''Trilogy'' (also released as ''Truman Capote's Trilogy'') is a 1969 American

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Frank Perry and written by

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics ...

. It was listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, but the festival was cancelled due to the events of

May 1968 in France May 68 () was a period of widespread protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France that began in May 1968 and became one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Initially sparked by student demonstrations agains ...

. Capote co-wrote the script with

Eleanor Perry Eleanor Perry (née Rosenfeld; nom-de-plume Oliver Weld Bayer, October 13, 1914 – March 14, 1981) was an American screenwriter and author.''Variety'' "Eleanor Perry Obituary" March 17, 1981 Film critic Charles Champlin fondly remembered Perry ...

. It includes an adaptation of one of Capote's most well-known short stories, "

A Christmas Memory "A Christmas Memory" is a short story by Truman Capote. Originally published in '' Mademoiselle'' magazine in December 1956, it was reprinted in ''The Selected Writings of Truman Capote'' in 1963. It was issued in a stand-alone hardcover edition ...

," which Capote narrates. The

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

includes

Martin Balsam Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. He had a prolific career in character roles in film, in theatre, and on television. An early member of the Actors Studio, he began his career on the New ...

Mildred Natwick Mildred Natwick (June 19, 1905 – October 25, 1994) was an American actress. She won a Primetime Emmy Award and was nominated for an Academy Award and two Tony Awards. Early life Natwick was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Mildre ...

Geraldine Page Geraldine Sue Page (November 22, 1924June 13, 1987) was an American actress. With a career which spanned four decades across film, stage, and television, Page was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Geraldine Page, numer ...

and

Maureen Stapleton Lois Maureen Stapleton (June 21, 1925 – March 13, 2006) was an American actress. She received numerous accolades becoming one of the few actors to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting winning an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award ...

Plot

Miriam

The first story, "

Miriam Miriam (, lit. ‘rebellion’) is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The Torah refers to her as "Miria ...

," is about a former governess, Miss Miriam Miller, who is aging, lonely and no longer able to find work. One day, at a New York movie theater, she encounters a young girl, also named Miriam, who then repeatedly turns up uninvited at Miss Miller's apartment, angrily smashing a vase and going through the older lady's jewelry case, asking if she can keep a valuable brooch. Miss Miller goes to neighbors, telling them of a girl who refuses to leave her alone. A quarrel develops, during which Miss Miller accidentally pushes the girl through an open window. But when she enters the next room, Miriam is still there, and it becomes apparent Miss Miller could be a victim of her own delusions and imagination. ;Cast *

as Ms. Miriam Miller * Susan Dunfee as Miriam * Beverly Ballard as Nina * Jane Connell as Mrs. Connolly * Carol Gustafson as Ms. Lake * Richard Hamilton – Man in Automat

Among the Paths to Eden

The second story, "Among the Paths to Eden," takes place in Calvary Cemetery. Ivor Belli is visiting his wife's grave at Calvary Cemetery at 49-02 Laurel Hill Blvd, Woodside, NY 11377 when a lonely spinster, Mary O'Meaghen, strikes up a conversation. They share an appreciation for singer Helen Morgan and memories of their past lives. Mary then invites Ivor to dinner, but he declines. As he leaves Calvary Cemetery, Mary then follows another lonely man to try to converse with him, and persuade him to marry her. ;Cast *

as Ivor Belli *

as Mary O'Meaghan

A Christmas Memory

The final story, "

," concerns a young boy named Buddy and the tender recollections he has of a poor childhood and the holidays he spent with two aunts and Sook, a considerably older, beloved female cousin. After wrapping fruitcakes as gifts and chopping down a tree, Buddy and Sook spend a last Christmas together, opening gifts and flying kites together, before Buddy's departure from home to attend a military school. Melancholy overwhelms him at the memory of Sook's passing and how they never saw each other again. ;Cast *

as the Narrator (voice) *

as Sook * Donnie Melvin as Buddy

Reception

Howard Thompson of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' was impressed: "...

he film He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

quietly says and conveys more about the human heart and spirit than most of today's free-wheeling blastaways on the screen. Delicately, it towers." Geraldine Page would go on to win both the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress, as well as the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama, for her turn in the production. Director Frank Perry was nominated for the Golden Spike prize at the

Valladolid International Film Festival The Valladolid International Film Festival, popularly known as Seminci (short for ; ), is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain. First held in 1956 as ('Valladolid Religious Film Week'), the Seminci is one of the longest-standing fi ...

References

External links

* {{Truman Capote 1969 films 1969 drama films American anthology films American drama films Films directed by Frank Perry Films based on American short stories Films based on works by Truman Capote 1960s English-language films 1960s American films