In Cold Blood/Capote

In Cold Blood was an interesting movie in that it was actually based on a piece of journalism rather than just a movie with journalism as the plot. That just shows how much film and journalism really are connected. I was amazed by the cinematography and impressed with the films ability to get me so involved; I literally got tense during the suspenseful moments and felt nervous and scared as Dick and Perry were executed.

Capote was interesting in that it showed Truman Capote’s process or writing a non-fiction book, which took years, relentless research, and essentially getting into the minds of the criminals. The relationship between Capote and Perry was a complex one. It was hard to watch Capote become attached to Perry and feel guilty for exploiting him, but continue writing the book anyway. In the scene where Capote is reading an excerpt from his book, I was surprised that it was so interesting and eloquently written. Sometimes, I get this idea about journalism that it’s only facts and boring details, but Capote shows that it takes a great deal of creativity to turn journalism into art. He saw potential in that story to be more than just a series of articles, and he persisted until he found a deeper story—enough to be an entire book.