Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Edge of the World Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson August 19, 2024

Michael Powell's entry into the British film industry consisted of performing various odd jobs for Rex Ingram and Alfred Hitchcock. Powell then began directing shorts and features in different genres. While the studios wanted Powell to direct cheap thrillers, the young filmmaker had his eyes set on one of the Shetland Islands for a quasi-documentary/drama/romance titled The Edge of the World. In 1930, Powell read a newspaper article about the island of St. Kilda off the coast of Scotland. This tiny island had been occupied for a number of centuries by the natives but many had to leave because life proved too difficult to carry on. Powell kept the news-clipping for six years while showing it to producers. None showed any interest until Joe Rock, who produced Powell's The Man Behind the Mask (1936), agreed to finance it. According to a press kit for The Edge of the World, it only took Powell eight days to finish his script. Powell cast as many as twenty-four people for the picture. A majority were non-professional actors who inhabited the island of Foula where the picture was shot for seventeen weeks.

Aboard a trawler, Andrew Gray (Niall MacGinnis), an ex-resident of Foula, is returning to the island. He is joined by his love interest, Ruth (Belle Chrystall), and Robbie Manson (Eric Berry), Ruth's 24-year-old twin brother and Andrew’s best friend. Also present with the islanders are James Gray (Finlay Currie), Andrew’s father, and Peter (John Laurie), father to Ruth and Robbie. Robbie says that he has found a girl on the Mainland but is uncomfortable bringing her to Foula or Hirta (the largest of the Shetland Islands) to live because it will result in death. The Shetlands have become fallow due to the lack of soil, which makes sustenance hard. In addition, the commercial trawlers from the Mainland have over-fished the island waters. Robbie’s comments irk Andrew, who gets into an argument with his good pal about the island's future. To resolve their differences, Andrew and Robbie decide to rock-climb the 1,220-foot cliffs without ropes, which is one of the customs in the Hirta tradition. Who will survive?

The Edge of the World features striking and awe-inspiring photography of the Shetlands and its occupants. While not purely a documentary, the picture is filmed in ways that are naturalistic. Powell's three cameramen shoot tight closeups of the professionals and islanders, which brings viewers up close to their stark lives. The film is also surrealistic and mystical. Powell employs double-exposures and superimpositions that border on the surreal. We see Andrew and Ruth's faces superimposed over ghosts and waters, respectively, in separate scenes. There's also footage of a bald eagle chasing small sheep around. It is these interactions with animals and nature which remind me of Robert Flaherty's work. Critics in 1936 compared The Edge of the World to Flaherty's Man of Aran (1934). Powell was dismissive of this comparison because he didn't view his picture as a documentary and noted it has a story and Man of Aran (1934) does not. Ian Christie, film historian and a good friend of Powell's, states in the disc's archival commentary track that he sees the influence of John Grierson, the godfather of documentary. But I agree more with Martin Scorsese that The Edge of the World shows Flaherty's influence because its aesthetics resemble the documentarian's work.

The Edge of the World Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Edge of the World has been released on a 1080p Blu-ray by Milestone Film & Video with distribution by Kino Lorber. The MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50 appears in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. I have been able to trace the origins of this restoration. In an interview with Richard Jameson at the 1989 Seattle Film Festival (transcribed for the 2003 book, Michael Powell Interviews), Powell stated: "I nearly lost [The Edge of the World] altogether but then they [likely the BFI] found the negative and put it back together." Due to apparent rights issues, the restored version was not shown until the 1999 New York Film Festival. Dennis Doros, co-founder of Milestone Film & Video, credits the British Film Institute for restoring the original negative and sound track. Powell's widow Thelma Schoonmaker, along with Martin Scorsese, assisted in the restoration effort. I can confidently state that this is the same restoration that first appeared on the BFI and Milestone DVDs in the early-to-mid 2000s. This Blu-ray derives from a 35 mm print struck from the original nitrate 35 mm negative. The Milestone disc likely emanates from the same 2K scan that the BFI made for its 2010 Blu-ray.

Considering the movie's age, the image looks reasonably good (although it would look clearer and crisper with a 4K scan). There are some faintly visible wavy lines across the picture. While dirt and specks are present, they have been minimized for the most part. There are variable densities from scene to scene. For a more pronounced example, see the hefty grain with the seagulls by the trawler in Screenshot #22. Black levels are solid (see frame grab #4). Powell incorporates some masking and an iris effect (see screen capture #20). In at least one scene, there are hairs in the film's gate (see the bottom middle in #21). According to our database, the BFI disc is a BD-25. The feature averages a video bitrate of only 15.34 Mbps. The Milestone disc more than doubles that. This disc carries a mean video bitrate of 39014 kbps. My video score is 3.75/5.00.

Ten chapters accompany the 75-minute film.

The Edge of the World Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Milestone has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono mix (1600 kbps, 24-bit). The BFI BD uses an LPCM track but with a bit depth of 16. The Scottish accents are relatively easy to make out (at least to my ears), but I'll probably watch The Edge of the World with the English subtitles switched on next time. The only audible damage to the magnetic track I could hear is when The Catechist (Grant Sutherland) is with the islanders in a small assembly hall. (It's the same scene as Screenshot #7.) The choral effects delivered by the Women of the Glasgow Orpheus Choir comes through fairly well. Outside of the noted scene, I didn't really hear any other scratches or crackles on the sound track. Sound effects on the Shetlands are picked up with aplomb.

The Edge of the World Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The following extras were originally produced for Milestone's 2003 DVD as well as a PAL disc the BFI released the following year. Milestone has dropped a stills gallery and DVD-ROM material.

• Audio Commentary by Oscar®-winner Thelma Schoonmaker, Film Historian Ian Christie, and Oscar®-winner Daniel Day-Lewis Reading from Michael Powell's Book on the Making of the Film - Schoonmaker (Powell's widow), Christie, and Day-Lewis all appear to be recorded separately. Schoonmaker explains that her late husband was not pleased with the original critical reception and was happy to get the picture re-released at a film festival in the late 1970s. She also touches on Powell's return to the Shetlands four decades later. Scorsese's longtime editor additionally gives a shrewd analysis of the film in some places. Christie's take is more scholarly. He shares several facts and anecdotes about the production. Day-Lewis reads extracts from Powell's 1938 book 200,000 Feet on Foula, which was later reprinted and re-titled by Faber and Faber in 1990 as Edge of the World: The Making of a Film. Even though this track has three contributors, it does have some gaps. The participants all speak in English. Not subtitled.

• An Airman's Letter to his Mother (1941) (6:07, 480i) - this is Michael Powell's WWII-era short film, which is very good. The master is struck from an older source. (It appeared in the early period of DVDs and may date from VHS era.) The image hasn't been fully restored but remains watchable. Audio quality is solid. Narrated by John Gielgud. In English, not subtitled.

• Alternative Scenes (silent) (1944) (7:12, upconverted to 1080p) - five scenes with alternate takes. The audio track apparently did not survive.

• Michael Powell's Home Movies c.1955 Narrated by Thelma Schoonmaker (6:52, upconverted to 1080p) - raw color footage of a trek Powell and his personal companions took to Scotland. Accompanied by Schoonmaker's descriptive narration. She also reads an excerpt from her late husband's autobiography. In English, not subtitled.

• Original Trailer (2:19, upconverted to 1080p) - the original theatrical trailer for The Edge of the World. The image and sound have not undergone any restoration work.

• Return to the Edge of the World (1979) (24:20, 1080p) - shot in 1978, this retrospective program chronicles Michael Powell's return to Foula with some members of his cast, crew, and their families. Powell and star John Laurie speak in front of the camera as they revisit the island's locales and clifftop. Sydney Streeter, construction chief from the original film, accompanies them. The short doc is narrated by Powell and his son. The picture and audio have been remastered. The footage looks and sounds very good with a couple of thin tramlines visible. The participants speak in English. Not subtitled.

The Edge of the World Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Edge of the World is Michael Powell's first major work and one that got producer Alexander Korda's attention. Powell would go on to co-direct the splendorous three-strip Technicolor production The Thief of Bagdad four years later. (When will Criterion upgrade its DVD with a new restoration?) It is also around this period when Powell first met writer Emeric Pressburger and jointly began a two-decade partnership as The Archers. Following The Red Shoes (1948), what other classics from Powell and Pressburger will receive the 4K treatment from Criterion? As for The Edge of the World, I would not expect this low-budget 1936 indie to be on the UHD format any time in the near future. The authoring and compression on this Milestone Blu-ray are superior to the BFI's disc from fourteen years ago. Even if you own one of the DVDs, this disc is worth the upgrade. DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED.