A society soap opera unfolds in Capote Vs the Swans, the glamorous new chapter of the Feud anthology series. Tom Hollander leads a breathtaking cast, playing Truman Capote, the writer and social butterfly famous for the novels Breakfast At Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood.
A tremendous raconteur, he became a favourite of New York’s wealthy elite, particularly a group of elegant women he nicknamed The Swans. After years of being their confidant, Capote betrayed them with the magazine serialisation of his new book Answered Prayers. In particular, the chapter “La Côte Basque 1965” was a thinly veiled work of gossip that revealed all their scandalous secrets. Shocked by his actions, the group plot their revenge.
With six of the eight episodes directed by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Milk), Capote Vs the Swans is a fashion magazine come to life, with the costumes and sets dripping with the elegance of the 60s and 70s. It’s not all looks, however, as the show examines the social contracts made by the rich and famous, as well as the price of breaking them. One of the show’s fiercest bonds is between Capote and Babe Paley, played with gusto by Naomi Watts. Their friendship was, in many ways, closer than a marriage, with the subsequent parting being uglier than any divorce. The script isn’t subtle, but in the hands of such talented actors it keeps you clutching your pearls.
It’s reasonable to assume most casual viewers won’t know who The Swans were, and so Feud cleverly casts names you will recognise. While Watts is the standout, there are terrific performances by Diane Lane as society elder Slim Keith; Chloë Sevigny as the grounded and loyal C.Z. Guest; and Calista Flockhart as Lee Radziwill, sister of Jackie Onassis.
On the other side of the feud, you have Hollander on excellent form as Capote. It’s not as intricate a portrayal of the man as Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s 2006 film Capote, but the nature of the show requires something bigger. What is most captivating is the shift between periods. In 1965, Hollander shows Capote in his prime, puffing theatrically at cigarettes as he dazzles dinner tables. Conversely, he lets it all hang out to portray the writer in 1975, strapped for cash and slowly crumbling beneath his addictions. He portrays a man who needs to be around important people, obsessed with secrets and notoriety, to the point where it proves to be his undoing.
Like the previous season of Feud, which focused on the rift between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, Capote Vs The Swans is a delightfully heightened take on cultural history. It may infuriate those who would rather focus on Capote’s talents as a writer, but this opulent quarrel is decidedly binge-worthy.