Al filo de la oscuridad

This wartime action thriller from Warner Brothers and director Lewis Milestone depicts an uprising by the citizenry of a small Norwegian fishing village against the occupying Nazi forces. Gunnar (Errol Flynn) and Karen (Ann Sheridan) help to organize the simple folk of the area against the brutal Nazi soldiers led by Captain Koenig (Helmut Dantine).

There was a popular sub-genre of war picture during the war years that centered on common European folk rising up against Nazi occupiers. This is one of the best that I've seen, although the propaganda nature of the storytelling keeps it from being truly great. Another minor weakness lies in Flynn's character, a rather bland cipher with little to distinguish him. Flynn apparently felt the same himself and tried to get out of the movie, but in the end it turned out to be a quality picture on his resume. Sheridan is good, if a bit too made up for a Norwegian villager in her situation. I also liked Nancy Coleman as a Polish gal at the end of her rope, and Judith Anderson as a rather severe woman whose secretly in love with one of the occupying soldiers. The movie's explosive climax seems light years away from director Milestone's work 13 years previously on what is arguably the greatest anti-war film, All Quiet On the Western Front.

"The Edge of Darkness" is a 1943 propaganda film about a Norwegian fishing village rising up to fight the Nazis.

However, this movie is a cut above other propaganda movies. The cast is excellent, top-notch all the way: Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan, Walter Huston, Ruth Gordon, John Beal, Helmut Dantine, Judith Anderson and Morris Carnovsky.

Sometimes on the IMDb message board, a poster will ask for opinions on the best ensemble cast ever assembled. This one deserves a mention.

It's probably not at the top of everyone's list because it was released while Errol Flynn was fighting statutory rape charges, which was a distraction to audiences, certainly, and also because it followed "Casablanca."

Norway was dragged into the World War II conflict because Hitler was very concerned about protecting the Norwegian shoreline so that the Russians could not receive supplies if they joined the Allies.

In the story, the village is being occupied by the Nazis, who are taking the people's shipments of basic necessities and oppressing the entire town by their very presence - curfews, patrols, and the commandeering of the local hotel as their base.

Flynn plays the head of the resistance, a brave fisherman named Gunnar Brogge. He is joined in the fight byand by other villagers and by the woman he loves, Karen Stensgard (Sheridan). Her father (Huston) is a doctor who, like many others, has been content not to make waves; his wife (Gordon) longs for the days before the war when the family was together.

Karen, however, has no such wish - her brother, Johann (John Beal) is a weakling who collaborated with the Nazis in Oslo. Hearing that he's returning home, she warns the resistance group that he could cause problems. Meanwhile, the group waits to receive a shipment of arms so that they can fight effectively.

The director, Lewis Milestone, has created an atmosphere where one feels the oppression, fear and frustration of these simple people. There are powerful scenes that demonstrate the viciousness of the Nazis, led by Helmut Dantine.

One scene is off-camera - the rape of Karen. As another poster here commented, she of course looks fabulous when she returns to the group - some dirt smudges and her beautiful hair falling around her face. That is really the one false note in this story of great bravery.

The entire cast is terrific, led by Flynn, who demonstrates quiet strength and determination as Gunnar. This is really an ensemble piece, however, and Flynn and Sheridan do not overwhelm the production.

Walter Huston again demonstrates his brilliant acting skills as a man trying to stick it out without having a high profile, and Gordon is sympathetic as his wife, who yearns for the family moments that are now gone. All of the roles, including the smaller ones, are essayed beautifully.

I am sure that this film was very inspirational when first seen, particularly the radio message from Roosevelt at the end of the movie. "Edge of Darkness" is a compelling story about the effect of the war and occupation on the average person.

The term 'propaganda' has generally taken on a very negative connotation, though propaganda can be a very good thing--such as in the case of EDGE OF DARKNESS. Here is a film that did an excellent job of rallying the audience for the war effort against the Nazis. The emotional impact is great--mostly due to exceptional writing, production values and a nice ensemble cast. I'm sure when audiences left the theaters, they often were energized and it gave them a sense that "we're all in this together".

Errol Flynn is cast in the lead as a Norwegian patriot who is slowly and very covertly trying to plan for a rebellion against their Nazi overlords. Interestingly, while Flynn and the rest do not sport Norwegian accents, the film (and in particular, Flynn's performance) is generally understated. This helped make the film seem more realistic and heightened the emotional impact.

In addition to Flynn, the film also stars Ann Sheridan, Walter Huston and Ruth Gordon. However, unlike most Warner Brothers films of the day, the usual cast of supporting actors (Allen Jenkins, Frank McHugh, Alan Hale and the rest) are absent. This was a good decision, as the usual "comic relief" style of support is --replaced with a gritty yet believable group of actors.

What I also liked about the film was that while the Nazis were very brutal and evil, they were not quite so over-the-top as they were in many propaganda films of the day. Yes, they murdered and even raped, but the whole thing was handled more realistically than many films--the Germans were not parodied or ridiculous--making them all the more scary.

The film ends with a terrific final confrontation scene between the Norwegians and the Nazis. It was very deftly filmed and was super-exciting.

All in all, this is one terrific film--mostly due to realism and excellent performances all around--from direction to sets to writing to acting to cinematography. A real stand out among the crowded pack of American WWII films.

I am old enough to have seen "Edge of Darkness" first run during WWII, and believe me this was a powerful movie for a 13 year old during the war. I've always remembered the effect of President Roosevelt's over voice message at the end of the film. For those who haven't seen this film the message was an excerpt from a speech he made probably in late 1940 or 41, and it refers to the resistance of the people of Norway to the occupation by the Nazis. I wouldn't doubt that it is possible that this speech was the inspiration for the novel from which the film is based. Yes, the way this over voice was used was a wartime "message" or propaganda if you will, but having seen and re-seen every war film made during WWII, I think this was about the best use of wartime messages.

From the mystery of the first scene, you know that this is not just another war movie. This dealt honestly and on a raw level with the gut-wrenching issues that emerge when a country is occupied by a people not very much unlike themselves. Both sides try to reconcile the apparent incongruities to peacefully co-exist and yet allow the Norwegians to keep their basic human dignity, but alas the positions are inevitably irreconcilable. Because the emotions it portrays are so genuine and honest, this is one of the best propaganda films made by the allies while the war was still ongoing. Nancy Colman and Judith Anderson are standouts in a uniformly excellent cast. I consider this the perfect war film.