Based on William Wood novel that was released one year prior, Lewis Milestone’s 1943 wartime drama Edge of Darkness, tells a tale of a German-occupied Norwegian village of Trollness where villagers have decided to fight back against them.
It all begins when German soldiers fly over the village of Trollness, where they stop to investigate why a Nazi flag is not being flown there. It’s because the townspeople are plotting to form an underground resistance. Their leaders are lovers Gunnar Brogge (screen icon Errol Flynn, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Dodge City, The Sea Hawk) and Karen Stensgard (Ann Sheridan, Angels with Dirty Faces, Nora Prentiss, Black Legion). The village doctor, Martin Stensgard (the legendary Walter Huston, The Devil and Daniel Webster, The Furies, Rain) and his wife (Ruth Gordon, Rosemary’s Baby, Harold and Maude) also join the resistance after they wanted to just live life, stay neutral and ignore the German oppressors. Karen is also torn as her Nazi- brother, Johann (John Beal, Madame X, Amityville 3-D), is also in town. She must decide whether to betray her family for her village. Karen winds up getting captured by a German solider and when she reappears, her clothes are torn, her face is bruised, and shows signs that she was raped. Gunner, learning of this, naturally loses his cool and is itching to fight the Germans and kill them all.
Edge of Darkness is an intense World War II drama with great, compelling characters, strong performances by the cast which was to be expected considering who’s in the film. The movie has a nice steady pace with the latter half being stronger with more action and fighting. The running time is close to two hours, so there is a long build-up before the battles take place.
Warner Archive has released Edge of Darkness on Blu-ray and it is another delicious release. The black and white video looks stunning with deep blacks and crisp whites that remain consistently clean throughout. The grey scale is also balanced. The film does maintain a film-like texture with lots of grain. Details to the scenery are sharp. Contrast and shadow detail are well-done. No DNR or digital enhancements appear to have been applied.
For their Blu-ray, the English DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio has been restored by Warner Archive and the dialogue is rich and clear with action sounds coming in dynamic with thunderous sounds of gunfire and bombs. The lossless audio is strong, with just minor age-old hissing that occurred in a few spots. No crackling, drop-offs or pops were detected. English subtitles are available for this release, but it’s for the movie only, not the supplements.
Warner has provided some extras for this release, starting with a short, entitled Gun to Gun, is 1944 black-and-white Western that focuses on a rancher, Don Diego (Pedro de Cordoba) and his friend Steve Randall (Robert Shayne) as they attempt to settle a debt with some crooks.
There is a Looney Tunes cartoon, To Duck or Not to Duck that stars Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. Directed by Chuck Jones, the two characters square off in a boxing ring! The remaining extra is theatrical trailer for Edge of Darkness
World War II propaganda film fans will certainly enjoy this picture as it’s one of the stronger movies made during that era. The excellent audio and video quality, plus the extras make this a recommended and satisfactory package.
Edge of Darkness
Director- Lewis Milestone
Cast- Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan
Country of Origin- United States
Distributor – Warner Archive/Warner Home Video
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date – 4/8/2022