Glessner Lee came from a very privileged family, however she was kept from attending college by her father in an attempt to further shelter her from the world. However, she studied on her own and her love of forensics manifested itself when she began constructing these magical miniatures, gruesome crime scenes reconstructed down to the tiniest detail. Over the years, she used her wealth and influence to help the state of Maryland's Medical Examiner's Office by funding the field of forensics so that the doctors would be better prepared for their jobs. Her miniatures would then be used for many years to train up-and-coming police detectives and others in the field of criminal justice, not in solving the crimes depicted in the tiny dioramas, but rather learning to pick up on all of the evidence and nuances left behind.
I was particularly fascinated by the Nutshell Studies because it reminded me of a story arc in a favorite show of mine, C.S.I. involving the Miniature Killer, where real life crime scenes were recreated as miniatures by the killer and left behind for the C.S.I.'s to find. In fact, Naren Shankar of C.S.I. verified that Glessner Lee's Nutshell Studies were the inspiration for the storyline. Shankar is the only glitzy cameo on Of Dolls & Murder (aside from the narration by Waters, of course). The rest of those speaking in the documentary are members of law enforcement or the forensics field, but the Nutshell Studies themselves take center stage as each one is discussed in detail.
While special features are minimal, what is there is interesting and consist of John Waters' take on Mrs. Lee and the Nutshells, a small piece of Lee's contribution to the field of forensics and finally, a piece on the missing Nutshell.
While it certainly isn't for everyone, Of Dolls & Murder is something anyone going into the field of forensics should check out, as well as anyone with a fascination with crime scenes.
