I'm finally taking advantage of my free Friday afternoons and catching up on some of this year’s Academy nominated films. So I saw Capote today, and I can understand all the buzz and acclaim this one's gotten.
Hoffman's performance is impressive. I know there's always a question, when someone's playing a real person, as to how much is acting and how much impersonation. And, at first, I was wondering the same thing. He does an incredible job of mimicking the mannerisms of the man (at least, what I remember from footage I've seen in the past).
But as the movie progresses and you see the conflicted human he's playing, it's obvious it goes a lot deeper than mimicking. He is, at one moment self-involved and petulant, uncaring and dismissive of others feelings, and then the next seems honestly interested and caring about the plight of a young murderer. You watch him with Perry and question whether his interest is personal or professional, carnal or cerebral, all in the space of a few moments of screen time. Later, it's obvious where his interests truly lie—let's face it, self-absorbed was not a façade—but he still is hurt and physically distressed by the imminent deaths of the two men he's come to know. And even then, you're not sure that his pain isn't based on his own self-interest.
Hoffman shows you a truly human character, flawed and brilliant and more than a little unpleasant… a very real portrait of a very real person. Of course, credit must also go to the writer that crafted this character and the director that was able to allow this performance to shine through. But it’s still Hoffman that makes it shine.
Whether this is the true Capote or not is beside the point. The performance is well worth the nomination and it's obvious why this is the front-runner for this year's Acting award.
Hoffman's performance is impressive. I know there's always a question, when someone's playing a real person, as to how much is acting and how much impersonation. And, at first, I was wondering the same thing. He does an incredible job of mimicking the mannerisms of the man (at least, what I remember from footage I've seen in the past).
But as the movie progresses and you see the conflicted human he's playing, it's obvious it goes a lot deeper than mimicking. He is, at one moment self-involved and petulant, uncaring and dismissive of others feelings, and then the next seems honestly interested and caring about the plight of a young murderer. You watch him with Perry and question whether his interest is personal or professional, carnal or cerebral, all in the space of a few moments of screen time. Later, it's obvious where his interests truly lie—let's face it, self-absorbed was not a façade—but he still is hurt and physically distressed by the imminent deaths of the two men he's come to know. And even then, you're not sure that his pain isn't based on his own self-interest.
Hoffman shows you a truly human character, flawed and brilliant and more than a little unpleasant… a very real portrait of a very real person. Of course, credit must also go to the writer that crafted this character and the director that was able to allow this performance to shine through. But it’s still Hoffman that makes it shine.
Whether this is the true Capote or not is beside the point. The performance is well worth the nomination and it's obvious why this is the front-runner for this year's Acting award.
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