I don’t remember if I’ve ever seen the movie In Cold Blood, but I have definitely read Truman Capote’s book on which it is based.

It is one of the best pieces of non-fiction writing ever, I think. Capote spent considerable time with the condemned killers who brutally murdered a family in Kansas in 1959. Based on their descriptions, he meticulously and straight-forwardly recreates the events leading up to and beyond the murders, including the execution of the killers. It is stark, shocking and utterly compelling.

The movie, shot in black and white, naturally steers close to the documentary style of Capote’s book.

One of the killers was played by Robert Blake who, in a grim twist, was himself charged with murder in 2002. (He was acquitted, although doubts remain).

This French poster was not in the greatest shape, but it sold last year nonetheless.