1 / 8
MONEY
Did you know
Mid-budget at $72M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
The Pale Blue Eye
"Every heart tells a tale."
2022 2h 8m EN
👍
6.8
SOLID
★6.8TMDB · 2,293
ThrillerCrimeHorrorMystery
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
West Point, New York, 1830. When a cadet at the burgeoning military academy is found hanged with his heart cut out, the top brass summons former New York City constable Augustus Landor to investigate. While attempting to solve this grisly mystery, the reluctant detective engages the help of one of the cadets: a strange but brilliant young fellow by the name of Edgar Allan Poe.
“Every heart tells a tale.”
Where to watch · US
Cast
Christian Bale
Augustus Landor
Harry Melling
Edgar Allan Poe
Lucy Boynton
Lea Marquis
Toby Jones
Dr. Daniel Marquis
Simon McBurney
Captain Hitchcock
Timothy Spall
Superintendent Thayer
Robert Duvall
Jean-Pepe
Harry Lawtey
Artemus Marquis
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Scott Cooper
- Writers
- Patrick Campbell, Scott Cooper
- Languages
- English, French, Latin
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
ERA
Did you know
Released 4 years ago.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Latin.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Scott Cooper, shot by Masanobu Takayanagi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Howard Shore. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Dylan Tichenor shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Christian Bale and Harry Melling and Lucy Boynton carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "Every heart tells a tale.".
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Scott Cooper directs. Masanobu Takayanagi behind the camera. Howard Shore scores. Dylan Tichenor cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French, Latin.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Mid-budget at $72M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
- 2Released 4 years ago.
- 3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Latin.
- 4Directed by Scott Cooper, shot by Masanobu Takayanagi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 5Original score by Howard Shore. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 6Editor Dylan Tichenor shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 7Christian Bale and Harry Melling and Lucy Boynton carry the top of the cast.
- 8Marketing tagline: "Every heart tells a tale.".
- 9IMDB entry: tt14138650 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 10Classified under 12 themes, including "based on novel or book", "winter", "detective", "investigation".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Masanobu Takayanagi
- Original score
- Howard Shore
- Editing
- Dylan Tichenor
- Production design
- Stefania Cella
- Costume design
- Kasia Walicka Maimone
- Makeup / hair
- Nancy Keslar
- VFX supervisor
- Arek Komorowski
- Sound
- Skip Lievsay
- Stunt coordinator
- Adam Hart
- Runtime
- 128 min · 2h 8m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $72,000,000
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- R
Also by
Scott Cooper
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- Nathan★ 6/10
The Pale Blue Eye had great performances, fantastic cinematography, and a decent story but fails in terms of pacing and a bloated runtime that did not feel warranted. Christian Bale is fantastic in this role. He is incredibly intense, being able to capture the seriousness of his detective work balanced with the emotions of his unfortunate tragedies in life. A performance of this caliber is expected of Bale, but what was a surprise is the standout performance of Harry Melling. Melling was whimsical and tad odd with his portrayal of the famous Edgar Allen Poe. He legitimately stole every scene he was, including the ones with Bale. The film was quite long and drawn out. The beginning act did fine as the audience is still learning the world and the crimes committed. But after that wears off it begins to drag going into a climatic third act. A lot of this bloat could have been cut down to create a better viewing experience. That being said, I did enjoy the story of this film. It was engaging and had some twists that I think worked pretty well, although the ending did leave me with a few questions. Score: 61% Verdict: Decent
Production companies
Who made it
Cross Creek Pictures
US
- LE
Le Grisbi Productions
US
Key crew
- Executive ProducerDylan Weathered
- First Assistant DirectorChristopher Surgent
- Special Effects TechnicianAntonio Grassano
- Supervising Art DirectorTroy Sizemore
- Set DecorationJane Madden
- Visual Effects CoordinatorDavid C. Sales
- Costume DesignKasia Walicka Maimone
- Unit Production ManagerTracey Landon
- Executive ProducerRyan Donnell Smith
- Executive ProducerTracey Landon
- Production SupervisorCorey Sklov
- Production SupervisorEvelyn Chafin
- Art DirectionMichael E. Goldman
- Production DesignStefania Cella
- Second Assistant DirectorTakahide Kawakami
- Additional Second Assistant DirectorAna Drasinover
- Stunt CoordinatorAdam Hart
- Executive ProducerBuddy Patrick
- Second Second Assistant DirectorJordan Weir
- Sound MixerTom Williams
- Still PhotographerScott Garfield
- HairstylistNancy Keslar
- Makeup ArtistEve Negley
- VFX SupervisorJeremy Hays
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- based on novel or book
- winter
- detective
- investigation
- historical figure
- murder
- gothic horror
- occult
- west point
- book
- inspirational
- 1830s
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical (limited)2022-12-23R
- Digital2023-01-06R· Netflix
Also known as
International titles
- چشم آبی روشنIR
- چشم آبی کمرنگIR
- Els crims de l'academiaES
- Los crimenes de la academiaES
- The Pale Blue EyeUS
- العين الزرقاء الشاحبةSA
- Solğun Mavi GözlərAZ
