Edgar Allan Poe and Col. Sylvanus Thayer face off at West Point
Two key historical figures from Braintree and Boston are real-life characters in the hit Netflix whodunnit “The Pale Blue Eye.”
British actor Timothy Spall plays Braintree native Col. Sylvanus Thayer in the movie, which debuted in January and hit the Top 10 in 92 countries. Thayer had no children of his own but is known as “The Father of West Point,” serving as superintendent from 1817 to 1833. Thayer was born in Braintree, and his birthplace at 786 Washington St. is a tourist attraction. The public library and Thayer Academy are both named after him.
Directed by Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”), “The Pale Blue Eye” stars Christian Bale as a detective hired to investigate the grisly murder of a West Point cadet. Harry Melling co-stars as a young Edgar Allan Poe, who helps look for clues long before he became a famous writer. Poe was a West Point cadet for six months in 1830, but the movie is a work of fiction.
On-screen, Spall plays Thayer as a no-nonsense man who wants quick answers. He worries about public impressions once news of the murder spreads and wishes to avoid scandal at all costs.
“There are certain powerful senators in Washington who would like nothing more than to see us fail utterly, to shut down,” Thayer tells Augustus Landor (Bale) in an early scene. The script, which Cooper also wrote, highlights Thayer’s deep devotion to the fledgling military academy, asking Landor “to help save the honor of the United States Military Academy.”
Spall is a versatile character actor, best known for his work in the “Harry Potter” franchise as the villainous Peter “Wormtail” Pettigrew. Spall also drew notice for his starring role as J.M.W. Turner in “Mr. Turner,” and for parts in “The King’s Speech,” “The Damned United,” “Secrets & Lies,” and “Spencer.”
The movie also stars Simon McBurney, Toby Jones, Gillian Anderson, Robert Duvall, and Lucy Boynton.
Poe, known as “The Father of the Detective Story” for his mix of mystery and macabre, was born in Boston at 62 Carver St. to parents who soon left the city to work as traveling actors. Both died before his third birthday. He was a cadet at West Point from March 1830 to January 1831.
Poe once said of Boston: “Their hotels are bad. Their pumpkin pies are delicious. Their poetry is not so good.” Even though the tortured writer had a love-hate relationship with the city, a statue honoring Poe stands at the corner of Boylston Street and Charles Street South.
Thayer died Sept. 7, 1872, at his home in Braintree and is buried at the West Point Cemetery on the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy. Poe died in 1849 at age 40. His famous works include: “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Pit and the Pendulum.” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Purloined Letter.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Boston Movie News 