In Cold Blood (film)

In Cold Blood
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Richard Brooks
Produced by Richard Brooks
Screenplay by Richard Brooks
Based on In Cold Blood
by Truman Capote
Starring
Music by Quincy Jones
Cinematography Conrad Hall
Edited by Peter Zinner
Production
company
Pax Enterprises, Inc.
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • December 14, 1967 (1967-12-14)
Running time
 135 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $3.5 million
Box office $13 million[1]

In Cold Blood is a 1967 American drama film written, produced and directed by Richard Brooks, based on Truman Capote's book of the same name. It stars Robert Blake as Perry Smith, Scott Wilson as Richard "Dick" Hickock, and John Forsythe as Alvin Dewey. The film follows the trail of Smith and Hickock; they break into the home of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, kill all four members of the family who are present, go on the run, and are found and caught by the police, tried for the murders, and eventually executed. Although the film is in parts faithful to the book, Brooks created a fictional character, "The Reporter" (played by Paul Stewart). The film was nominated for four Academy Awards: Director, Original Score, Cinematography, and Adapted Screenplay.

Some scenes were filmed at the locations of the original events, including Garden City and Holcomb, Kansas; Kansas State Penitentiary, where Smith and Hickock were executed; and the Clutter residence, where the murders took place.

In 2008, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot

In November 1959, Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and "Dick" Hickock (Scott Wilson) concoct a plan to invade the home of the Clutter family, as Mr. Clutter supposedly keeps a large supply of cash in a safe. When the two criminals execute the robbery, they are unable to find a safe as Mr.Clutter uses checks. In order to leave no witnesses, they murder Mr. and Mrs. Clutter and their two teenage children. The bodies are discovered the next day, and a police investigation is immediately launched. As the investigation builds, the two wanted men continue to elude law enforcement by heading south and crossing into Mexico; but, after a while, they return to the U.S. and decide to travel to Las Vegas to win some money at gambling. There, they are arrested for violating parole, being in possession of a stolen car, and passing bad checks.

The police separately interrogate the two men about the Clutter murders. Both Smith and Hickock admit to passing bad checks, but they deny knowing anything about the murders. The police claim that a mistake made by the men is that they left a witness, but they are slowed by Smith's refusal to provide answers. Next, the police confront them with evidence, such as a bloody footprint matching the boots worn by one of the men. Finally, Hickock confesses and states that he does not want to be executed for the crime, claiming that Smith committed all of the murders. When Smith learns that Hickock confessed, he recounts how, although it was he, Smith, who wielded the knife and pulled the trigger for the four killings, Hickock was there beside him as an active accomplice.

The story of the murders is told in flashback, after the subjects' arrests. Smith and Hickock are both found guilty of the crime and sentenced to be hanged. A representation of their final moments and their execution is presented at the conclusion of the film.

Cast

Reception

The film was generally well received. Critics praised Brooks' interpretation of Capote's book and were especially complimentary of the performances of the cast, including Scott Wilson and Robert Blake as the killers. Another aspect that helped the film was the use of black-and-white photography to heighten the tension, giving it the "you are there" touch. Brooks added to the film's authenticity by filming in the actual locations, including the former Clutter house where the murders occurred and the actual courtroom where the trial was held.

The film went on to receive four Academy Award nominations: Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Original Music Score, and Best Adapted Screenplay. At the time of its release, it was rated "For Mature Audiences", which meant no children under 17 were allowed to see the film without parents or legal guardians of age; now the MPAA has rated the film "R", due to its violence and mature nature.

American Film Institute Lists

Musical score and soundtrack

In Cold Blood
Soundtrack album by Quincy Jones
Released 1967
Recorded 1967
at RCA Victor's Music Center Of The World
Genre Film score
Length 31:41
Label Colgems
COM/COS 107
Producer Neely Plumb
Quincy Jones chronology
In the Heat of the Night
(1967)In the Heat of the Night1967		 In Cold Blood
(1967)		 For Love of Ivy
(1968)For Love of Ivy1968

The film score was composed, arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones, and the soundtrack album was released on the Colgems label in 1967.[5][6]

Truman Capote lobbied unsuccessfully to have Jones removed from the film. According to Jones, Capote called director Richard Brooks and said "Richard, I don't understand why you've got a Negro doing the music for a film with no people of color in it.' And Richard Brooks said, 'Fuck you, he's doing the music".[7] Capote later apologized to Jones.

The Vinyl Factory said "The opening title track, with its galloping drums and corrosive strings, lets you know you are entering a bleak musical terrain. "Perry’s Theme", which begins with a beatific Spanish guitar, mutates into something terrifying, as strings rise and fall ominously. With its harrowing organ blasts, "Murder Scene" is a haunting aural crime photo. At the time, this menacing soundtrack was considered a convention breaker not only for Jones, but also for black composers in Hollywood".[8]

Track listing

All compositions by Quincy Jones

  1. "In Cold Blood" − 2:48
  2. "Clutter Family Theme" − 2:03
  3. "Hangin' Paper" − 2:10
  4. "Down Clutter's Lane" − 2:43
  5. "Seduction" − 2:35
  6. "Perry's Theme" − 3:20
  7. "Lonely Bottles" − 2:34
  8. "No Witnesses" − 2:13
  9. "I'll Have to Kill You" − 2:25
  10. "Nina" (Lyrics by Gil Bernal) − 3:56
  11. "Murder Scene" − 2:02
  12. "The Corner" − 2:52

Personnel

Television remake

A 1996 miniseries was also made based on the book, directed by Jonathan Kaplan and with a screenplay by Benedict Fitzgerald. In that adaptation, Anthony Edwards portrayed Dick Hickock, Eric Roberts played Perry Smith, and Sam Neill played Kansas Bureau of Investigation detective Alvin Dewey.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "In Cold Blood, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  2. ↑ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees
  3. ↑ AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains Nominees
  4. ↑ AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores Nominees
  5. ↑ Soundtrack Collector: album entry accessed January 17, 2018
  6. ↑ Edwards, D & Callahan, M. Colgems Album Discography, accessed January 17, 2018
  7. ↑ "Quincy Jones Has a Story About That". GQ. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  8. ↑ 10 definitive Quincy Jones soundtracks from the ’60s and ’70s, The Vinyl Factory, accessed January 17, 2018
  9. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116619/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
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