Where The Black Flowers Bloom...
Added 10/15/2009
Craigmills, Yorkshire, 1985: Ronald Craven (Bob Peck) is a detective with the West Yorkshire constabulary tasked with investigating allegations of corruption and ballot rigging within the infrastructure of the local miner's union. A widower who lives with his student activist daughter, Emma (Joanne Whalley), Craven finds himself confronted with the unthinkable when a shotgun-wielding assailant confronts him on the front lawn of his remote home and Emma is apparently 'accidentally' killed in the resultant carnage. A police manhunt is launched and as the grief-stricken Craven begins to make inquiries of his own, he inadvertently finds himself involved in a conspiracy that stretches from the corridors of Westminster to the stygian depths of 'Northmoor', a remote Nuclear waste storage facility on the Yorkshire dales, and which will take him far beyond the edge of darkness and into the hinterland where big business, corrupt government and state sanctioned execution walk hand in veiled hand.
Make no bones about it, for a large swathe of the UK population, myself included, "Edge Of Darkness" is 'the' finest drama ever broadcast on British television and still the benchmark against which all others must be measured.
Originally broadcast in the winter of 1985 at the height of the special relationship between Reagan and Thatcher, the Labour party's most militant incarnation, renewed violence in Northern Ireland, and at a time when the British public's dissatisfaction with the Conservative government's ruthless economic policies and relentless courting of multinational business interests had resulted in wide-spread suspicion and cynicism of the establishment, the series was a smash-hit ratings winner which was repeated almost immediately, swept the BAFTA awards (British Emmys) and made a house-hold name out of the late, lamented Bob Peck.
Veteran screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin's script, for my money, remains the most complex, nuanced, eloquent and haunting examination of a decent man caught up in the serpentine machinations of corporate power and closed government ever written. To label this series as merely a thriller alone is both erroneous and incorrect. It transcends the genre, incorporating elements of the political thriller, ghost story, vendetta movie, spy drama, western, film noir and magic realist literature, mythological fable, ecological treatise (James Lovelock's "Gaia Hypothesis" as set forth in his book, Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth, was clearly an influence), and all points in-between.
Performances are, frankly, stunning. Bob Peck's turn as the stoic, slowly unraveling Ronald Craven is, to this day, one the finest pieces of screen acting that I have ever seen. You will never see a finer or more subtle depiction of a man who has been eviscerated by grief. His uncomprehending, hollow, dead-eyed stare will haunt you forever and the primal scream of sorrow and frustration which he gives rise to during his second confrontation with the man who killed his daughter is still one of the most chilling moments in television history. Matching Peck pound for pound is Texan actor Joe Don Baker, whose turn as the jovial, ambiguous CIA agent, Darius Jedburgh, provides some of the most memorable moments in the series: the revisionist "show-down and soliloquy" which occurs when Jedburgh confronts one of the series' principal antagonists at a conference in Gleneagles, Scotland, towards the close of the story, is still discussed in reverent tones in British drama and screen-writing circles to this day. Both actors are ably supported by a brilliant cast which features a smorgasbord of British acting talent including Ian McNeice, Zoe Wanamaker, Charles Kay, John Woodvine and Jack Watson.
Apparently a big-screen remake of this series, featuring Mel Gibson, is currently in the offing. I can say, with absolutely no doubt in my mind, that it will never match the peerless brilliance and depth of the original. It is impossible to do justice to the complexity, elegance and eloquence of "Edge Of Darkness" in words - all I can recommend is that you rent or buy it, find a night when you are free and able to give yourself to it entirely, and truly enjoy the best of British.
And if you, like I, find yourself haunted by Eric Clapton and Michael Kamen's haunting theme tune, "Obituary", you can find a superbly chilling live rendition of it on the live Clapton album, 24 Nights.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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My favorite TV series out of UK
Added 5/8/2009
I have seen this tv series over and over again (many times back in Iran in early 1990s) and immensely enjoyed it. Thrilling, brilliant and it had a story that was unusual. I think this is the best British tv series I have ever seen and if you want a thriller/drama/spy story then this should be on your list. Excellent job! Best of all, its sound track by Eric Clapton, made it more interesting. Can't wait to buy the DVDs. 5/5
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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BIG NEWS!! -Theatrical remake out soon! -Mel Gibson???
Added 4/26/2009
So, any one heard anything about the news that Mel is remaking EOD? Just heard about it recently on TV & I found quite A bit about it online. -Still not quite sure what to make of it. To start with, Gibson is playing Ronnie Craven himself (although they apparently changed his first name), Believe it or not, Robert DE NIRO was set to play Jedburgh! but supposedly walked off the set over (what else!) -"creative differences" & was replaced by Ray Winstone, but the really interesting part is that it's being produced & DIRECTED by Michael Wearing & Martin Campbell!! Set in Boston & not Craig Mills (not sure how that's gonna work!). Bet it's not 5 hrs long, either (I'm afraid it will lose A lot trying to trim to theatrical length). I sure am doubtful that it will stand up to our beloved original, but I reckon it has to be good news as far as finally getting A U.S.re-release of the film on DVD. -'til then, I'll keep A tight hold on my VHS copy! SO, please add your comments, fellow fans. I am very interested in what the rest of you think about this "new development". Best Regards & "We'll see"! -Jeff (& my Newfoundland, "Col. Jedburgh")
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Finally Coming To DVD!
Added 1/9/2009
I remember being blown away by this mini-series when it was first shown on PBS back in the 1980's. I have it on VHS, but after all this time, the quality isn't good. Good news. According to tvshowsondvd, Edge Of Darkness is being released on DVD here in the U.S. on March 3, 2009. So come on guys, put this title up for pre-order. I know I'll be the first in line to order it!
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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A Hell of A Mission
Added 10/26/2006
Belatedly, I planned to write a review of EOD. However, I find that the rest of you got here first, and have written well-deserved high praise!
I first saw EOD here in the US on a syndicated basis. They chopped it up into two parts, and cut a lot of little "unnecessary" bits (like Craven looking out a second storey window and seeing McCroon stepping out of the trees with a shotgun). The sound quality was fair to poor, also.
We eventually got hold of the 2-cassette VHS copy, and caught all the things we had missed.
This is bravura work, all around. It's a superb cast, with great writing, classic direction, a fine score. If you're not familiar, read the reviews below, and see this, in uncut form if you possibly can. And as Darius Jedburgh said, "It was a hell of a mission, though."
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Where The Black Flowers Bloom...
Added 10/15/2009
Craigmills, Yorkshire, 1985: Ronald Craven (Bob Peck) is a detective with the West Yorkshire constabulary tasked with investigating allegations of corruption and ballot rigging within the infrastructure of the local miner's union. A widower who lives with his student activist daughter, Emma (Joanne Whalley), Craven finds himself confronted with the unthinkable when a shotgun-wielding assailant confronts him on the front lawn of his remote home and Emma is apparently 'accidentally' killed in the resultant carnage. A police manhunt is launched and as the grief-stricken Craven begins to make inquiries of his own, he inadvertently finds himself involved in a conspiracy that stretches from the corridors of Westminster to the stygian depths of 'Northmoor', a remote Nuclear waste storage facility on the Yorkshire dales, and which will take him far beyond the edge of darkness and into the hinterland where big business, corrupt government and state sanctioned execution walk hand in veiled hand.
Make no bones about it, for a large swathe of the UK population, myself included, "Edge Of Darkness" is 'the' finest drama ever broadcast on British television and still the benchmark against which all others must be measured.
Originally broadcast in the winter of 1985 at the height of the special relationship between Reagan and Thatcher, the Labour party's most militant incarnation, renewed violence in Northern Ireland, and at a time when the British public's dissatisfaction with the Conservative government's ruthless economic policies and relentless courting of multinational business interests had resulted in wide-spread suspicion and cynicism of the establishment, the series was a smash-hit ratings winner which was repeated almost immediately, swept the BAFTA awards (British Emmys) and made a house-hold name out of the late, lamented Bob Peck.
Veteran screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin's script, for my money, remains the most complex, nuanced, eloquent and haunting examination of a decent man caught up in the serpentine machinations of corporate power and closed government ever written. To label this series as merely a thriller alone is both erroneous and incorrect. It transcends the genre, incorporating elements of the political thriller, ghost story, vendetta movie, spy drama, western, film noir and magic realist literature, mythological fable, ecological treatise (James Lovelock's "Gaia Hypothesis" as set forth in his book, Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth, was clearly an influence), and all points in-between.
Performances are, frankly, stunning. Bob Peck's turn as the stoic, slowly unraveling Ronald Craven is, to this day, one the finest pieces of screen acting that I have ever seen. You will never see a finer or more subtle depiction of a man who has been eviscerated by grief. His uncomprehending, hollow, dead-eyed stare will haunt you forever and the primal scream of sorrow and frustration which he gives rise to during his second confrontation with the man who killed his daughter is still one of the most chilling moments in television history. Matching Peck pound for pound is Texan actor Joe Don Baker, whose turn as the jovial, ambiguous CIA agent, Darius Jedburgh, provides some of the most memorable moments in the series: the revisionist "show-down and soliloquy" which occurs when Jedburgh confronts one of the series' principal antagonists at a conference in Gleneagles, Scotland, towards the close of the story, is still discussed in reverent tones in British drama and screen-writing circles to this day. Both actors are ably supported by a brilliant cast which features a smorgasbord of British acting talent including Ian McNeice, Zoe Wanamaker, Charles Kay, John Woodvine and Jack Watson.
Apparently a big-screen remake of this series, featuring Mel Gibson, is currently in the offing. I can say, with absolutely no doubt in my mind, that it will never match the peerless brilliance and depth of the original. It is impossible to do justice to the complexity, elegance and eloquence of "Edge Of Darkness" in words - all I can recommend is that you rent or buy it, find a night when you are free and able to give yourself to it entirely, and truly enjoy the best of British.
And if you, like I, find yourself haunted by Eric Clapton and Michael Kamen's haunting theme tune, "Obituary", you can find a superbly chilling live rendition of it on the live Clapton album, 24 Nights.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
My favorite TV series out of UK
Added 5/8/2009
I have seen this tv series over and over again (many times back in Iran in early 1990s) and immensely enjoyed it. Thrilling, brilliant and it had a story that was unusual. I think this is the best British tv series I have ever seen and if you want a thriller/drama/spy story then this should be on your list. Excellent job! Best of all, its sound track by Eric Clapton, made it more interesting. Can't wait to buy the DVDs. 5/5
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
|
BIG NEWS!! -Theatrical remake out soon! -Mel Gibson???
Added 4/26/2009
So, any one heard anything about the news that Mel is remaking EOD? Just heard about it recently on TV & I found quite A bit about it online. -Still not quite sure what to make of it. To start with, Gibson is playing Ronnie Craven himself (although they apparently changed his first name), Believe it or not, Robert DE NIRO was set to play Jedburgh! but supposedly walked off the set over (what else!) -"creative differences" & was replaced by Ray Winstone, but the really interesting part is that it's being produced & DIRECTED by Michael Wearing & Martin Campbell!! Set in Boston & not Craig Mills (not sure how that's gonna work!). Bet it's not 5 hrs long, either (I'm afraid it will lose A lot trying to trim to theatrical length). I sure am doubtful that it will stand up to our beloved original, but I reckon it has to be good news as far as finally getting A U.S.re-release of the film on DVD. -'til then, I'll keep A tight hold on my VHS copy! SO, please add your comments, fellow fans. I am very interested in what the rest of you think about this "new development". Best Regards & "We'll see"! -Jeff (& my Newfoundland, "Col. Jedburgh")
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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