Is 'Pale Blue Eye' a True Story? Christian Bale and Cast Talk Netflix Film

In The Pale Blue Eye, Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling) is given his first real taste of the macabre—a theme that the author came to define in the world of Gothic literature in the 19th century.

The Netflix film, which landed on the platform on Friday, follows the writer in his early days as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point where he offers his services to disgruntled detective Augustus Landor (Christian Bale) with his newest, most puzzling case.

Landor is investigating the death of a man from the Military Academy, who was found hanged with his heart cut clean from his body in mysterious circumstances that will take all of Landor's wits and Poe's sleuthing ability to solve.

Actors Bale and Melling, and their co-star Lucy Boynton told Newsweek what it was like to make the film, directed by Scott Cooper.

Is 'The Pale Blue Eye' a True Story? Christian Bale and Cast Talk Netflix Film

The Pale Blue Eye may feature a real-life character in Poe but the story is in fact a work of fiction based on a book of the same name by Louis Bayard. Despite this though, the movie draws on a number of events from The Raven author's life.

Melling, who brings Poe to life onscreen, told Newsweek he thought it was smart to blend fact and fiction together so seamlessly.

"It was really clever thing with the narrative, which is you're taking fact—he did go to West Point in 1830s—but then spreading this Edgar Allan Poe-esque narrative into that. I thought it was such an interesting idea," Melling said.

Melling was keen to draw on Poe's family history to inform his portrayal, saying that it helped him understand the author's "sense of place in the world."

"His early life was really fascinating in that his dad disappeared and passed away, his mom passed away when he was very young, he was adopted by John Allan, who then moved to London. He didn't have a very good relationship with John Allan," the actor explained.

"I thought this is a man without roots. This is a man who is constantly trying to invent himself as this young poet, he wants to be interesting to other people—all of that stuff was really interesting.

"Certainly, in terms of his look, it's such a particular look. I knew I had to somehow engage in that, and the physicality of him was so specific. I had to somehow get the balance between having those moments of flourishing eccentricities but also anchoring him very much in this soulfulness, which is very much in Scott's script. So, all those things were fun to play with."

Boynton, who plays the mysterious Lea Marquis with whom Poe falls in love, said she felt the use of fiction and reality was essential: "I really love that element of it because I think it anchors the audience.

"I think, even if you're not familiar with the full spectrum of his work, you know the tone that he explores, and you know the kind of person that he is as a staple of the Gothic genre. So, I think that immediately anchors the audience and understanding [of] the tone of the film."

Bale called the film—his third collaboration with director Cooper—a work of historical fiction as he reflected on the truth behind the drama.

"He was older than most of the other cadets and he was not an exemplary cadet whatsoever," Bale said of Poe. "He did get kicked out, so there is some fact in there. And then I asked Louis (the author), did he write it as a detective story and then decided to include Poe? And he said 'no.' He's a huge Poe fan and he always wondered how Poe became Poe, so that was the basis for this story."

On Augustus Landor and Edgar Allan Poe

According to Bale, Landor is someone who "breaks every rule" and is "a detective who believed in law and order throughout his entire life, and then suddenly finds his life thrown into disarray" at the point at which he's given the aforementioned case.

"He thinks his stories are behind him," The Dark Knight star said. "But actually, his most important stories, that he will be remembered for, are ahead of him, and the people who will come to define [them] are still ahead of him.

"He's a hard-drinking, rough man, who then is hugely influenced by this young poet who initially he just sort of dismisses and almost despises, but just can't help but find very enigmatic and charismatic as well."

It was important for Bale, who also produced the film, that he and Cooper focus on how the events of The Pale Blue Eye might be recognizable to fans of Poe's work, and a plausible explanation for his love for the macabre.

"Poe became very interested in all of that as he got older. Scott and I, intentionally, always look through the script and think if we're fortunate enough for someone to watch it a second time, what are the things that you'll be able to see?

"What are the clues that we are giving away, but hopefully not too much in the first watch? So once people understand what's happening in the story, they can enjoy seeing the seeds that we did plant throughout, which is a risk.

"It's a great risk because it's very tricky to see the forest for the trees when you're in it. What's too much, what's too little? So I tried to give Scott a bit of choice in the edit room of things that you could see and enjoy a second viewing, which I won't go into too much. I don't want to ruin the first viewing."

On the Occult and Poe's Fascination With It

Murder and mystery are not the only dark subjects to be tackled in The Pale Blue Eye, as there is also the occult that plays a part in the mystery Landor and Poe are attempting to solve.

Boynton said she found it particularly interesting how the occult plays a part in Lea's storyline, and that of the Marquis family, in the film.

"It's such a fascinating arc for a character and one that I really empathize with—that's a dangerous thing to say, but I really understand her journey completely," the Bohemian Rhapsody star said. "Because when you realize how ill she is, you understand—you get glimpses of her at the beginning of the film where she has much more color in her cheeks, she's much more lively and well.

"And then, as you start to see that fade, you realize what a hopeful person she is, and how much she really does love and enjoy life, and it being drained out of her is such devastation to her that she'll go to any lengths to protect herself and to hold onto the life that everyone else just gets to have.

"And so, having that as the anchor of her journey made a lot of sense for where we were able to go with her. It really grounded that whole thing and meant that I could take the arc of that character far and wide, because you have that truth at the center of it that you can just, intellectually, make so much sense of."

The occult themes come to a head in one dramatic scene that features Boynton, Melling, Bale, Gillian Anderson, and Harry Lawtey.

"It was really intense but I really enjoyed it," Boynton said of the scene. "I think it's so satisfying as an actor to get to go to the extremes of human emotion. I mean, you never get the opportunity to do so in a socially acceptable way in real life, so to get to do that on set is a complete gift.

"Again, really understanding how it just made sense, I never questioned how far I ought to go. It also was at the very end of filming, it was our last few days, so it felt like a purge of everything that I had been holding on to.

"And then also doing it in the environment [with] those actors and those crew and craftsmen, and our director, who all take their art so seriously and have so much respect for it, you feel really safe to just explore and really dive in and take risks.

"There's no sense of self-consciousness in that process, and so that was a really new experience, and it was really fun."

The Pale Blue Eye is out on Netflix now.