A brief introduction, the story develops around a retired investigator, Landor(Christian Bale) and Edgar Alan Poe(Harry Melling), yes!!! The Young Edgar Alan Poe!!! For those who don’t know him, a genius, creator of stories involving mystery and the macabre!! Here is the reading tip – The Pendulum – E.A. Poe.
The photography and lighting that surround the whole plot is fabulous, it can be said that the objective of creating a cold and macabre environment, due to the mysterious murders, was completely achieved!
The entire palette is a cold white, allied to winter, snow and darkness, a sure recipe for the macabre.
The characters also show, in their absolute majority, a lot of sadness and bitterness, perhaps the exception is the young E.A.P. who feels good and helps Landor unravel the murders and riddles that arise.
The construction of some scenes is fabulous, and I would say that the film has 4 base formulations for the unfolding of the plot.
Daytime outdoor scenes – snow, cold and a cold white light combined with the sadness and pain of the characters that brings anguish to the viewer, the excessively white light, within a situation that asks for a caress that does not come, translates the cold, sad and even despairing of the anguish of the characters’ souls. Interior, daytime scenes also bring this excessive whiteness, but they are usually scenes explaining the plot, Landor and his contractors, less impactful, but also distressing, only less so, as it is a transitory scene. External night scenes, perhaps the most beautiful! The frightening nature of a cold night and the danger that surrounds it! Scenes with close-ups, with smaller human figures in the center, with a small flashlight in hand, by the way! Lantern has a warm light, but very small and of little or no scope, translating the little security it generates. And finally, indoor night scenes, the “close-up” light on the characters, usually on a dark background, composed of a weak, icy white light in the background, and a warm light on the characters’ faces, showing the anguish and feelings expressed in the to look.
