THE EDGE OF LOVE
THE EDGE OF LOVE |
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Poet Dylan Thomas loves two women - he's married one, the other is married to someone else. Complications rest where love interesects. | score 3+ |
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| Cast Keira Knightley, Cillian Murphy, Sienna Miller, Matthew Rhys Director John Maybury Screenwriter Sharman Macdonald Country UK Rating / Running Time M / 110 minutes Australian Release August 2008 Official Site (c) moviereview
2006-2008
ABN 72 775 390 361 |
John Maybury’s portrait of Francis Bacon (Love is the Devil)
was distinguished by the director’s searing visual technique that
not only emulated but expanded upon Bacon’s own bold and
distinctive style. He lends the same muscular approach to this
compelling study of misplaced love that uses poet Dylan Thomas as a
departure point. During WW2, Thomas (Matthew Rhys) is reunited with childhood sweetheart Vera Vera (Knightly), a frisson complicated by the errant poet’s wife (Sienna Miller). Not to be thwarted by old-fashioned ideals, they take up quarters in an emotionally supportive arrangement; one that expands to four when Vera falls for the attention of, then marries, soldier William (Murphy). Initially threatened, Dylan’s alpha-male concerns abate when William is dispatched for war, leaving Thomas free to express himself artistically – “I sleep with other women because I’m a poet,” he says. But will Vera fall for his wiles, and if so, to what end? In truth, Maybury has populated his absorbing discourse on the changeable face of love with some ugly characters (Thomas’ infantile selfishness is particularly grating). It’s a major challenge that he, for the most part, overcomes with robust casting and inspired production. Knightly, fresh from her standout turn in Atonement, is given another gutsy role while Murphy effortlessly manages the transition from charming suitor to embattled spouse. However it is Miller who commands the screen with a compassionate and dignified performance that transcends a potentially thankless role. Foremost The Edge of Love is Maybury’s film, a story driven by a courageous eye, fractured imagery and some truly breath-taking transitions. His film is a stirring, often powerful story that grapples with winners and losers dwelling in the borders of emotion. // COLIN FRASER |