked Hoffman and Capote, too. Infamous just had more impact to me. Capote seems more distant.
shareBetter Film- Capote- 8.5
More Entertaining Movie - Infamous- 8.0
I enjoyed them both in their own special way. As for the performances I think that they both did a wonderful Job.
The difference in the films for me were the performances of Bullock and Keener. Keener was fabulous and proved it with BSA nominations. As for Bullock, really weak IMO. The other thing I didn't like about Infamous was the interview scenes. Totally unnecessary I feel. At one early point in the movie I almost turned it off. Glad I didn't.
"Only a numbskull thinks he knows things about things he knows nothing about."
Capote by far. It was far more dark and serious. I thought Phillip Seymore Hoffman was brilliant in Capote, and although I think Toby was fantastic, I found his portrayal to be more cartoonish. As for the Nell character, I think Katherine Keener was fantastic in Capote. Both did give good insight into this incredible person.
shareInfamous was very good and brought more insight to his life while writing In Cold Blood but as a whole, Capote, I think, was very good as well. Both movies had very talented and capable cast. Perry Smith in both movies were excellent as well as Harper Lee and Truman. Both movies are good but they are different from each other so to compare them on which one is better is unfair but I did like Capote as a movie more.
shareInfamous was a little more intersting as a movie but Toby's role as Capote can not hold a candel to Hoffman as capote
share"CAPOTE"!!! I was a bit put off by "Infamous".... it tried SO hard! I liked Toby Jones' portrayal, but it was so crammed.... like they wanted to explain every single angle and bit of this chapter in Capote's life. It was more lively and brighter in parts.... but I wouldn't see it again. I would however purchase and watch "Capote" many times over. It had a more simplistic feeling and certainly more gothic. But look at all these mixed reviews! Go see them both for yourself and enjoy them!
shareCapote was far better. Toby certainally is more of a look alike but I thought he was terrible in his overacting. Truman Capote was a character, but Toby made his Truman a Caricature.
I thought the editing was too choppy and the narrative was corny. The writing was awful. The dialog sounded like it was read from script.
Hoffman did not look like him but he was much more believable as the Truman character. When Hoffman cried, I cried. When Toby cried, I wanted to laugh. It was almost comical.
There were a few good scenes in Infamous but I thought Capote was a much better film. From the photography, writing and especially the actors, it was more thought out and executed well.
My vote goes for "Infamous." Loved it. Toby Jones was very good. So was Daniel Craig. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed "Capote," but I felt this one got more into who Capote was. Bravo to the filmmakers!
TheWorkingScreenwriter.com -- a site for the pre-pro screenwriter.
Jones' performance was far more accurate actually
"Paradise and hell both can be earthly. We carry them with us wherever we go."
-1492 (1992)
I've seen Capote 4-5 months ago back in my hometown Istanbul, and just a few minutes ago I turned off the DVD player after having seen Infamous here in Shanghai (I still don't know how I could bear it throughout the 120 min. ride), oh my GOD, IT WAS STG. MORE THAN BORING. I really have no idea why they made such a movie. It adds nothing new to Capote but also the cast in Infamous are mere shadows of the cast in Capote. I just threw away 2 hours of my life because on the cover of the DVD it writes "There's more to the story than you know" AND COULD PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THIS IS, I must have missed it good. But those who answer please consider that I've seen Capote at the first place.
PLEASE HERE MY CRY OUT THERE, DON'T YOU BOTHER TO TAKE THIS DVD (INFAMOUS) INTO YOUR HOUSE. If you're really curious about the Kansas killings, watch Capote first then go to your local bookstore to purchase "In Cold Blood." Believe me that will do (more tahn enough).
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