Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3359 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-10-27
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 107 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Set during the Second World War, The Edge Of Love is, at heart, the story of a love triangle. In the middle of it is the poet Dylan Thomas (played here by Matthew Rhys), and it’s he who finds himself in love with two women. On one hand, there’s his childhood sweetheart Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley), and on the other there’s his wife, Caitlin Thomas (Sienna Miller). Throw in Caitlin’s husband, William (Cillian Murphy), and you have the basis of a complicated period romantic drama.

The best parts of The Edge Of Love prove to be in the build up, with the strong production values really allowed director John Maybury to build up his characters, and get across the setting of a war-torn London. Boasting good performances from the likes of Keira Knightley and Matthew Rhys, it’s hard not to get pulled into the film’s set-up.

That said, the pay-off of The Edge Of Love isn’t quite as satisfying, and the second half of the film lacks the punch you’d expect it to have. It’s hard to pinpoint quite why it doesn’t gel, but as major dramatic events ensue, you’re simply not drawn into them as much as you’d hope. Perhaps a bit more fleshing out of the characters would have helped.

However, there’s still a lot to admire and enjoy, and The Edge Of Love boasts some excellent visuals, and neat directorial touches. And even though it doesn’t fulfill its potential, it’s still a fine, eminently watchable drama. It just could have been that little bit more. --Jon Foster

Synopsis
Set against a backdrop of London during World War II, THE EDGE OF LOVE tells the story of a love triangle that forms between renowned poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys), his young, sultry wife, Cat ( Sienna Miller) and old flame Keira Knightley.

Customer Reviews

Not for fans of Dylan
I held off seeing this for a long time, because I suspected it would be awful. I'm not a fan of Miller or Knightley, and often feel like the only person in the world who didn't think Atonement was all that. But I was rather pleasently surprised by this. It's a slow-burner, and you'll probably think about it for a few days after watching before you realise you like it. Knightley pulls off a pretty convincing Welsh accent, which, as a native, was important for me. Miller was also pleasant to watch, I don't think she's ever seemed this warm in the media before. She can't do an Irish accent though, and thankfully doesn't try very much. Matthew Rhys smoulders away and thank goodness the boy's pretty, since Dylan in real life looked like a sweaty, overgrown schoolboy and it's hard to see what women saw in him. The film doesn't shy away from showing the more abusive side of the artistic personality either, and though you might not like Dylan you can't deny the character is realistic. Cillian Murphey manages to do a lot with the little screen time he's given.

So far, so good, but it's about fifteen minutes into the film that I realised why this film got such a bad press. For some reason it was presented in many circles as a Dylan biopic, whereas the poet plays only a marginal part in the dynamic of this film. What it's really about is the touching but at times claustrophobic friendship of two women under extreme circumstances. At first you wonder what Vera and Caitlin could have in common; the former is reserved and cautious, while the latter is flamboyant and uninhibeted. Their friendship evolves not because of the things they have in common, but because of the men they've loved and the times they live in. Men in general, and serious scholars, will loathe the bath-sharing, touchy-feely tone but most women can recall a short-lived but intense friendship with another woman and will find it both soothing and compelling.
By the way, much has been made of the suggestion of lesbian overtones between the two women, but I can't see it. Many men are indeed sometimes confused by the immediate and intimate bonds that can spring up between women, and often assume it must be sexual, but only rairly is this the case.

Where the film really excells is in it's depiction of the turmoil of wartime British society. The rushed marriage of Vera and William would have happened all over Britain as young people faced with the real possibility of death threw themselves into enjoying life. That bittersweet joy that verges on hysteria is present throughout the opening scenes of the film. And as happened again and again, husbands and wives united after long seperation only to find each other unrecognizable, and resented each other for it. In addition the clothes are pretty, the music authentic (Knightley isn't a terrible singer, though her miming is pretty off) and the windswept Welsh coastline has never looked more romantic. You can almost taste the salt wind, and shiver in sympathy as the characters crowd together in their wood and asbestos prefabs.

In conclusion,this is probably not a film that will appeal to many men. It's definately not for fans of Dylan's poetry, who will find the muddled chronology irritating and will feel they've walked into the wrong film. On the other hand it's visually arresting, sensitive and compelling. It's perfect for those who enjoyed Sophia Copolla's Marie Antoinette, though it has more substance. I'd recommend it for a grown-up girl's night in, or a lazy sunday afternoon when it's raining outside.

missed the mark by a long shot
Sorry, but this film went straight past me and I really felt no attachment to any of the characters. Knightley wasn't bad and Miller was ok but the characters just didn't mesh well together at all and I found the whole film very uncomfortable to watch! To be honest I thought the best character was Murphy, tormented after he comes back from the war by images of his collegues murdered before his eyes. Knightley and Miller's relationship was awful, so false and painful to see. I really thought this was going to be fantastic, but it wasn't, so its a no in my good films list.

Journey To The Edge Of New Quay
This is a great piece of film-making, with many themes simmering and occasionally boiling over in this study of the poet's wartime years that span the bombardments of London and the tranquillity of a Welsh coastal retreat . A mature, subtle script that brings into dramatic focus the underlying tensions is well served by perfect performances. But above all the excellent visual composition of each moment, with inventive and elegant use of close-up, camera angle and lighting is a wonder and joy to behold. A very rare type of film these days - it holds the attention and stirs the emotions without abandoning artistic integrity and succumbing to manipulative, superficial shortcuts.