♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
How's the light? Is it good?
Is-is the light warm enough?
I want to look like a geisha,
only two eyes and two little nostrils.
All smoothed out, baby. [chuckles]
[Jacob] The Monet, of course, Low Tide
has a breadth to it, a sweep.
The Manet, the flowers, less drama and scope.
[Truman] Monet, Manet.
Let's call the whole thing off.
[Babe and Truman laugh]
[Babe] Well, the Monet is very alluring.
But the Manet, breathtaking.
Two Roses, a very late picture.
Mm, it has great freedom, Jacob.
Mastery.
Concentrated power.
[Jacob] Well, Mrs. Paley,
I think the thing is, he's at an age
where he's liberated.
Mr. Horn, it's not liberation.
He's dying.
Syphilis.
We can speak the word "syphilis."
We're grown-ups.
-Well, I'm not sure if I am. -[all laugh]
Then came gangrene and an amputated leg.
He could no longer even handle a big canvas.
[Jacob] Precisely.
Exactly. Sad.
No, not sad.
Such glorious delicacy,
just brimming with how briefly nature lets
beauty remain beautiful.
[chuckles softly]
The roses telegraph their own decay.
A memento mori.
It has so much wall power.
The Manet over the Monet.
[Truman and Babe chuckle]
Oh, I could
fix my hair.
Or something. Extra lipstick.
♪ ♪
I didn't say only eat oysters before... [laughs]
-One hour before? -No.
She's telling me the secret to romance.
[both laughing]
My dear, what I want to know is why you love me.
I mean, God knows I'm not easy to love. [laughs]
No, you're not. [laughs]
I love you because you understand.
You just catch on very quickly.
You're like a very smart parakeet.
Mm! [laughs]
But seriously.
Why does our friendship mean so much to you?
We talk several times a day.
We vacation together.
Tell the people. [laughs]
Well, um...
I'm proud of you.
You, uh...
[clicks tongue, sighs]
I-I just think it's very important
to find something admirable about someone in order
to love them unconditionally, which I do with you.
I do.
And you...
[sighs softly]
Original.
And more than that, loyal.
Loyalty is everything.
Uh, you can be called upon in any circumstance.
Is that why you want to buy me a house?
You won't let me. [laughs]
I suggested it would be nice to have him
close on Long Island.
What a blessing to have someone you love close at hand.
Well, dear...
...for me...
...you know, you are just the beginning and the end.
Hmm.
Just...
the absolute center of my world, you know that?
You're gonna make me cry.
Well, I mean it.
[sighs]
something about a man with a camera.
I mean a proper camera.
Holding it like a bazooka.
-[laughter] -To kill you with.
-Oh. -[Slim] Are they married?
The Maysles brothers?
[Lee] No, and, Slim, please don't devour them.
They're artists.
[Truman chuckles]
Well, if no one else is gonna say it, I will.
I find it impossible to be one's self with that thing on.
It's absolutely intrusive.
You have nothing to fear but bad lighting.
-[laughter] -Good point.
[Lee] David and Albert are dear friends of mine,
and I think it's very important that we document this.
Besides, Truman has
approval over everything they shoot.
Where are they?
Oh, mwah!
The entire point of the film... to be clear,
is-is not to document
the riveting lunch habits, for God's sake,
of New York society. [stammers]
It's an exploration, it's a celebration.
Of the meaning of the unparalleled success
-that Truman is experiencing. -[chuckles]
Yes, we just want to help him...
capture the moment.
[Truman] This has never happened to anybody before.
The product of my immersion into that hell--
and it was hell--
captures the attention of the world and outsells the Bible.
So that is why I am going to have
this very special party.
A masked ball, a Black and White Ball
for all the most important people
in the world.
[Lee] You mean the kind that European royals
used to have before being guillotined?
[laughter]
Where?
As far from Monroeville, Alabama
as you can get, baby.
The Ballroom at the Plaza Hotel.
And there will be a guest of honor...
[Slim gasps]
...whom I will announce
at the right moment.
-Truman. Oh! -[Truman laughs]
-Mm. -[Albert] So, Slim,
who do you think will be guest of honor,
you?
It makes the most sense.
Doesn't it?
You see our connection.
Salinas, California is not so different to where he's from.
These small...
rural towns that made us.
[chuckles]
I taught him how to dress for this life.
How to stand in it.
The difference between fashion and style.
I read all the drafts
of Cold Blood.
What's happening with Truman right now
in this moment...
I mean, it's not something I want, but...
It is about what I've done here, isn't it?
Which is?
We made New York the capital of the world.
The center of everything.
And who is at the center of that center?
I ask you.
Who?
Hmm?
[laughs]
[C.Z.] And how do you choose the guests?
[Truman] That, my dear, is almost self-selection.
I mean, let's face it,
when you look at who's important in the world
right now, there is a hierarchy.
But it's not as vulgar as one of wealth.
No, it's a meritocracy
of those of us who have done things.
[sighs]
All the people my mother dreamed of
back in Alabama that drove her to New York
and that she hoped to be intimate with.
She would've been in awe. [chuckles]
Truman, yes, he, uh...
People think of him as outgoing, but it's an act.
Like me, he's shy.
But he refuses to be ruled by fear.
So...
he becomes central.
[David] Truman says your only fault is that you're perfect.
-[laughs] -What does that mean?
I'm not perfect.
It's a joke. [laughs]
I try, but, no.
Nobody is.
[chuckles]
There seems to be a natural connection
between gay men and very glamorous women.
Why do you think that is?
Well, we see the importance of presentation.
That's how we defend ourselves.
Underneath, though, is someone who's
just trying to control their environment.
It's a defense.
Did you offer to buy Truman a house?
I don't see the need to discuss that.
[stammers]
Bill was absorbing some properties
adjacent to us, so...
Do you think it will be you?
The guest of honor at Truman's ball.
[short laugh]
I don't need an honorary ball
to know that Truman and I have a singular bond.
It's, well, it's something every woman deserves,
to be made to feel like the most important person in the world
by a man who truly loves her.
Of course, in my marriage I feel that way, too.
[chuckles]
White tablecloths? No!
Absolutely not.
But the theme is black and white.
Which means you have room for a pop of color.
Red tablecloths.
-Yes. -You're my guardian angel.
-[chuckles] -Barry!
You, of course, know Mrs. Paley.
Barry is the general manager of the Plaza.
-Mrs. P. So good to see you. -And you.
[Truman] And, Babe, have you met Lisa?
She's outside council from Gallery Artists and Company.
They help plan parties and assist with public relations,
and Lord knows I need help there,
because the press is hounding me for the guest list,
absolutely braying.
Hello. How do you do, Mrs. Paley?
Mm.
Lisa, share what you're planning for the tables.
White orchids in mercury glass.
Chicken hash, your favorite, Mr. Capote.
And a signature cocktail,
that daiquiri punch.
Yes.
It's not a Labor Day barbecue.
Excuse me. [soft chuckle]
[Truman] Can you wait right there?
Can you please just excuse me? So...
As it happens, and I didn't know this,
the chippy in the ballroom was Bill Paley's
latest piece of east-side ass.
[groans]
Sometime women need help being stronger.
And this is something I can do.
My advice is...
...dispense with the emotion.
Play the strong wife.
Don't let the understudy replace you.
Life itself is a masquerade ball.
[speaking French]
...baby. [chuckles]
[Babe sobbing]
What? Just confront him?
Well, you have to come from a place of power.
Get all your tears out on me.
-Oh, Truman. -Come on.
I thought Happy Rockefeller was the last time.
No, it never ended. I knew it.
The minute I saw that horrible girl,
-I knew the rumors were true. -You have to confront it.
Tell him to get rid of it right away
-or there will be big consequences, divorce. -[sniffles]
-Shareholder lunches. -Show him you're not gonna stand for it.
Yes, but those luncheons. Those shareholders alone.
-If it were known he got a girl pregnant-- -Well, exactly.
[whispers] My God. We...
I love... I mean, all of these are beautiful.
But I think this one...
Albert, what do you think?
I love the blue interior,
which is kind of dark and exciting.
[Babe and Bill arguing in distance]
And this...
-[Bill] I don't! -...keep telling lies upon lies!
-[Bill] It's not a lie, goddamn it! -[chuckles softly]
[Babe] Go to the hotel. I don't care.
I like the gold edge on it.
[door slams in distance]
[footsteps approaching]
[door shuts]
Hi, sweetie.
Tell me they're not filming.
Oh, no, don't worry, dear heart. I own every frame.
-Nobody will see anything we don't want them to. -Okay.
Now, boys, equipment off. Equipment off.
Thank you.
Now, equipment off.
Yes, he's going to the Carlyle.
For the next week.
Well, good. Hmm.
Well, I wanted to take you through all of these--
Truman.
-Oh-- [clicks tongue] -They're still recording.
-Shut it off! David, I told you! -Please.
-Shut it off. Please. -Oh.
-[Babe] Shall we start? -Turn it.
Okay.
Invitation paper must always be 100-pound premium matte stock.
Uh-huh.
-[chuckles] -And have it individually cut.
Now, this... [exhales]
Ivory is overused.
I like...
sand dollar.
That's what this is, I think.
-[chuckles softly] -Now, this is just a template,
but it should read something like...
"Truman Capote
"cordially invites you to a ball
celebrating..."
Madame X.
[Bill] That "X" is where
Babe's name goes, right?
All will be revealed, Mr. Paley.
[chuckling softly]
This is so beautiful.
It's very important to have a crisp edge.
Never deckled.
-Fascinating. -Yes.
That will make it perfect.
Everything must always be just perfect--
no less, no more.
Perfect.
You see, this moment in America's...
This gilded age is so extraordinary.
Nobody ever sees "society."
The dance of old moneys
commingling with the new.
All the rules they have.
That's what this is,
that's what we're documenting.
An American royalty and the rituals enshrined therein.
The story's never been told.
And the devil is in the detail, of course,
because their lives are positively Proustian.
If you can get in.
Their tables, their invitations,
their who's-whos.
The scandal behind the luster. Mm.
Like when I made you shoot C.Z.'s painting
when she wasn't in the room. [chuckles]
-[creaking] -[whispers] Hurry.
[door closes]
So you see,
even the fabulously rich are naked under their clothes.
Before she was a goddess of the gilded cage,
C.Z. was a free-spirited girl living in Mexico City,
enamored of a painter named Diego Rivera,
and aching for a bohemian life she could never have.
The girl, like the painting,
would ultimately have to be curated.
Bought and paid for by her new husband,
Winston Guest.
And hidden away here,
a joke for the very few insiders.
-[footsteps approaching] -She's here.
Cameras off. Cameras off.
C.Z., dear. [chuckles]
Come to my rescue. I want to shoot the conservatory.
I'm all... turned around.
Is it-- It's this way, is it?
-This way, Truman. -I think so.
-To the left. -Mm.
But...
...they also have great pain, these women.
It's all a masquerade, you see.
Because underneath the glamour:
pain.
Ballerina pain.
Gnarled feet.
Because it is dance,
requiring...
stamina and endurance.
And I love them for that rigor.
But for some reason, I have to protect them
and... maybe shock them a bit into being on guard against...
...what the world will do.
Because the world is a cruel audience, you see.
[Albert] Where do you think that comes from?
The need to protect them.
Oh, Albert.
[chuckles]
Murderers, artists,
accountants and socialites alike--
our mothers give us our most engrained patterns.
And mine,
she was the torchbearer of unbreakable patterns.
What are you--
Wait.
Slowly, C....
[quietly] You should be rolling on this.
Say again?
The IRS?
They're coming now?
Listen to me, C.Z.,
pour three fingers of single malt, rocks.
I'll be there by the third.
Come on. Get in the car.
-[David] Where are we heading? -Get in the car.
-Let's go. Let's go, let's go. -[stammers]
[Albert] God, you're so good with 'em.
How did you get so indispensable to them?
How do you get 'em eating out of the palm of your hand?
No one is indispensable.
It's all conditional.
It's a subtle contract.
You got to give me some tips, man.
Oh, Jesus. I play the part.
It's all a performance.
You can do it.
They pick men who are rich but who cannot act.
And right now, with Winston and C.Z.,
if he had a clue how to play it, none of this would be happening.
Does it give you a sense of purpose,
being able to swoop in and fix it?
It does, I think.
-Goddamn it, are you filming me? -[chuckles]
You're gonna catch something you don't want to see,
leaving me alone in the back seat with your brother.
[laughing]
Now, don't worry. I won't try anything now.
We're ten minutes away. [chuckles softly]
[Albert] And why are we going to C.Z.'s again?
So I can swoop in and fix it.
As I do.
[car door shuts]
[soft chatter]
-All right? -Yeah.
♪ ♪
[dog barking in distance]
Stop. I promise it will work out.
[sniffling]
Pretend you're in a movie.
-[exhales] -You've been through worse
and made it to the top and you'll do it again.
Winston's a silly supporting character.
-You were the hero. -[cries]
The humiliation of it.
The phones are ringing now. [sniffles]
All over the Eastern Seaboard.
It's gotten out.
"G-Men at the Winston Guest's."
Act the part.
Joan of Arc.
Look, my dear,
you are gonna show up with me at the ball.
My arm.
-Yes. That's right. -[sniffles]
-[sighs] -Because everything will be about only one thing,
and that is you.
The swan who survives.
[sniffles] Oh, Truman. [sighs]
-Really? -Come on.
-[cries] -Yeah.
And you don't get the same support from your husband?
Truman said men sometimes have a hard time playing the part.
"Playing the part."
Winston was unimpeachable.
If Mexican Airlines nationalizes,
that's not his fault.
Could have happened to anyone.
Was Truman critical of Winston?
[Albert inhales sharply]
Did Truman ask you to be guest of honor?
For the ball?
Not in so many words, but...
As a matter of fact, this afternoon, I believe he did.
It's just a party, but...
God, I could really use some good news today.
[grunts, exhales]
[dog barks softly, whines]
Shut this off.
[shudders] I'm a private woman.
[crying softly]
[Albert] So is it official?
C.Z.'s gonna be the guest of honor at the ball?
Oh, dear. [sighs]
Well, yes and no.
I intimated it,
but don't go spreading it around.
I have to handle the others.
I love them, but they frighten me.
They really do.
You've seen what Slim is capable of.
That temper.
[chuckles]
It's a long list.
We've got a lot of work to do.
-Carson McCullers? -[Slim] Oof.
Cross her off the list.
All the charm of a rusty railroad spike.
-No intention, dear heart. -[chuckles]
[laughing]
Walter Hoving, the chairman of Tiffany's,
said his wife was gonna kill herself
if she didn't make the list.
Tried to bribe me with a silver breakfast service.
Well, it should have been gold. Off the list!
-Exactly what I said. -[laughs]
After all the free publicity I gave him.
You know who's been hounding me?
Jerry fucking Zipkin.
Wait, the man with a face like a bidet?
[laughing]
[Nora] We can make this in white, too,
or peacock or even ostrich.
[Truman] Danny Kaye?
[Slim] Hmm.
Yul Brynner?
Ooh. Not him.
He exposed himself to me in the hallway at Bemelmans.
Well, well.
I'm not afraid to say that for the camera,
because I know you'll never use any of it.
[chuckles] I wouldn't dare.
-[laughing] -Yeah.
Or you'd be cut off from all high society.
And I know you, Truman--
that would kill you.
Yul Brynner, not a man of a great many gifts down below.
[Truman] Well, all the men at the ball
must be appropriately sized.
-Out! [chuckles] -[chuckling] Out.
And of course, no Pamela.
[Truman] What? Pamela Harriman?
What?
-No. -But, Big Mama,
-I-I already sent it out. -Tell me you didn't.
-I had to. -Oh, my God, fuck you, Truman.
-No. -Goddamn you.
Slim, you have to understand.
Don't run out.
What is there to understand? She stole my husband
out from under my nose, blithely,
as if it were a boulevard fucking comedy.
-I understand you were hurt, but I... -She stole my...
...I had to make considerations.
Fuck your considerations, Truman!
Are you saying that there is no cost to this perfidy?
"Perfidy"? Don't Shakespeare me, Slim.
Come on, it's politics. I had to.
I will not be the fucking entertainment
at this party, Truman. I'm telling you, I won't do it.
Now, you uninvite her.
She stole my goddamn husband, and you know
I'm still not recovered from that.
Stop that. Stop it! For fuck's sake.
Look. Come here.
Sit down there. Sit down. Sit down.
-Look in the mirror. -[Slim sighs]
Look.
You are being insane.
This is not a competition.
In life, you already won, ages ago.
Pamela is a point on the map of our world, nothing more.
She should be irrelevant to you.
This is absolutely unacceptable behavior from you.
I love you dearly, but I'm through
discussing this with you. Clean yourself up.
Let's go, please. I have to go.
[Slim] I'm not coming out there
till he's gone. Is he gone?
-He's gone. -Okay.
[quietly] Fucking hell.
Could they be gone now? Goodbye, thank you.
Have a nice day. Ta-ta. Ta. Ta.
[Albert] Anything you want to say about the fight?
That was not a fight.
[laughs]
I was just...
I was trying to explain to Truman that,
if Pamela comes, Leland will come,
and he will be uncomfortable.
It's not about me. Really. It's about Leland.
My ex-husband wears his emotions on his sleeve.
He's... He's not, um, strong.
[Albert] Do you think most men are like that?
Not as strong as women?
I think when a man sees strength in a woman,
it's so, so, so intimidating. [laughs]
Mm.
Look... [chuckles]
...if you are a strong, intelligent woman
in this world,
you have two options.
You can dumb yourself down, which I refuse to do,
or you can accept that you will always be
fundamentally alone.
[chuckles]
You try. You try again and again,
but nobody lasts.
Except Truman... [laughs] ...of course.
He felt so bad about that snafu earlier
that he asked me--
shh--
...to be the guest of honor.
So, ha!
I can handle seeing Pamela.
Truman was right. It's about the social context.
♪ Twist, yeah ♪
♪ Baby, twist ♪
♪ Ooh, yeah... ♪
[Truman] He had his way-down-yonder voice,
mushy as sweet potato pie.
And he said, "No, little buddy,
"I don't want to cornhole you.
I just want to put out my cigar."
[both laugh]
I'm not going to explain it to you. Or do you want me to?
Come on, I'll show you. [laughs]
♪ Crazy ♪
♪ I've been crazy... ♪
[Truman] This is my secret weapon.
I take him for one more whirl
-at the end of the night. -[chuckles]
Be the last ones dancing.
Their husbands won't do it, but I will.
I make them feel seen
and safe.
I feel bad for them, you know?
Their lives... They got everything they wanted,
-but they're so sad. -Mm.
It reminds me of a quote, Saint Theresa of Avila.
Something like, "More tears are shed
over answered prayers than unanswered ones."
♪ Why do I let myself worry? ♪
Answered prayers. Answered prayers.
♪ What in the world did I do? ♪
Thank you, Albert.
Thank you.
[laughing]
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
♪ ♪
[laughter]
♪ ♪
[indistinct conversations]
[Truman] Well, I feel like a Christmas present
tied up with a big red bow. [laughs]
Do I look flushed?
I must have run about 40 miles
between greeting everyone and scuffing the parquet.
And, yes, I might have had a glass of champagne.
Possibly two. [chuckles]
Did you get all the arrivals, Albert, did you get them all?
[conversating indistinctly]
♪ ♪
Bill.
[Truman gasps]
Oh, my goodness.
[chuckling]
-You're gorgeous. -Thank you.
You're so kind.
[laughs]
You are incredible.
-Perfect. -Amazing.
[Albert] How are you feeling, Katharine?
-Oh. Uh... Terrified. [laughs] -Having a good evening.
Luckily, I've got Tru. And a mask, so...
[Albert] How did you come to pick Katharine
as your guest of honor?
Well, in every category, you know,
she's just tens across the board.
There's beauty and brains, of course,
but what it really comes down to is bravery.
She's got a story.
Her husband killed himself a few years back
with a shotgun.
It's no fault of hers. He was mentally unstable.
But Katharine pulled herself up,
singlehandedly raised the children,
and now she's running the Washington Post.
It's a true American success story.
That's what we're here for tonight.
It's, uh... The American dream is alive and well.
[chuckles]
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter, laughter]
[Albert] What do you think of Kay as guest of honor?
I knew it wasn't going to be me.
It's not about that.
Kay is a national figure.
None of us wanted it.
It would have sown jealousies. I didn't want that.
You know, this evening is for Kay, as it should be.
♪ ♪
[Albert] What did you think about Kay as guest of honor?
Oh, I-I'm very happy for Kay.
Yes, a woman at the very top of the news business
-in this country. Right? -That's right.
There ought to be more Kay Grahams
running companies, right, Bill?
-That's right. -She deserves it.
[Albert] But did you think it would be you?
Well, that wasn't even a consideration, really,
that I entertained.
No. Why would I...
That's enough, thank you very much, thank you.
♪ ♪
Hi.
[Albert] Everyone is talking about who isn't here.
Well, the point and fun of having a party
is who you don't invite. [laughs]
Mm-hmm.
For example.
♪ ♪
[all cheer]
[laughing]
You shouldn't keep a lady waiting.
Just offer her the light.
Is she even old enough to smoke?
[indistinct chatter]
[woman 1] It's too priceless.
The Winston Guests living in the guest house.
[woman 2] A friend at Skadden Arps said
they're repossessing everything.
[woman 1 laughs] I hope she invested
in a decent mask.
I would not have shown my face tonight.
♪ ♪
Uh, is this the only option for supper?
Yes, ma'am.
But this looks like dog food.
This can't be the only option.
Some people flew all the way from Europe
for this party; this cannot be supper.
Well, so it is, fancy-pants. Grin and bear it.
No scenes tonight, Slim, darling.
Everyone's waiting for one, so let's not.
But one hates to disappoint,
and you're such a natural performer.
Oh, here we go. Two bourbon sours, please.
Oh, so now you've got my ex-husband on brown booze.
Are you here looking for your next victim?
[gasps] Is this the part when you say,
"You stole my man"?
And I retort, "You shouldn't have left Leland
-so unattended." -[laughs] No.
I was just wondering why you're here.
And then I remember no one is as familiar
with the ceilings of rich men's bedrooms
-as you, darling. -Oh...
You shouldn't have come. It's a spectacle.
And I thought you were raised so very well.
How nice to see my wives getting on so well.
I've waited so long for this.
We can't seem to tear ourselves apart.
What is this? Smells like a dead animal.
Chicken hash.
It's all Truman is serving. Can you believe it?
-Can we lose the cameras now? -Hmm.
There are two selves.
The one we present to the world,
and the one we keep hidden away.
But behind a mask, all that's buttoned up.
It's chaotic, marvelous and messy.
It's Carnival. It's everything I've dreamt of
since I was a little boy.
This kind of true nakedness.
Excuse me, Candy.
We appear to have party crashers.
Jesus Christ, isn't this thrilling?
[laughs]
Unmask yourselves, trespassers.
Show your mortal facades.
[woman] Well, I am the Ghost of Christmas Past,
and he's the Ghost of Christmas Future.
That's funny, I don't remember inviting anyone from Dickens.
[both laugh]
[woman] Well...
Ann Woodward. Well, well.
-And this must be your son. -Yes.
-Jimmy. -Hi, Jimmy.
[Ann] We thought it would make you laugh.
And besides, I was practically one of your swans.
[chuckles] No, dear, never a swan.
A peafowl at best.
Really, dear, do leave.
Don't do this to your boy.
Everyone knows.
Everyone here knows your dirty little secret.
They're all whispering about it behind your back.
My dirty little secret, Truman,
is that I still like you.
-Aw. -I mean, it's been frosty
between us,
but we were friends once, you know that.
And you always said that I reminded you of your mother.
Would you kick your mother out of a party like this?
My mother was kicked out of parties like these.
That's why she was miserable and cruel.
And that's why she killed herself.
Goodbye, Ann.
Look, you know that there are at least
a dozen people crashing here.
Yeah, of course there are, but I like them.
You don't have to do this.
I came here tonight for him.
I-I want him to be seen, to get out and...
-I don't want him... -To be ostracized?
Because you shot his father in the face?
Makes perfect sense to me.
What are they doing?
Are you filming me? Why are you filming me?
Mom, please, let's just go before people know...
He can stay. Guards, show this murderess the door.
She told me we were invited.
[Truman] You are like her.
You're a rotten criminal and a lousy mother.
What you're doing to us
is so low.
So poisonous.
One day you will know what this poison tastes like.
And remember, the only unforgiveable sin is
deliberate cruelty.
You wrote that, didn't you?
Well, this is that.
This is that.
[sniffles]
Well, one did write that.
At least we know she was paying attention.
[Frankie Trumbauer's "Taboo" playing]
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
[laughing]
[laughs]
♪ ♪
Don't mind if I do. [laughs]
Oh...
Come on, darling. Oh. What's got into your knickers?
Oh!
I said shut up. Just stop it.
No, I will not. This is my party,
and you will not quiet me into oblivion
with your usual smug superiority.
Oh, come on, guys. Truman, honey,
why don't you drink some coffee?
Okay? We were just having fun.
It was vulgar is what it was.
All of you flopping about like a school of diseased trout
on a Michigan deck,
which, of course, Jack does so naturally,
with his common chorus boy background.
"Okla-homo, where the winds
come sweeping down the plain."
-How dare you. -[Jack] It was boring in there.
People were fleeing the party of the century
from fucking boredom.
It was a dull party, and I was just trying to help.
Why don't we get some of that delicious hash?
Do you want to? Do you want to get some hash?
Where's Johnny?
Fingering a coat-check girl, I'm sure,
as is his wont.
Hi, guys, this is a private
cocktail club conversation.
[Jack] Bullshit.
Nothing's private with you.
Can I just say what a joy it is
to be included in this party?
The best thing about being in Truman's orbit
are just the things like this.
The-the parties, the beautiful people.
[whispering] But the worst part is,
you actually have to pretend to like him
to get in.
♪ ♪
[Albert] Come on, we're friends. Weren't you upset
to be passed over as guest of honor?
-Tell the truth. -[Lee] You know,
it's always refreshing to be reminded
of certain verities.
So, no, I was not.
What verities? You mean facts?
Fact.
[chuckles]
We have a man, a celebrated little man,
trying to outdo himself in a ballet called
Dance of the Seven Trumans.
Wherein he spins himself into butter
for having made so many declarations
to so many friends.
Best friends.
[imitating Truman] "Oh, you're my best friend
"in the world; of course.
"Of course you're the guest of honor, babe.
"I mean Slim. I mean Lee.
I mean..."
Et cetera.
And it's women, always, because he knows that women
are always being betrayed in the world,
and they are hungry for that kind of intimacy.
Here's the fact.
Truman takes advantage of this fear and aloneness.
He makes us into his number-one friend.
He makes himself out to be our great protector,
but really, is he?
So we all thought-- and some of us swans still think--
that he's our best friend.
But here's the truth.
To be a woman is to be very much
out on a limb alone.
So don't pretend that there is such a thing as a best friend,
because even your sister will steal your man.
Mm-mm. Hmm.
Make it higher.
What you're doing to us is so low.
So poisonous.
One day you will know what this poison tastes like.
And remember, the only unforgiveable sin is
deliberate cruelty.
You wrote that, didn't you?
Well, this is that.
This is that. [sniffles]
[projector shuts off]
Albert.
[Albert] Yes?
Hi. [chuckles]
[Albert] Hello.
Can I watch that back again?
[Albert] The whole thing?
The Ann Woodward scene, yes.
And then afterwards, um, the Lee Radziwill interview
in Kenneth's salon.
Is that okay?
Johnson, can you play reel 25 again?
Thank you.
[projector whirring]
[Truman on film] Unmask yourselves, trespassers.
Show your mortal façade.
[Truman] So...
I don't think this idea
of a documentary recording this time in my life works.
It's...
You see, in my opinion...
the material's better as a book.
Tru, we have some extraordinary footage.
Are you worried about how other people are reflected,
or yourself?
A bit of both.
-But I'm itching to write it. -[sighs]
It needs to be written.
It needs words, not pictures.
It needs my clarity, my process of distilling,
the endless jostling that I'm witness to.
You can film it, but... not describe it.
No, Tru. You're not just witness, kid.
You're party to it.
[Albert sighs]
It will make a good book.
You gave me a title, and for that, I am forever grateful.
-Did I? -Answered Prayers.
Answered Prayers.
-[crowd chatter] -[piano plays slow dance music]
[band joins in]
Hmm. Now what is the purpose
of inviting a bunch of celebrities
if you're only going to get them to cover their faces?
I didn't know if you got my invitation, Mother.
I mean, where to send it?
But here you are.
Why would I miss the pinnacle of your existence?
Never miss an opportunity to see or...
to be seen, hmm?
You're too ravishing for words.
I'm speechless.
Well, that is a first.
[Truman laughs]
Isn't this great, Mama?
[Nina] Well, hmm.
The décor?
Balloons? [laughs]
No, but...
Truman, I am very proud.
Oh, you are?
Mm.
Some of the women were upset about
Kay Graham being the guest of honor,
but I had to.
[Nina] I understand.
Shall we go be seen?
♪ ♪
The truth is, there's only one true guest of honor.
I don't know if I ever told you this, Mama,
-but you... -[song ends]
-You're my best friend. -[laughs]
[intro to Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake Waltz" plays]
Well, then... do take your best friend
for a dance, would you, please?
[Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake Waltz" plays]
♪ ♪
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org