In Cold Blood

This article is about the book and its subsequent adaptations. For the video game, see In Cold Blood (game).

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In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences, by Truman Capote, details the 1959 murders of Herb Clutter, a wealthy farmer from Holcomb, Kansas; his wife, Bonnie; his sixteen-year-old daughter, Nancy; and his fifteen-year-old son, Kenyon, and the aftermath (ISBN 0679745580). Capote claimed that he had created a new type of book, the non-fiction novel, by applying traditional literary conventions to crime reporting. Critics debate whether Capote in fact invented this type of writing.

Related Topics:
Truman Capote - 1959 - Holcomb - Kansas

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Capote learned of the quadruple slaying from a news article in The New York Times. He decided to go to Kansas and write about the murders, even before the killers were captured. He brought his childhood friend and fellow author Harper Lee with him. Together they interviewed the locals and the investigators. Capote and Lee took thousands of pages of notes, and Capote spent years working on the novel.

Related Topics:
The New York Times - Harper Lee

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The story was originally published in serial format in The New Yorker magazine in 1965. It was published as a novel in January 1966.

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The New Yorker - 1965 - 1966

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The 1967 film In Cold Blood was based on Capote's novel. Richard Brooks adapted the novel and directed the film. Portions were actually filmed on location, including at the Clutter residence where the murders were committed. The film stars Robert Blake as Perry Smith, Scott Wilson as Dick Hickock, and John Forsythe as Alvin Dewey.

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1967 - Richard Brooks - Robert Blake - Scott Wilson - John Forsythe

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The 1996 television movie was also based on the novel. In that adaptation Anthony Edwards portrays Dick Hickock, Eric Roberts plays Perry Smith, and Sam Neill plays Alvin Dewey. Although both the theatrical film and the made-for-television movie are faithful to the novel, Brooks used his film to convey an anti-death penalty message.

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1996 - Anthony Edwards - Eric Roberts - Sam Neill

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