Capote

TITLE UP:
"Western Kansas, 1959"

EXT. FARMHOUSE - MORNING 1 *

The CAMERA follows a SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL, long hair, pretty

Sunday church dress, walking toward a peaceful farmhouse. At

the door she lifts the knocker. The door opens slightly.

The girl turns and looks past the camera at her MOTHER,

sitting in an old Plymouth idling in the driveway. Her

mother shrugs, motions for her to go inside.

INT. FARMHOUSE - CONTINUOUS 2 *

The girl walks through the downstairs rooms. In the kitchen,

the PHONE is OFF the hook. The girl looks back toward the

open front door. She turns toward the stairs, climbs them.

INT. FARMHOUSE, UPSTAIRS HALL - CONTINUOUS 3 *

She walks down the hall to a BEDROOM DOOR at the end. The

door is slightly ajar. She knocks, then enters the room.

INT. FARMHOUSE, BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS 4 *

The girl's POV:
the CAMERA pans across the bedroom of a high

school coed. We see the desk, the bureau, the bed. On the

bed lies NANCY CLUTTER, her wrists and legs bound in rope,

SHOT in the head. There is blood on the wall. The sixteen

year-old girl stands immobile. Before she starts to scream,

CUT TO:

EXT. KANSAS LANDSCAPE - DAY

Trees ring the edge of a field.

CUT TO:

EXT. N. Y . CITYSCAPE , ESTABLISHING - NIGHT 5 *

Buildings lit against the night sky. *

INT. NEW YORK APARTMENT BUILDING/STAIRS - NIGHT 6 *

Camera follows group of partygoers as they mount the stairs: *

Truman Capote, Barbara (very tall), Rose, Christopher, *

Williams. x

Green

The friends are standing in the crowded kitchen - people are *

coming in and out - talking and drinking and laughing. *

TRUMAN:

So Jimmy Baldwin tells me the plot

of his book, and he says to me: the

writing's going well, but I just

want to make sure it's not one of

those problem novels. I said:

Jimmy, your novel's about a Negro

homosexual who's in love with a Jew

- wouldn't you call that a problem?

Laughter. *

CHRISTOPHER:

Susan's father had a minor heart

attack, so she's writing more

erotic poems about death and sex.

BARBARA:

It's so tiresome.

WILLIAMS:

Hmm. What rhymes with angina?

Laughter. We see Truman watching everyone laugh. GRAYSON *

notices, leans i n t o him. As the rest of the group continues *

talking, we come closer, hear their conversation. *

GRAYS ON:

How's your writing?

TRUMAN:

Oh, I've got a million ideas of

what to write next - I just have to

choose one.

GRAYS ON:

Really?

TRUMAN:

No.

Their attention is pulled back into the group as: *

BARBARA:

Who would I want to play me?

Natalie Wood.

Green

ROSE:

Too fat.

BARBARA:

Audrey Hepburn?

ROSE:

Not bad. Sort of middle-class.

TRUMAN:

When a movie is made of my life I

know exactly who 1 want as me.. . (beat)

Marilyn Monroe.

Barbara cracks up, chokes on her drink.

6 EXT. TRUMAN AND JACK'S HOUSE/BACK PATIO - MORNING 6 *

Truman sits with his coffee, reading the New York Times. An *

article catches his eye. He sits up straight, folds the *

paper over, reads it. *

6 INT. TRUMAN AND JACK'S HOUSE, STUDY - DAY 6 *

C/U of article being snipped out of PAGE 39 of the Times,

November 16, 1959. As the page gets turned around with each

snip, we see a small PHOTO of a middle-aged man wearing

glasses, with the caption: "FOUND DEAD: Herbert W. Clutter, a

wealthy Kansas farmer . . . . " We read the headline : "WEALTHY

FARMER, 3 OF FAMILY SLAIN. Parts of the story: "HOLCOMB,

Kan., Nov. 15 (UPI) - ... wheat farmer, his wife ... two young

children found shot today. . . ." *

INT. TRUMAN AND JACK'S HOUSE, STUDY - MOMZNTS LATER

Truman on the phone.

Green

FEMALE VOICE OVER THE PHONE

New Yorker magazine.

TRUMAN (ON PHONE)

William Shawn, please.

(he listens)

Adorable one? All of a sudden I

know what article I'm going to

write for you next.

INT. TRUMAN AND JACK'S HOUSE, STUDY/KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER *

Truman on the phone, on a long cord, travels between the *

study and the kitchen as he talks to William Shawn. We hear *

pieces of the conversation, and see Truman in different parts *

of the room as he says each bit. *

TRUMAN (ON PHONE)

. . . never had anything like this

happen to them before. They 're

used to sleeping at night with the

doors unlatched.... (laughs) Yes,

we should buy stock in Master Locksall

of Kansas will be in the

hardware store tomorrow.

Jump to -

TRUMAN (ON PHONE)

They have no idea who the killer

is. But it doesn't matter who the

killer is -- what matters is who

the townspeople imagine the killer

is. That's what I want to write

about.

Jump to - *

TRUMAN (ON PHONE)

I 'm gonna need some help. . . . . I'm

thinking about Nelle - she can

protect me.. . . JACK DUNPHY (strong, Irish-American, ten years older than *

Truman) - his longtime boyfriend - enters the front door with

a bag of groceries, stops in the hall. He sees Truman on the

phone. Truman looks at Jack, though he's still speaking to *

Shawn - *

Green

TRUMAN (ON PHONE)

I want to leave tonight ...

SMASH CUT TO:
*

A train barrels toward us, its headlight bright. The train

roars past, away from the city.

INT . TRAIN, MOVING - NIGEIT

Truman hurries through the train, checking his ticket with

the sleeper cabins. His long SCARF trails behind. His

longer cashmere COAT practically brushes the floor.

INT. TRUMAN AND HARPER LEE '8 CABIN, TRAIN - CONTINUOUS 9 *

Truman opens the door. Inside the cabin his childhood friend

from Monroeville, Alabama, NELLE HARPER LEE (yes, that Harper

Lee), is reading. She looks up, deadpan -

NELLE:

I figured you'd missed it.

Nelle is a year younger than Truman, dowdy in dress, but

smart, tough, sensible. Truman smiles.

TRUMAN:

God I'm glad you agreed to come.

TRUMAN:

You're the only one I know with the

qualifications to be both a

research assistant and personal

bodyguard.

(then, noticing)

Oh, Nelle, you poor thing.

He tries to spruce up her limp silk scarf.

NELLE:

Off. Truman. Off.

(holds his hands)

I'm happy to see you too, but I can

still whip your behind.

TWO BLACK PORTERS enter, one with an enormous TRUNK

(Truman's), the other with a sensible SUITCASE (Nelle's).

PORTER #1

(reading tags)

Mr. Truman Capote, Miss '~elle

Harper Lee. Where would you like

these, sir?

TRUMAN:

That one up there and that one on

the floor.

He tips them.

NELLE:

What all did you bring?

PORTER #2

Thank you greatly, sir. It's an

honor to have you with us. If you

don't mind my saying, your last

book was even better than the firstTRUMAN

You're sweet.

PORTER #2

Just when you think they've gotten

as good as they can get.

TRUMAN:

Thank you. You're very kind.

PORTER #I

(to Nelle)

Ma'am.

The PORTERS leave. Nelle is stunned. Truman fiddles with

the trunk locks, his back to Nelle. Silence, then:

NELLE:

You're pathetic.

Truman doesn't answer.

Green

NELLE (cont ' d)

You're pathetic.

TRUMAN:

What?

NELLE:

You paid them to say that.

Truman won't look at her. She whacks him.

NELLE (cont ' d)

You paid them to say that!

TRUMAN:

(squealing)

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