Biographical films have the sometimes impossible task of capturing the entire lives of their subjects. But when your subject is acclaimed writer Truman Capote, how do you even capture all of it? Filmmaker Ebs Burnoughs attempts this with his film The Capote Tapes, yet given Capote’s portrayals in other media, the filmmaker struggles to find something new.
Burnoughs does provide a glimpse into Capote’s adoption of Kate Harrington, who became like a surrogate daughter to the bombastic writer. Using George Plimpton’s exhaustive interviews as a guiding text, Burnoughs breaks new ground with the story of Harrington, yet the rest of the film feels lacking. Even with new footage from author Colm Toibin, critic Sadie Stein, art historian John Richardson, and various others, The Capote Tapes doesn’t give us any new insight.
Anyone familiar with Capote and his work knows he often alienated his peers and was known for his eccentricities. They know he had a rough upbringing. They all know he produced some groundbreaking work. Capote’s tale is one that has been covered before, and even with Burnoughs transcribing a bunch of Plimpton’s work, diehard fans won’t find anything new here.
The biographical documentary is a necessary addition to anyone intrigued by the polarizing figure, including students studying literature. However, despite new interviews and a grand project of transcribing Plimpton’s work, Burnoughs doesn’t break any new ground here.