- It's here where we get a real sense of Edgar Allan Poe
out of his uniform and doing
what he likes to do almost as much as anything,
which is..
- (both) Drink.
- Helps take the bat off the gloom.
Hi, I'm Harry Melling and I play Edgar Allan Poe.
- And I'm Scott Cooper,
the writer and director of The Pale Blue Eye.
- And we're gonna take you through
Poe and Landor's meeting in the bar,
shot by shot.
Fourth Classman Poe, E.A. Poe,
Edgar A. Poe.
- This is a critical scene
in the film because it's really our true introduction
to Edgar Allan Poe.
It's when we really get a sense of who Poe is
and the type of character I think
we're gonna live with for the next two next two hours.
- Yeah.
- Oh, there's the man himself.
Benny knows a man who's in need of a drink when he sees one.
- And here we are in a tavern
that is oft frequented by Augustus Landor,
played by Christian Bale.
This is my pal, Scott Anderson,
who's been in a few of my films
playing Benny the barkeep.
At the end of the bar, if you look closely
you'll see the new United States Senator John Fetterman
from Pennsylvania.
- Ah yes.
It's here that we sense from Patsy that something is amiss.
We know that a young cadet has been found
and his heart has been removed from his chest.
But you can sense that this is leaving the bounds
of West Point and starting to affect
some of the the town's folk.
- Aren't you meant to be in recital?
- Uh... Good evening. Recital?
No, I won't be missed.
They hardly know I'm at the Academy.
And besides, I've learned more in rooms like this
than any classroom.
- I love that moment where we see
that you are trying to cover, you're performing.
But then you realize this might be something
that you weren't quite ready for.
- Absolutely.
And I thought it was a very interesting entry point
for Poe, someone who is a bit floundering,
he's had a bit too much to drink.
Please sit.
Have a.. have a.. - Seat.
- Seat. Thank you.
He's trying to impress Landor, but it's not all working.
- We all are entrenched in having a very strong idea
as to who Poe is and who Poe was.
We think of him as only really kind of dark, tragic,
but what we see here is diametrically opposed to that
because this is Poe in his formative stage,
and that I'm saying that the events that take place
in this film inspire him to become the writer
that we have known and loved.
- The heart is a symbol or it is nothing.
It's a balance between historical fact,
but also weaving this narrative in there.
It is completely fictionalized.
And I thought my approach to Edgar has to be the exact same.
Yes, I need to use the things that are useful
but at the same time,
I need to have the room to invent and reinvent
how we see Poe.
- So tell me,
how'd you learn about Leroy Fry?
- Christian gives quite a restrained performance
and we see here in your performance
and particularly in these moments,
- Yeah.
- That are quite poetic and lyrical.
So you have two different acting styles
for two very different characters
in different places in their lives.
- Christian is the most generous of actors.
If I was to say we has a superpower,
which is a funny way of putting it,
but it is his ability to really listen and be in the moment.
I mean, it's unlike anything
I've ever experienced before, personally.
- You don't meant to imply that someone hanged Mr. Fry?
- It was really important that,
that we get the lighting right,
which of course we know would only be lit by candle lights,
a fire, perhaps, an oil lantern of sorts.
Masanobu Takayanagi and I discussed really lighting this
as though it were lit by one of the Dutch masters.
Rembrandt, we talked about.
And when it's lit with this type of chiaroscuro lighting,
there's a sense of intimacy that binds the characters.
Directorially, I wanted to shoot it very classically,
which is stay out of the way,
let the characters come to the camera,
and then just let the performers tell the story.
Because Masanobu Takayanagi incredible lightings,
Stefania Cella's incredible design,
and Kasia Walicka-Maimone's costumes
really help tell the story.
As a director,
I get everything that I need out of the scene,
which is two very different characters
who have the same goals,
and that as a viewer that this is going to be
somewhat fun watching these two men work together.
- You want a second look
at a cadet named Loughborough.
In former days, Leroy Fry's roommate,
until they had a falling out.
- Thank you for watching The Pale Blue Eye.
- Only on Netflix.