In cold BloodWhen I was in high school, we read a variety of literature, but frankly it was standard fare for the scholastic canon; even then, I knew I craved something different from novels, and searched outward and into the annals of contemporary classics. Among the most memorable and awe-inspiring of these works was Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood". Crafted under the auspices of creating a "new kind of novel"...the "non-fiction novel", in the author's words..."In Cold Blood" was a chilling and dramatic--but ostensibly true--account of the savage slaying of the Clutter family by a pair of ex-cons in Kansas, 1959. The film of the same name by Richard Brooks conjures the same kind of stark dread as the printed masterpiece which fostered my love of literature.
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Although it had been a while since I read "In Cold Blood", names and locations which emerge in the film rang deep and sonorous like the reverberations of a mighty church bell...names like "Holcomb, Kansas", where the killings took place, or "Clutter"...the name of the unfortunate family slain by the actions of Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson). These were men who were not criminal masterminds, but a pair of misfits, whose great plan to strike it rich involved knocking over a farm house, because a cellmate of Dick's once told him a tall tale about a safe in the Clutter homestead. Dick and Perry's inevitable miscalculation about the status of the Clutter family leaves them not only fugitives, but broke ones at that. In Cold Blood is a film filled with rich shadows and an honest and genuine documentary-style presentation, capturing the same sense of authenticity of the novel, while remaining a riveting story of true crime. Capote's method of depicting the events surrounding the planning, criminal actions, and evasion of the law by the duo--and ultimately, their execution--was one which was of a neutral observer, a key element which afforded the reader the sense of being "right there" as the story unfolds. It is a style which translates well to the screen, as the observer is overlapped with the camera's eye. Accompanying the vivid black-and-white depictions of the tale is the pulse-pounding, even anxiety-inducing, score by Quincy Jones, filled with immediacy and dread.
To a large extent, the beginning portion of In Cold Blood is a collection of cutaways between Dick and Perry, and the life of the Clutters; those familiar with the story are no doubt filled with a deep sadness from the first moments Nancy Clutter (Brenda C. Currin) descends the stairs to greet her father, Herb Clutter (John McLiam) in the morning. The tight editing recalls the precision of Stanley Kubrick's own crime drama, The Killing, save that Kubrick's film dealt with hardened criminals, and In Cold Blood deals with the fumbling shadows of such men via Perry and Dick. The days of the Clutters and Perry and Dick intersect, and build tension of the tragedy to follow like steam in a teapot. The pervading sense of dread is constant, and manifests grimly in moments such as when Herb Clutter has ironically finished paying the premium on his life insurance policy. Even the sound of the whistle of a train is unbroken in one cutaway, indicating the killers' dangerous proximity, heralding death on their doorstep. And there is a moment when Perry and Dick discuss the crime to come over cheeseburgers, and Perry makes reference to Humphrey Bogart in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre; small coincidence that Robert Blake was also cast in that film as a boy, but especially so since with Perry, there are echoes of Fred C. Dobbs in these crooks, scrounging around for some capital by any means necessary, even at the cost of their souls. Additionally, Robert Blake's casting in this film now seems to carry a dire irony, his indictment and eventual acquittal for the murder of his ex-wife casting another shadow over the film. And as an aside, I can't help but think that Scott Wilson and Robert Blake look a little like Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo, respectively, both of whom portrayed The Incredible Hulk in separate films. The association here is that both Perry and Dick are effectively "monsters", who resemble normal men on the surface, but ultimately engage in savagery which makes them into personifications of fear in the popular eye. And if you consider that statement somewhat guarded, you're not far wrong. In Cold Blood manages to manipulate the audience's expectations and emotions about Dick and Perry; these are our protagonists for the piece...for "better or worse", as Perry jokes at one point--they must stick together lest they incriminate the other. There are moments where you almost--almost--want to see the duo escape the long arm of justice, since they are at times friendly, even affable. But by the time the chilling climax comes, and when you recall the scream of the woman who discovered the first of four of the Clutter family slain by a shotgun blast, that comfort is stripped away, skin and all.
The formation of Capote's novel was depicted in the limited biopic, Capote, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman in the title role. In that film, there is the impression given that Capote was sympathetic to Perry Smith, a sense conveyed equally in the book and in this film. Unlike Dick, with his ease of spinning a lie to his advantage, his slick, cool deviousness, Perry is a stunted, depressed, and even haunted young man. A Korean war veteran, he suffered a motorcycle accident which left his legs in constant pain, a condition which leaves him compelled to gnaw on aspirins to relieve his physical suffering. His past is the most intensely explored in In Cold Blood, with numerous flashbacks to his childhood with his dysfunctional parents and his dreams of making it big as a Las Vegas lounge performer, singing and playing his guitar. He stutters a little, he's shy around girls, and he has dreams of seeking lost doubloons off the coast of Yucatan. But this man killed a family of four in cold blood. You struggle to wrap your mind around this, really you do, as you come to understand who Perry is. Then, when you understand him more, it is not so much the struggle which leaves you empty, but your resolution that you do understand...and this makes it even worse. It is no doubt a conclusion reached by Truman Capote, throughout his intensive analysis and characterization of Perry Smith. Perry represents the greatest kind of enigma for justice. If he were crazy, it would be simple to label him thus; but is he? No, I don't believe he is...troubled, yes, but not crazy. That's the great terror of In Cold Blood: that the Clutter massacre could be committed not by Satan himself or some other kind of absolute evil criminal, but by a man like Perry Smith. It unnerves us and forces us to redefine so much, from our understanding of security to how we trust someone. The killings in Holcomb were a national sensation, as was the manhunt which followed. People come to expect violence in the cities, and the fear which followed was the kind of societal neurosis about the encroachment of urban crime into the security of rural America, a theme which persists today. One detective comments to another regarding who could commit such a crime; the response is followed with a finger pointing out the window to the city streets below, the detective answering, "take your pick".
In Cold Blood is a deeply introspective, psychological tale of crime, and one about innocence lost. When Dick and Perry come across a kid and his old man hitching a ride, Perry pities him out of a sense of familiar trouble from his childhood, whereas Dick is drawn to the kid's wily attitude to scrounge up change by recycling bottles chucked to the side of the road. It is a moment which is emblematic of the deeper needs these two overgrown boys have and their own inner suffering as they struggle in their minds to cope with what they need to do to please their respective fathers. Following the confession of Dick's likely involvement in the Clutter murders by his former cellmate, the detectives, led by Alvin Dewey (John Forsythe), question the fathers of the fugitives to see if they can not only discover the suspects' whereabouts, but glean key information about their quarry; what they get tells them enough, but for different reasons. With Perry, these revelations show a man who is the walking wounded, both in body and mind. His delusions speak to an unhinged mind, but one which strives to be good, only to be quashed under the boot heel of his potentially lethal abuse by his father. It is of interest that a psychological adviser was brought in to consult on In Cold Blood, as Perry's psychological profile is complex and troubled to say the least. Most films would find their conclusion at the capture of the killers, or at their earnest confession; In Cold Blood follows to the bitter end at "The Corner". and as the rain falls on Perry's last night on Earth, the shadow of the water on the window pane drips down like tears upon his face, and we find ourselves more unsettled because the definition between criminal and victim is suddenly not such a black and white distinction, and we are held hostage to empathize with the "villain". Perry often comments about state of his situation with a kind of street-level wisdom. As Dick and Perry have the Clutters held captive, Perry says with exasperation of how absurd it is that Dick is tapping the walls looking for a safe that isn't there, and how he is crawling around, his legs on fire, scrambling for Nancy's silver dollar. And there is the worst of all which Perry recounts to Dewey, as he described how he liked Mr. Clutter, how it cuts you right to the bone. These lines burn in your mind, so stark, so vivid, that it seems little wonder that this tale compelled Truman Capote to write the vivid account of these events as he did, leading to his heart-wrenching classic of literature, and in turn, the equally haunting film, In Cold Blood.
Recommended for: Fans of a psychologically complex film noir, a crime story adapted not just from a novel, but from the sensational headlines of a tragedy which gripped a nation. It is a sorrowful, challenging, and thought-provoking tale of morality and justice, and a skillful adaptation of a great book.
To a large extent, the beginning portion of In Cold Blood is a collection of cutaways between Dick and Perry, and the life of the Clutters; those familiar with the story are no doubt filled with a deep sadness from the first moments Nancy Clutter (Brenda C. Currin) descends the stairs to greet her father, Herb Clutter (John McLiam) in the morning. The tight editing recalls the precision of Stanley Kubrick's own crime drama, The Killing, save that Kubrick's film dealt with hardened criminals, and In Cold Blood deals with the fumbling shadows of such men via Perry and Dick. The days of the Clutters and Perry and Dick intersect, and build tension of the tragedy to follow like steam in a teapot. The pervading sense of dread is constant, and manifests grimly in moments such as when Herb Clutter has ironically finished paying the premium on his life insurance policy. Even the sound of the whistle of a train is unbroken in one cutaway, indicating the killers' dangerous proximity, heralding death on their doorstep. And there is a moment when Perry and Dick discuss the crime to come over cheeseburgers, and Perry makes reference to Humphrey Bogart in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre; small coincidence that Robert Blake was also cast in that film as a boy, but especially so since with Perry, there are echoes of Fred C. Dobbs in these crooks, scrounging around for some capital by any means necessary, even at the cost of their souls. Additionally, Robert Blake's casting in this film now seems to carry a dire irony, his indictment and eventual acquittal for the murder of his ex-wife casting another shadow over the film. And as an aside, I can't help but think that Scott Wilson and Robert Blake look a little like Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo, respectively, both of whom portrayed The Incredible Hulk in separate films. The association here is that both Perry and Dick are effectively "monsters", who resemble normal men on the surface, but ultimately engage in savagery which makes them into personifications of fear in the popular eye. And if you consider that statement somewhat guarded, you're not far wrong. In Cold Blood manages to manipulate the audience's expectations and emotions about Dick and Perry; these are our protagonists for the piece...for "better or worse", as Perry jokes at one point--they must stick together lest they incriminate the other. There are moments where you almost--almost--want to see the duo escape the long arm of justice, since they are at times friendly, even affable. But by the time the chilling climax comes, and when you recall the scream of the woman who discovered the first of four of the Clutter family slain by a shotgun blast, that comfort is stripped away, skin and all.
The formation of Capote's novel was depicted in the limited biopic, Capote, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman in the title role. In that film, there is the impression given that Capote was sympathetic to Perry Smith, a sense conveyed equally in the book and in this film. Unlike Dick, with his ease of spinning a lie to his advantage, his slick, cool deviousness, Perry is a stunted, depressed, and even haunted young man. A Korean war veteran, he suffered a motorcycle accident which left his legs in constant pain, a condition which leaves him compelled to gnaw on aspirins to relieve his physical suffering. His past is the most intensely explored in In Cold Blood, with numerous flashbacks to his childhood with his dysfunctional parents and his dreams of making it big as a Las Vegas lounge performer, singing and playing his guitar. He stutters a little, he's shy around girls, and he has dreams of seeking lost doubloons off the coast of Yucatan. But this man killed a family of four in cold blood. You struggle to wrap your mind around this, really you do, as you come to understand who Perry is. Then, when you understand him more, it is not so much the struggle which leaves you empty, but your resolution that you do understand...and this makes it even worse. It is no doubt a conclusion reached by Truman Capote, throughout his intensive analysis and characterization of Perry Smith. Perry represents the greatest kind of enigma for justice. If he were crazy, it would be simple to label him thus; but is he? No, I don't believe he is...troubled, yes, but not crazy. That's the great terror of In Cold Blood: that the Clutter massacre could be committed not by Satan himself or some other kind of absolute evil criminal, but by a man like Perry Smith. It unnerves us and forces us to redefine so much, from our understanding of security to how we trust someone. The killings in Holcomb were a national sensation, as was the manhunt which followed. People come to expect violence in the cities, and the fear which followed was the kind of societal neurosis about the encroachment of urban crime into the security of rural America, a theme which persists today. One detective comments to another regarding who could commit such a crime; the response is followed with a finger pointing out the window to the city streets below, the detective answering, "take your pick".
In Cold Blood is a deeply introspective, psychological tale of crime, and one about innocence lost. When Dick and Perry come across a kid and his old man hitching a ride, Perry pities him out of a sense of familiar trouble from his childhood, whereas Dick is drawn to the kid's wily attitude to scrounge up change by recycling bottles chucked to the side of the road. It is a moment which is emblematic of the deeper needs these two overgrown boys have and their own inner suffering as they struggle in their minds to cope with what they need to do to please their respective fathers. Following the confession of Dick's likely involvement in the Clutter murders by his former cellmate, the detectives, led by Alvin Dewey (John Forsythe), question the fathers of the fugitives to see if they can not only discover the suspects' whereabouts, but glean key information about their quarry; what they get tells them enough, but for different reasons. With Perry, these revelations show a man who is the walking wounded, both in body and mind. His delusions speak to an unhinged mind, but one which strives to be good, only to be quashed under the boot heel of his potentially lethal abuse by his father. It is of interest that a psychological adviser was brought in to consult on In Cold Blood, as Perry's psychological profile is complex and troubled to say the least. Most films would find their conclusion at the capture of the killers, or at their earnest confession; In Cold Blood follows to the bitter end at "The Corner". and as the rain falls on Perry's last night on Earth, the shadow of the water on the window pane drips down like tears upon his face, and we find ourselves more unsettled because the definition between criminal and victim is suddenly not such a black and white distinction, and we are held hostage to empathize with the "villain". Perry often comments about state of his situation with a kind of street-level wisdom. As Dick and Perry have the Clutters held captive, Perry says with exasperation of how absurd it is that Dick is tapping the walls looking for a safe that isn't there, and how he is crawling around, his legs on fire, scrambling for Nancy's silver dollar. And there is the worst of all which Perry recounts to Dewey, as he described how he liked Mr. Clutter, how it cuts you right to the bone. These lines burn in your mind, so stark, so vivid, that it seems little wonder that this tale compelled Truman Capote to write the vivid account of these events as he did, leading to his heart-wrenching classic of literature, and in turn, the equally haunting film, In Cold Blood.
Recommended for: Fans of a psychologically complex film noir, a crime story adapted not just from a novel, but from the sensational headlines of a tragedy which gripped a nation. It is a sorrowful, challenging, and thought-provoking tale of morality and justice, and a skillful adaptation of a great book.