Kathmandu:

Philip Seymour Hoffman won an Oscar for his portrayal of writer, journalist Truman Capote who wrote about the murder of a family in his ground breaking book In Cold Blood which defined Capote and the times in which he wrote. It’s a brilliant movie, which captures a Jet Set writer who was egotistical, self centered and utterly ruthless.

Said Hoffman, “Capote’s voice was something that needed to be practiced and the mannerisms and things, but ultimately, the way he worked, the way he ticked, was the tough thing; because he was elusive. He really changed a lot, in how he dealt with people and situations.”

BBC’s Tom Brook believes, “Capote befriended the killers and became especially close to one of them, Perry Smith, who he visited on death row. He needed to wait until the two killers were executed so the case would have closure and he could write the end of the story. He was impatient so he didn’t do all he could to win the men a reprieve, and they were hanged in 1965. Capote got what he wanted but he was haunted by his actions and never wrote a book again.” His friend and assistant, author Harper Lee memorably acted by Catherine Keener, was his, ‘Moral Barometer’ and in the end she found his morals wanting as did Capote himself.

George Clooney won an Oscar for his portrayal of real life CIA agent Robert Baer in the hard hitting, confusing movie Syriana which has at it’s centre oil as a villain that destroys or compromises six characters who are drawn together by a slender line that makes the audience work hard and, “it very nearly collapses under the weight of it’s many story lines”. But the film is provocative and Clooney shines. Said Clooney of his role, “Syriana is an exposure of a real bunch of policy problems, especially our ties to Saudi Arabia. That’s Bob Barne’s (my character’s) biggest fight — Saudi Arabia is the number one sponsor of terrorism in the world, and it is also our closest ally. The torture scene was the toughest. I got hurt. Being taped to the desk, which was my idea, gave me no real protection when the desk went over. I finished the scene, got on a plane, and went right into the hospital.”

Clooney wrote and directed Good Night And Good Luck for which he was nominated for two Oscars. Filmed in black and white and set in the 50’s, the movie is about Radio and TV journalist Ed Murrow’s fight against anti-Co-mmunist witch hunter Joseph McCarthy. In the present context of America, the movie can be seen to, “enlighten our present when the need for a free and independent press is more important than ever”.

In his role as Murrow, David Strathairn gave a fantastic performance on a high wire because one wrong foot and the movie would fall apart. Said Strathairn of a misguided move, “Not only would I lose it, but the picture would lose it, and you’d be distracted, it’d be like pulling a little strand from this tapestry and the weave would start to collapse, and not be nearly as tight as it is. I think it’s a beautifully crafted film. And that was a challenge.”

Concludes Tom Brook, “It captures the days of McCarthyism, when a driven US senator spread an atmosphere of intimidation in which people feared they would be tarnished. Some say that’s happening today, but now with a multitude of voices labelling individuals with certain beliefs as liberal in a derogatory sense.”

The movie isn’t menacing enough to warrant more praise.