Director Analyzes Paley’s Death Scene in Capote vs. The Swans
The penultimate episode of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans features Babe Paley, played by Naomi Watts, succumbing to cancer and taking her last breath on her bed, estranged from Truman Capote (Tom Hollander). The moment of Paley’s death is intentionally still, a departure from the usual movement and pace of the show, as directed by Jennifer Lynch in episode seven titled “Beautiful Babe”.
Lynch wanted to capture the essence of Babe dying with a focus on stillness, highlighting only her breath and her small presence in the large bed.
Despite some concerns from the DP, Lynch insisted on keeping the camera still to convey the static, somber moment. The positioning of the mourners around Babe’s bedside was carefully choreographed to depict the dynamics within her family.
The delicate scene was captured under a tight time constraint, with less than 90 minutes to set up. The saturated blue palette used in the scene symbolizes the transition between the living and the dead.
This article was originally published in a June issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.