Courtesy of Deborah Blum Deborah Blum
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Deborah Blum’s five books have immersed her in the worlds of animal rights, the psychology of affection, the neurology of sex, the search for paranormal phenomena, and the chemistry of poisons. Her New York Times bestselling book The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York, published in 2010, traces the origins of modern forensic medicine through the lives of two men, New York City Medical Examiner Charles Norris and toxicologist Alexander Gettler, as they navigate crime and chemistry in early 20th century New York. This month, PBS’ American Experience aired a much-acclaimed documentary film version of The Poisoner’s Handbook. The film, like the book, captures in gripping detail some of the most astonishing murders—purposeful or not—by poison of the early 20th century. Here, Blum tells TON‘s Siri Carpenter what it was like to have one of her books turned into a documentary film.
When did you learn the book would be made into an American Experience film?
American Experience optioned it a couple of years ago. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that anything will happen. I’ve written one book (Love at Goon Park) that has been under option for a decade! But in this case, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation decided to fund it and things started moving forward about a year and a half ago. It wasn’t until last summer that I was really sure it was going to happen so from that point on I was pretty excited about it. Still, as I kept telling my husband—he’s very patient—I wasn’t going to spread the word until it was definitely in the television guide.
What was your level of involvement in shaping the film?
They hired me as a consultant so I gave a lot of early advice on research and sources. And I actually sent the studio all the files from the book. For the dramatic re-enactments, they rented an abandoned psychiatric hospital in Prague and then bought 1920s laboratory equipment and old chemical supplies to create the lab setting. I had a number of conversations about the equipment that might make sense—I know they bought an old hand-cranked centrifuge on eBay.
And then I was one of the main interviews and narrators of the story. For that, they rented a 19th century mansion in Oyster Bay, New York, and I sat on a stool in a darkened library. Gorgeous room with an enormous fireplaces with a mantelpiece made of carved stone lions, although you can’t really tell in the interview. The director, Rob Rapley, asked me questions and I had to answer as if I wasn’t answering but just expressing my thoughts. And they filmed for about eight hours over two days, so I when I came back the next day, they spent an hour making sure my hair and makeup looked exactly the same. (more…)
