6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
In the bohemian underground of World War II London, a stirring love story ignites among legendary poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys, TV's Brothers and Sisters) and the two extraordinary women who inspire him. Sienna Miller (Casanova) is Caitlin, Thomas' free- spirited wife, while Keira Knightley (Atonement) is Vera, the long-lost teenage sweetheart who later reconnects with Thomas. Despite their romantic rivalry, the two women form a surprisingly close bond. The trio is unusually blissful until Vera's husband, a handsome soldier (Cillian Murphy, Girl with a Pearl Earring), sends their uninhibited lives spiraling out of control.
Starring: Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, Matthew Rhys, Alastair MackenzieRomance | 100% |
Drama | 91% |
Biography | 26% |
War | 20% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
For all that I love it, I have no trouble saying that poetry, as a relevant art form, is on its florid deathbed. When was the last time a short-form wordsmith loomed large in the national consciousness? Where are the T.S. Eliots and Sylvia Plaths of the 21st century? The Edge of Love’s portrayal of Welsh bard Dylan Thomas may just have the answer: poets killed poetry. Selfish and self-aggrandizing, Dylan Thomas demands to be treated like God’s mouthpiece, all while cavorting childishly, drinking until it seems logical to piss all over the floor, and sleeping around behind his wife’s back because, in his words, “I’m a poet, who feeds off of life.” Is it any wonder then that your average man on the street can’t tell a villanelle from a double dactyl? Easy to memorize and recite, poetry had once been enjoyed by all, but as its complexities spiraled ever higher into the ivory towers of academia, some of its creators descended the evolutionary ladder in pursuit of their baser instincts. And now, no one cares. The Edge of Love suffers a similar fate. While its period piece aesthetic is lush and authentic, the characters are mostly cold, remote and unlikable, leaving us with no one to root for and little to love.
This is about the happiest the film gets.
Filmed half on 35mm and half with the Panavision Genesis camera, the same HD video source
behind Apocalypto, Superbad and Planet Terror, The Edge of
Love is lusciously presented in a 1080p, AVC-encoded transfer. Gone are the days when
video looked flat and lifeless, as new technologies have given higher-end HD cameras all the
depth of field and color prowess of 35mm, with the added benefits of cost reduction and an all-
digital workflow. The Edge of Love comes to the screen, then, with a sharp, mostly noise-free
image that features strong contrast and, in photography terms, some beautiful bokeh—
that
deliciously soft out-of-focus area of the screen. Director John Maybury goes the stylized route for
his dour period piece, selectively desaturating and enhancing certain colors while toning the early
parts of the film in a translucent sepia sheen. Reds are the most vivid—take one look at
Knightley's lipstick for proof—and while colors are stable within scenes, the tonality shifts quite a
bit from one segment to another. One outdoor nighttime scene between Cillian Murphy and Kiera
Knightly, for example, is almost pulled back into black and white. Others moments, like the
scenery outside the Welsh beach house, are deeply saturated in greens and blues. Skin tones
vary similarly, almost with the moods of the film. Black levels seem consistently deep, and
though there is some stylized crush, it is reserved and well incorporated. Importantly, digital
noise is kept to a minimum, although I did spot one or two bright bursts. The noise that is
present in HD-shot scenes, however, often passes for a thin layer of filmic grain.
Unfortunately, director Maybury goes occasionally overboard with the digital glitz, tossing in some
unnecessary effects that want to be "arty" but really only cheapen the experience. As a whole
though, I only wish the film's plot was as sumptuous as its image. There will always be purists
who prefer film (I'm teetering on the fence), but movies like The Edge of Love are quickly
blurring the boundaries.
Nearly as sonorous as Dylan Thomas himself, The Edge of Love features a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that hits almost all the right notes. For a period piece that's only marginally a war story, there's a surprising amount of activity spread throughout the channels. Bar scenes are filled with ambient chatter, seagulls squawk from a distant beach, and air raid sirens haunt the harried streets of London. When Cillian Murphy has an audio-induced flashback to the war, there's some very clever sound design that melds the domestic patter of a table being set with the thundering sounds of battle. The film is clear throughout the audio spectrum, from the high clink of raised glasses to the literally earth-shattering low-end explosions of V-1 rockets raining down on wartime Britain. The bass during the opening scene in the underground shelter, however, does seem a bit too loud and undefined. Voices, on the other hand, cut through the ambience well and never seem muddled or compressed. Finally, David Lynch go-to composer Angelo Badalamenti provides a lush and emotional score, but it does seems wasted when the strings soar over characters that we don't really care about.
Looking Over "The Edge of Love" (SD, 9:40)
Comprised of press junket interviews and cut with sequences from the film, this is a pretty
standard look at character motivations and directorial intent. I found it odd that Kiera Knightley
did almost all of the talking, however, even though Sienna Miller was sitting right next to
her.
Gag Reel (SD, 4:10)
Lots of cigarette fumbles, flubbed lines, and screwy faces. Nothing laugh-out-loud-worthy
though.
Commentary with Director John Maybury and Actor Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys is very clearly drinking during this track—at various points you hear him
unscrewing a bottle of Scotch, presumably, and refilling his glass—so the resultant commentary is
awash in uninhibited comedy and wry, British self-deprecation. Maybury even refers to the film as
"a low-budget remake of Atonement." Cillian Murphy is the brunt of frequent jokes, with
the common consensus being that he's "too pretty to play blokes. He should always be in drag."
Rhys veers occasionally into playful sexual harassment, calling Knightley's breasts "little poached
eggs" and blurting out "lucky saddle" when Miller comes riding down the hill on a bicycle. It's all
in good fun though, and I found myself cracking up at least once a minute. If you're not
interested in the film, pick up the DVD once it hits the bargain bin just for this wickedly funny
commentary track.
Trailer (SD, 1:35)
I hesitate to be overly harsh on The Edge of Love—I did enjoy several stretches of the film —but as a whole its promises go unfulfilled. Even the much-publicized shared bath between Kiera Knightley and Sienna Miller offers little titillation beyond wet hair and bared shoulders. The commentary track by John Maybury and Matthew Rhys is one of the wittiest I've heard in ages though, and I can almost bring myself to recommend the film on this merit alone. With a solid AV lineup but somewhat lackluster story, this one is a definite rental, and I have no doubt that the film will find at least a few fans.
1946
2009
1942
1943
80th Anniversary Edition
1942
1979
2017
2001
2004
2008
2014
1987
2007
Warner Archive Collection
1996
Warner Archive Collection
1954
2013
1927
2002
1958
1984