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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.
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"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
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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.Honest reviews on Edge of Darkness (1943)
1943's "Edge of Darkness" portrays the acute plight of a small Norwegian village trapped under the thumb of brutal Nazi occupation during the Second World War. The presentation by veteran director Lewis Milestone is especially poignant; modern viewers must remember that the liberation of Norway was still an uncertain two years off when the movie was released.Errol Flynn leads in an understated but solid performance as an ordinary and underachieving fisherman who is forced by circumstances to mature and become the leader of the local resistance. Walter Huston and Ruth Gordon turn in strong supporting roles as the brave town doctor and his wife. Ann Sheridan plays Flynn's love-interest, who runs afoul of the occupying troops and exacts a terrible revenge.
This movie is noteworthy for its fully developed characters and its subtle but unmistakable theme of grace under pressure by its very human characters. The occupied and the occupiers are painted in subtle shades of gray and not the black and white depiction that might have been expected in a war-time movie.
This movie is highly recommended as an above average example of the World War Two genre.
