Film Snail

6.1

Edge of Darkness

NR·1943·119m

Drama

War

Drama

War

Summary

The film pivots around the local Norwegian doctor and his family. The doctor's wife (Ruth Gordon) wants to hold on to the pretence of gracious living and ignore their German occupiers. The doctor, Martin Stensgard (Walter Huston), would also prefer to stay neutral, but is torn. His brother-in-law, the wealthy owner of the local fish cannery, collaborates with the Nazis. The doctor's daughter, Karen (Ann Sheridan), is involved with the resistance and with its leader Gunnar Brogge (Errol Flynn). The doctor's son has just returned to town, having been sent down from the university, and is soon influenced by his Nazi-sympathizer uncle. Captain Koenig (Helmut Dantine), the young German commandant of the occupying garrison, whose fanatic determination to do everything by the book and spoutings about the invincibility of the Reich hides a growing fear of a local uprising.

Cast

Errol Flynn

Gunnar Brogge

Ann Sheridan

Karen Stensgard

Walter Huston

Dr. Martin Stensgard

Helmut Dantine

Captain Koenig

Ruth Gordon

Anna Stensgard

Judith Anderson

Gerd Bjarnesen

Roman Bohnen

Lars Malken

Monte Blue

Jens Petersen

Virginia Christine

Hulda (Stensgard maid)

Morris Carnovsky

Sixtus Andresen

Charles Dingle

Kaspar Torgerson

Richard Fraser

Pastor Aalesen

Art Smith

Knut Osterholm

Nancy Coleman

Katja, Koenig's woman

John Beal

Johann Stensgard

Frank Wilcox

Jensen, the shoemaker

Henry Brandon

Major Ruck

Tom Fadden

Hammer

Francis Pierlot

Mortensen, the tailor

Kurt Katch

German Landing Party Captain

Tonio Selwart

German Corporal Paul

Louis V. Arco

German Lieutenant (uncredited)

Nora Bush

Townswoman (uncredited)

Glen Cavender

Cannery Worker (uncredited)

Albert Cavens

Soldier (uncredited)

Noble 'Kid' Chissell

Townsman (uncredited)

Tom Coleman

Townsman (uncredited)

Victor Cox

Townsman (uncredited)

William Edmunds

Elderly Sailor (uncredited)

Frederick Giermann

German Pilot (uncredited)

Kit Guard

Townsman in Church (uncredited)

Al Haskell

Townsman (uncredited)

Kenner G. Kemp

Soldier (uncredited)

Kurt Kreuger

German Co-Pilot (uncredited)

Ann Kunde

Townswoman (uncredited)

Walt La Rue

Village Patriot (uncredited)

Rolf Lindau

German Lieutenant (uncredited)

Dudley Field Malone

Winston Churchcill (voice) (uncredited)

Torben Meyer

Cannery Clerk (uncredited)

Peter Michael

German Soldier (uncredited)

Robert Milasch

Townsman (uncredited)

Ernesto Molinari

Soldier (uncredited)

Harry 'Snub' Pollard

Townsman in Church (uncredited)

John Rice

Townsman (uncredited)

Henry Rowland

Helmut (uncredited)

John Roy

Soldier (uncredited)

Allen D. Sewall

Townsman (uncredited)

Carl Sklover

Soldier (uncredited)

Cap Somers

Soldier (uncredited)

Ray Spiker

Townsman (uncredited)

William Sundholm

Townsman (uncredited)

Helene Thimig

Mrs. Frida Malken (uncredited)

Dorothy Tree

Solveig Brategaard (uncredited)

Peter van Eyck

German Soldier (uncredited)

Roland Varno

German Lieutenant (uncredited)

Hans Heinrich von Twardowski

German Co-Pilot (uncredited)

Lottie Williams

Mrs. Mortensen (uncredited)

William Yetter Sr.

German Officer (uncredited)

Jack Young

Franklin D. Roosevelt (voice) (uncredited)

Paul Kruger

George Magrill

Robert R. Stephenson

Crew

Director

Lewis Milestone

Novel

William Woods

Screenplay

Robert Rossen

Reviews

talisencrw

August 6, 2016

I have always wondered how it must have felt to make a 'wartime' movie about a war you're currently living in, and lately I stumbled upon a quintet of films made during the Second World War with Errol Flynn, of all people, battling the Nazis. Because of it both being by Turner Classic Movies AND had one film directed by Lewis Milestone (with one of the finest anti-war statements ever made, 'All Quiet on the Western Front', under his belt) and the others by none other than Raoul Walsh, I was, pardon the pun, 'in like Flynn'. But as Flynn had been one of my favourite actors of the period simply on the basis of 'The Adventures of Robin Hood', I honestly would have gone for it anyway. Yeah, you could say I love older movies! =)

My best friend Earl remarked, 'By the end of WWII, they used up all of the good film titles,' and he probably has a point there, at least with this one, still getting quality usage THREE generations later, and with Mel Gibson to boot. But this was weird for a war film (looking at the resistance put up by a village of 800 Norwegians) bizarrely cast (with Ann Sheridan, Walter Huston, Judith Anderson and Ruth Gordon--all as the GOOD guys!), and had taped speeches by BOTH Churchill and Roosevelt. I read notorious British film critic Leslie Halliwell's review that everything was decent about the film except that it starred Flynn. He couldn't have been more wrong.

I'm greatly looking forward to examining the other four films of the set, all directed by one of the most underrated American directors of all time--Raoul Walsh.