'In Cold Blood' with Kat Candler at Cinema Club

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By Rachel Hudson

Whether referencing Truman Capote's spine-tingling novel In Cold Blood or Richard Brooks' blood-curdling 1967 film of the same name, the chilling tale of the Clutter family murder is undoubtedly horrifying and incredible. The movie In Cold Blood tells the story magnificently, and there is no better place to see the in-your-face cinematography of Conrad Hall and truly remarkable acting of literally every character, principal or minor, than on the big screen.

The Alamo Drafthouse is home to the Cinema Club series, which screens movies that the programmers have deemed to be essential classic films from cinema history. Each month, two of the programmers and a prominent film historian introduce the film and then lead a discussion afterwards.

For In Cold Blood, the film historian was Kat Candler, an independent filmmaker (Hellion, Love Bug) and film instructor based here in Austin. Candler's enthusiasm and passion for film and In Cold Blood were palpable and contagious, and the two programmers who spoke with her had done their homework, and had many interesting factoids to share about the production of the film. Do you know how Capote chose Brooks to direct the film adaptation of his novel? According to one programmer, Capote and Brooks both attended a dinner party at which John Huston was berating each and every guest. Brooks was the only man who didn’t cry when given hell by Huston, and Capote took notice.

Did you know that the studio didn’t want to hire unknowns to play Dick and Perry, the two murderers? Brooks chose Robert Blake to play Perry Smith and Scott Wilson to play Dick Hickock, to whom he bears a striking resemblance. The studio complained and tried to get Paul Newman and Steve McQueen into the roles, but Brooks stood his ground, and thank goodness! Having stars play the parts would have changed the essence of the film, not to mention we would have missed the superb performances given by Blake and Wilson.

There were plenty of these pieces of trivia, but the best part of the evening was undoubtedly the movie In Cold Blood itself, in all its stunning and emotional glory, projected onto a big screen in a theater full to the brim with cinema lovers. If you are looking to improve your film vocabulary and expand your knowledge of classic cinema, stop before you click that Play button on Netflix Watch Instantly and make sure the film you are about to view on a tiny screen with little earbuds in, all alone curled up in bed, isn’t being screened somewhere in Austin in the near future. The best environment to explore cinema and develop a passion for what you are watching is to watch it with people who match, or even exceed, your love and knowledge so you can soak it up and revel in it.

Rachel Hudson is an intern at the Austin Film Society.

Re 'In Cold Blood' with Kat Candler at Cinema Club

I live out of town and can't make all the great film events in Austin. This piece gave me a glimpse into what I missed. I hope to make it out to future Cinema Club screenings and discussions. Very neat stuff!