EDGE OF DARKNESS: Blu-ray (Warner Bros., 1943) Warner Archive
An uncannily dark and apocalyptic
WWII thriller, Lewis Milestone’s Edge of Darkness (1943) plunges Warner
Bros.’ resident heartthrob, Errol Flynn and co-star, Ann Sheridan into an emotional
roller coaster of espionage and danger. By ’43, Flynn was an untouchable at the
studio. Jack Warner, eager to expand the appeal of his #1 male stud, gradually
began to morph Flynn’s persona away from the cod piece and flouncy pirate’s
garb that had all but hermetically sealed his fate as a swashbuckler of no
other repute and limited abilities. It’s a myth, decidedly, that Flynn was too
good-looking to act. His charisma aside,
Flynn sported a natural, almost leisurely sex appeal, with a public persona as
smooth as silk, and, impenetrable charm when he took himself less seriously. Edge
of Darkness calls upon Flynn to do more, and, seemingly with
effortlessness, he quite simply rises like cream to the occasion as the
ruggedly handsome freedom fighter, Gunnar Brogge. The picture would still be
something without Flynn, but decidedly less, even with a sterling script from
Robert Rossen, dramatically satisfying score by Franz Waxman and stunningly
handsome cinematography a la Sid Hickox whose name, among these alumni is not
as well known, but should be, considering his latter-age work included To
Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Cheyenne
(1947), Fighter Squadron (1948), White Heat (1949), Them!
(1954) and Battle Cry (1955) – among his many accomplishments.
Russian-born, Lewis Milestone, whose
career in Hollywood dated all the way back to 1919, and was later to include
the Oscar-winning, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930, and made with
incredible sincerity and introspection at the age of 34!!!), would also go on
to direct such classics as, The Front Page (1931 – and the movie to
later inspire Howard Hawks’ His Girl Friday - 1940), Rain (1932),
The General Died at Dawn (1936), and, Of Mice and Men (1939). Edge
of Darkness is imbued with Milestone’s dark clarity to face the Nazi threat
head on, despite being hampered by a decidedly ‘studio bound’ production and
American stars masquerading as European patriots. Viewed today, it’s a decided
pay-grade above the usual ‘we shall overcome’ American wartime propaganda,
even if Rossen’s screenplay and Milestone’s swift direction are more antiseptically
focused on achieving that ole Warner glamor for its two leads, buoyed by a
stellar cast to include Helmut Dantine (Captain Koenig), Judith Anderson (Gerd
Bjarnesen), and, Ruth Gordon (Anna Stensgard). Edge of Darkness unfurls
its decidedly bleak narrative in a remote Norwegian fishing village where Nazi
brutality, having reached its crescendo, is met with equally as vicious an
uprising from the townspeople where the ‘end game’ is the absolute decimation on
both sides with no victory in sight. Unusual for its time, Milestone first
shows us the state of the village in its bloody aftermath, ominously silent
with countless bodies strewn in the streets. A flag pole still flies the Norway
emblem instead of the swastika. From this bleak prologue, we regress in
flashback to reveal events leading up to this mass devastation.
Behind the scenes, Errol Flynn was
undergoing his own trial by fire – age 33, and accused of raping two teenagers,
Peggy Satterlee and Betty Hansen. Flynn, naturally, denied these charges, and Jack
Warner went to bat for his star. Rumors of the day suggested the rape charge
was motivated by underworld graft to derail the studio’s most popular asset as Warner
had not provided enough kickbacks to local police. Whatever the truth to this,
Flynn’s hotshot attorney, Jerry Geisler wasted no time exposing the fact
neither accuser was a little angel. Indeed, each had ‘worked the room’ more
than once, having affairs with married men and suffering through several
abortions. Flynn, whose appetite for young flesh moved on to 19-yr.-old, Nora
Eddington, whom he eventually wed, would later, also be found in a romance with
15-yr.-old, Beverly Aadland. And while Flynn’s reputation would survive even
this, at the time Edge of Darkness went into production it was still questionable
whether he would have a career thereafter – due to the high-profile nature of
this 3-ring media circus surrounding his misfortune.
As if often the case, Hollywood’s
bandwagon and box office skewed toward the ‘ripped from the headlines’ ilk
for its bread and butter. Norway, then, the geo-political pawn in the Nazi occupation,
was rife for the telling of tales, however strongly seasoned in superficial theatrics.
Despite its treacle and fabrication, Edge of Darkness envisages some vigorous
turmoil in the tiny hamlet of Trollness. After the Norwegian flag is spotted
flying in defiance by a Nazi patrol, German troops descend on mass, to their stupefaction
and dread, to find the streets littered in eloquently displayed corpses and one
of their own, still propped in a chair behind his desk with a bullet through
his head. In flashback, we see another side to Trollness – a thriving community,
despite being under the thumb of the oppressor.
We meet the clumsy merchant, Lars Malken (Roman Bohnen) whose simplicity
almost gives the resistance away, and, are also introduced to Nazi stooge/industrialist,
Kaspar Torgersen (Charles Dingle), conflicted physician, Martin Stensgard
(Walter Huston), and, educator/intellectual, Sixtus Andresen (Morris Carnovsky).
Collectively, these represent the political outlook of the rest of Trollness’
constituents. Cue Flynn’s dashing underground freedom fighter, Gunnar Brogge –
a he-man for all seasons and his sweet Polly-Purebred of the Nordic caste, Karen
Stensgard (Ann Sheridan) and…well, you have the necessary ingredients for a
well-appointed wartime hit. Brogge keeps the home fires burning until a badly
needed consignment of arms from Britain affords the town the necessary verve to
smite the aggressors. Milestone’s direction, while cinematic, lacks the boldness
of a classic, even if it is mostly successful at escalating the tautness of
this advancing showdown with a few well-timed, and even more expertly executed
vignettes. One of the best shows the villagers plotting revenge from their
church pews, another, illustrates the silent objectification of Nazi cruelty
against Sixtus. Alas, something of a static quality persists, particularly
during the many dialogue-driven sequences, occasionally sprinkled in an
embalming properness – scenes becoming tableaus, as wax works in a Mme. Tussaud’s
display. Ruth Gordon’s performance in particular appears to have been re-purposed
from a Disney audio-animatronic, while Helmut Dantine cakewalks through yet
another sociopathic Nazi, this time given the exalted rank of a commander.
Edge of Darkness is based on William
Woods debut novel of the same name, perfectly timed to mark the 2nd
anniversary of Germany’s occupation of Norway. Jack Warner paid handsomely, the
sum of $30,000 to produce it. German-born, stalwart producer, Henry Blanke was
assigned, drawing on his early apprenticeship with the autocratic director, Ernst
Lubtisch for his inspiration. Blanke thrived at Warner Bros. throughout the 1930’s
and 40’s, applying his perfectionism with due diligence to meeting the studio’s
budgetary and time constraints, creating such cinema classics as 1938’s Jezebel,
1940’s The Sea Hawk, and, 1941’s The Maltese Falcon. Blanke’s
enthusiasm for Edge of Darkness was matched by Milestone, who saw it as
a sort of addendum to All Quiet on the Western Front – a different picture
for a decidedly different war.
Meanwhile, Russian/Jew, Robert Rossen, whose socialist-oriented plays
for the Washington Square, and, Maverick Woodstock Players in the late twenties
would later land him in hot water with HUAC, herein crafts a politically
charged yarn, drawing mostly on his New York East Side upbringing for engaging
dialogue between the characters. Writing
for Humphrey Bogart, previously announced as the lead, Rossen was forced to
ever-so-slightly tweak his prose to conform to Errol Flynn’s less cynically
charged portrait as the earthy freedom fighter. Milestone took the changes in
stride, later admitting the eclectic players assigned to him resulted in a
mixed cast who gave him “…some damned good performances!”
Essentially, Edge of Darkness
is a familial soap opera, padded out in the war-time milieu audiences of its
generation found so gosh-darn appealing. After the aforementioned prologue, we
regress into the meaty middle act to involve the comings and goings of the
Stensgard family. Dr. Stensgard would prefer to remain neutral and ignore the
fact his nation is under occupation. His brother-in-law, Kaspar is a shill for
the Nazis and later, influences the family’s young quisling, Johann (John
Beal), newly returned from university. Meanwhile, Stensgard’s daughter, Karen
is involved with the resistance and Gunnar Brogge. A core group of the resistance
intercept an English submarine, concealing its weapons in a cellar while
quietly calling upon the townsfolk to partake of a planned uprising against the
enemy. On route to a secret meeting, Karen is seized by a German soldier, but
later resurfaces, badly bruised (code for rape). Driven mad with vengeance,
Gunnar plots to spring the retaliation ahead of schedule, but is calmed in his
bitterness by a remarkably composed Karen. The couple tune into Winston Churchill's
broadcast from England. Meanwhile, Dr. Stensgard avenges his daughter’s
defilement by bludgeoning a German officer to death. In retaliation, Captain
Koenig orders the suspected resistance leaders executed. However, as the guilty
are led to their graves at gunpoint, Pastor Aalesen (Richard Fraser), who previously
denounced the resistance for its’ violent tactics, takes dead aim from the
church steeple.
The townsfolk, previously armed,
now attack in full force, successfully to capture the port, loading their women
and children onto fishing boats bound for England. Gunnar, Karen, Dr, Stensgard,
and others advance on the local hotel being used as the Nazi stronghold and
base of operations. Johann attempts to forewarn his family they are walking
into a trap and is promptly assassinated by Koenig’s guards. Vengeance, bloody
and cruel, results in many casualties on both sides, with Koenig taking his own
life after writing a letter to his brother. The past events have now caught up
to the movie’s prologue. We find Karen and Gunnar alive and secluded in the
nearby hills. Karen assassinates a German solider attempting to fly the
swastika, before retreating into the woods as President Roosevelt’s broadcast informs
his listeners to look to Norway for hope and understanding for the future.
Edge of Darkness is a compelling
piece of vintage war-time Hollywood propaganda, neatly wrapped in a bow with Warner’s
most amiable hunk du jour doing his best to inflect a Norwegian accent. Lewis
Milestone found Flynn quite cooperative throughout. “He kept underrating
himself,” Milestone later reflected. Indeed, Flynn believed the PR of the
day, suggesting he was ‘not an actor’ but a pretty boy pretending to be one. Interesting
to consider what the picture would have been without him, as Flynn – reportedly
in poor health at the outset – used the occasion to sail his yacht to Mexico
for an extended vacation, almost to get him broomed from the project. Warner
even announced in the trades that contract player, Bruce Cabot was being
brought in as Flynn’s replacement, before Flynn finally returned to finish the
job himself. Edge of Darkness is not an Errol Flynn movie per say, and
this, is perhaps the main reason for Flynn’s initial disinterest. He is fine in
it. But he is decidedly not the whole show and knows it. The picture truly is
an ensemble piece and benefits greatly from the strength of its ‘second string’
supporting cast. Flynn’s presence and name above the title ensured Edge of
Darkness would be another bell-ringer for the studio. Aware of this drawing
power, Flynn seized the opportunity to bargain for a better contract, up for
renewal shortly after the movie wrapped. Jack Warner agreed, giving Flynn the
option to make 4 pictures a year, one of which he could also produce. As
shooting in Europe was out of the question, Edge of Darkness skillfully
recreated its fictional Norwegian landscape from cleverly reconstructed sets,
miniatures and a few days’ location shoot in Monterey. When the dust settled, Edge
of Darkness was another hit for the studio. Viewed today, it is not as
well-remembered, but nevertheless exhibits the hallmarks of a well-crafted thriller
made at the height of the studio system.
The Warner Archive Blu-ray is, like
all things WAC, perfection itself. We love reviewing WAC product, not so much
because this part of the review usually falls to a stock replication of the
virtues to apply to 99.9% of their output, but because with each new release,
our admiration for this level of quality and attention to detail, exponentially
grows. For those unaware, herein we get another fine grain 4K remastering
effort dumbed down to 1080p and looking miraculous from start to finish.
Occasionally, contrast waffles, but otherwise what remains is a rock-solid
image with oodles of fine detail, excellent tonality and exceptionally nuanced
grain, with no age-related dirt or damage to deter our viewing pleasure. The 2.0
DTS mono is uniformly excellent. Extras
include a few shorts and a trailer. Bottom line: another A-list effort from WAC
and well worth your coin. Good stuff
here, teetering on greatness.
FILM RATING (out
of 5 – 5 being the best)
4
VIDEO/AUDIO
5
EXTRAS
1
Comments