Product Details

• Actors: Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan, Walter Huston, Nancy Coleman, Helmut Dantine
• Directors: Lewis Milestone
• Writers: Robert Rossen, William Woods
• Producers: Henry Blanke, Jack L. Warner
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: December 7, 1994
• Run Time: 119 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302682606
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,478 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Lewis Milestone was Hollywood's premier director of war films (starting with his 1930 Academy Award winner All Quiet on the Western Front), and Edge of Darkness is among his finest. Warner Bros.' biggest star Errol Flynn gets top billing, but his performance--remarkable for its unaccustomed sobriety--is only one admirable part of a strong ensemble. This underscores the theme of a remote Norwegian fishing village of 800 united selflessly in resistance to the 150 German troops garrisoned in their midst during World War II. Robert Rossen's screenplay is essentially a variation on the sturdy proletarian fables he'd been writing for Warners (the only outright unsympathetic Norwegian is the owner of the cannery!); every character in the large cast is sharply defined, taking his or her place in a nuanced allegory of the myriad ethical, political, and emotional tensions of occupation and resistance.

But what blows you away--besides the dramatic subject matter, the unorthodox Norway setting, and the eruptions of stark violence and atrocity--is Milestone's powerful direction and ultra-kinetic visuals. A town meeting conducted in the guise of an evening church service, with townsfolk arguing and interacting while continuing to face forward in their pews, is a brilliant set-piece; and throughout the film there are startling uses of a zoom lens (virtually unheard-of at the time), especially in the explosive action climax. To cite only the most stellar performers, Walter Huston and Ruth Gordon play the town doctor and his wife, Judith Anderson is Flynn's sister (hating herself for loving "good German" Tonio Selwart), Ann Sheridan plays Flynn's love interest and fellow resistance leader, and Helmut Dantine rattles the rafters as the German commandant, bitter at being stranded in a backwater of the war. Terrific movie. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and Powerful, May 31, 2001

By	silke cormican (Munich, Germany) - See all my reviews

The movie tells the story of a small Norwegian fishing town which has been occupied for some time by German troops. Faced with the ever increasing intolerance, oppression and ruthlessness of the occupying force, the villagers carefully plan a rising, ably assisted by a British agent disguised as a high German official.

This powerful film has aged extremely well, has lost none of its appeal and is still deeply moving. The cast is superb: Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn (who, for a change, managed to cast off his swashbuckling image so as to be just one fine performer among many others) are the gallant leaders of the resistance, Ruth Gordon and Walter Huston are the gentle town dignitaries who are drawn into the fighting only reluctantly, and Helmut Dantine plays the nasty German town commander, Hauptmann Koenig. Moreover, it becomes obvious that the director made a great effort to find the right actor for even the smallest supporting role.

Ironically, Austrian born actor Helmut Dantine became rather well known in the 40s for his performances of a typical nasty Nazi. In real life he was a victim of the Austrian Anschluss and had to leave his native country as a teenager after his release from a concentration camp where he had been put due to the important role he had played in the Viennese Anti-Nazi Youth Movement.

What I also found positive is that the ending is not overly pathetic (like, for example, "Mrs. Miniver"),but simply gave people hope for a brighter future.

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping World War II Drama, April 17, 1998

By	Charles Culbertson ([e-mail]) (Virginia) - See all my reviews

"The Edge of Darkness" is one of the few movies made during World War II about World War II that holds up as more than just a propaganda piece. Warner Brothers pulled out all the stops with this intense and compelling drama about Norwegian villagers who rebel against their Nazi occupiers, giving the film a superior script, eye-popping camera work and a cast remarkable for its strength and versatility.

It may at first seem odd that Errol Flynn -- who gained stardom as the screen's premier swashbuckler -- was cast as a Norwegian fisherman/guerilla fighter. However, the wisdom of Warner Brothers in putting him in this role quickly becomes evident. His performance is restrained and believable, and he plays off the powerful ensemble cast with on-target accuracy.

"The Edge of Darkness" is a classic tale of good versus evil as only wartime Warner Brothers could have achieved it. The climactic uprising of villagers against their Nazi oppressors is enough to bring one to the edge of his seat and send chills of excitement dancing up his spine. This film is one of the best of its type, and shouldn't be missed. END

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ordinary Heroes, October 14, 2000

By	James L. (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Edge of Darkness is one of the most effective films I have seen to show the rising of the common man against the enemy. In this film, it is a small Norwegian fishing village that has been occupied by the Nazis. Errol Flynn (as a fisherman), Ann Sheridan (the doctor's daughter), and Judith Anderson (owner of an inn) lead the underground movement to resist the Germans. Walter Huston and Ruth Gordon also star as Sheridan's parents, while Helmut Dantine is the heartless Nazi commander of the town and Nancy Coleman is his unhappy Polish mistress. The film traces the lives of some of the townspeople as their resistance grows, but never gets maudlin. The performances and the story are presented with restraint so that the bigger picture of a people engaged in a battle for their country is never lost. The camera is used to great effect, as is the music of Franz Waxman. Director Lewis Milestone creates a picture of heroism and shows the power of each person to stand up against the enemy. It was the sort of message that 1943 audiences needed to see as the world was at war, and audiences today can appreciate the film as a reminder of a time in our history when a lot of ordinary people did extraordinary things.