~ Love Triangle ~

The Edge of Love was released last year and I received it through Lovefilm. I sat down with my mum Friday night to watch it with the fire on and a glass of wine. I don’t realty tend to watch a lot of romance drama films and generally like action and comedies but both me and my mum thought it looked pretty good. I had seen an advert on the TV a while back about it and it was intriguing. It didn’t give away anything and was just random images.
I was also interested in the film as it was set in the Second World War which is an interest to me. The film also had some highly respected actors which grabbed my attention. The two leading roles from Kiera Knightly and Sienna Miller was a bonus to attract my attention. It also starred lovely blue eyed Cillian Murphy and well known actor William Rhys. So with a good cast which I knew and a good setting I thought it was going to be a great film.

~ INFO ~

Director- John Maybury

I didn’t recognise the director’s name and after looking him up he has not done a lot of directing that you would know of. He has done a few episodes of the programme Rome and several films which I have not heard of before, one of them being- The Jacket (2005). He is known for his work on documentaries and drama films.

Writer- Sharman Macdonald
Music- Angelo Badalamenti
Editing- Emma Hickox
Release date- 20 June 2008 (UK)
Runtime- 110 Mins
Certifcate- 15

~ PLOT ~

The Edge of Love as I said is set during The Second World War and starts of in The Blitz, London. The narrative is based on three characters and has some references to real events from the time. Dyan Thomas (Matthew Rhys) is a Welsh poet and runs into his old flame Vera (Keira Knightly) who is a singer. Even though he is now married to Caitlin (Sienna), his old love for Vera returns. The two women Caitlin and Vera become friends and Vera marries a soldier to Dylan’s annoyance. The love triangle grows and Dylan deals with his emotions for both women. By the ending of the War a lot has changed for each one and nothing is quite the same after dramatic events.
~ CAST and CHARACTERS ~

Dylan Thomas- Matthew Rhys

Dylan is a well known poet and my mum actually told me about his poems.
Even though his poems are still known today Dylan is not very well represented in this which actually changed the views my mum now sees him. Dylan is known for his lust for other women. He has been trying to write his poetry but has been without money for a long time and wife Caitlin supports them both and their son. I didn’t like his character at all. He was sneaky, sly and cunning and I got the vibe that he doesn’t treat his wife very well. The part is played very well and it was very interesting. Dylan stabs people in the back and is very selfish.

Vera Phillips- Keira Knightly

I actually really liked Vera at the start of the film. She is independent, a great singer and doesn’t let men walk over her. She plays hard to get with William and shows that she is strong minded. Vera is beautiful, elegant and Dylan falls instantly for her again when they run into each other. Her character through the film changes though and I didn’t like parts of what she does.
She does go through some hard times and the changes are put upon her but she doesn’t seem to be this elegant, sophisticated woman anymore. Keira plays the part exceptional as she always does and I think she was the perfect choice for this part.

Caitlin MacNamara – Sienna Miller

Caitlin has been married to Dylan for many years and is a pretty sociable and diverse woman. She is a big flirt with the soldiers but seems to still be totally in love with Dylan. Sienna plays this part very well. The character goes through many distressing times and I think it was acted very well. Caitlin has a lot of patience and even though she seems in control she feels so lonely and lost. I really liked the way she copes with the love triangle but I don’t know how the character could have put up with all the crap she goes through.

William Killick- Cillian Murphy

William is a strong, young soldier who is signed up for the War. He instantly falls for Vera when he watches her sing in an underground bunker. William even though is young and can be seen as abit cocky, but is determined and confident. This character like Vera changes drastically through the story. It shows what the events of War can do to people and in William’s case he has a very hard time when he is sent back home after a year and a half. I did feel the most sympathy for William out of them all as he is treated badly and has to deal with a lot when he comes home to Vera.

Minor Parts

Anthony Devas- Alaistair MacKenzie
Wilfred Hosgood – Simon Armstrong
Mr Justice Singleton- Paul Brooke
Lt Col David Talbot Rice- Richard Dillane
Nicolette – Camilla Rutherford

~ OPINIONS ~

Overall the film was pretty good. It wasn’t an amazing film that I would buy but it is worth renting out and watching. As I am not a fan of romance and dramas I didn’t expect a lot but I was actually quite impressed with it. Everything was done well and there wasn’t much that I would say was wrong with it. It was interesting to have it set loosely around real characters and events from the time and having poet Dylan was good to see as I knew his poems but not about him as a person.

NARRATIVE

The plot was pretty good and simple. The love triangle gave it an interesting affect and each actor played this well. As well as this main plot there were many appealing sub plots to keep the film alive. The film touches on very cold subjects including death, abortions, birth and affects of the War. I particularly found William’s story fascinating. He had very bad affects when he comes home from the frontline and you can tell he has changed. It is awful to see how dramatic it is for soldiers that have seen horrible and distraught images. There is a part in the middle where I think the plot didn’t really know what it was doing. Nothing really happened and some of the scenes I think were abit unnecessary and long winded. The thing that surprised me was that the script which was created by Sharman MacDonald is actually Keira Knightley’s mother.

MISE EN SCENE (cinematography)

The look and feel of the film was brilliant. The two contrasts of locations from The Blitz, London in the first part and the costal scenery of Wales in the second. The two settings are completely different showing the times they are going through. At the start they are all happy, with the girls looking

Pictures of The Edge Of Love (DVD)

The Edge Of Love DVD

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stunning with their fancy dresses and loaded make up. Everyone seems to be living in abit of a dream world with the cheery bars, guys having fun and the background jazz. The lighting is soft and it all seems so simple. This is interrupted by bombings and air raids, maybe showing the dreams are being torn apart? The Welsh countryside shows a much different tone to the film. Everything is hard and it is filmed with harsh images and bright lights. Both women seem to be broken and distraught and the smoking, alcohol and harsh realities of life kick in. The colours are dull and cold on the Welsh beach. Everything seems so dull and miserable and Dylan, Vera and Caitlin seem to be in a dead end and nothing seems to be happening. There is such a contrast between the two times and locations. Just shows how the War has changed everything. The atmosphere really hits you.

OTHERS

The acting was brilliantly done and each part felt right. There was no part that I thought were cast wrong and you feel really close to the characters. The character of Dylan was just weird to follow. I don’t know why two beautiful women are in love with him he isn’t really a great looker. Even though it takes Vera a while to know she is in love with William he is a very respectful man when he marries her.
Filmed on a low budget I think it was pretty well done. There were many great establishing shots of Wales and a different side to London is seen. All the different shots kept it flowing and made it interesting to see. There were also many fantastic close ups which really capture the character’s emotion and fears. They used this a lot when dealing with some very harsh topics and I think it created the right atmosphere for these cold scenes.

The part of Caitlin was firstly casted to Lindsay Lohan but she dropped out just before the film was set to be shot. I am pretty glad about this if I am honest. I don’t think it would have had the same effect if Sienna hadn’t played the beauty. Even though Lindsay is very pretty I think casting Kiera and Sienna was perfect. They are both stunning and elegant actresses.

DVD

The DVD can be brought on play.com for £7.99 but doesn’t look as if it has any special features. It does have a RRP price of £19.99 though so it is good value for money.

~ SOUNDTRACK ~

1. "Lovers Lie Abed"
2. "Overture/Blue Tahitian Moon"
3. "Underground Shelter"
4. "Hang Out The Stars In Indiana"
5. "After The Bombing/Hang Out The Stars In Indiana"
6. "A Stranger Has Come"
7. "Fire To The Stars"
8. "Careless Talk"
9. "Careless Love"
10. "Love Me"
11. "Careless Talk"
12. "Drifting And Dreaming"
13. "Home Movies"
14. "Under Fire"
15. "Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much"
16. "Vera Begs Dylan"
17. "Vera's Theme"
18. "Holding Rowatt"
19. "Careless Love"
20. "Caitlin's Theme"
21. "Careless Love"

The soundtrack can also be purchased. The book of the film has also been released and can be found on the official film website.

Website- http://www.theedgeoflove.co.uk/

* Thanks for reading* Blackmagicstar4* March 09. Published on Dooyoo and Ciao xx