The Edge of Love - AKA Why Filmmakers + History don't mix
I knew I was saving this flick as one of the last to view for a reason. This movie is so ::head desk:: worthy I can't even sum up the words nor the energy to go beyond the bare minimum for my review.
Never mind, I went on a rampage. Do not say I did not warn you.
Here is the gist of the movie: Dylan Thomas is a man-whore who wants both his wife (Sienna Miller), his childhood best friend Vera (Keira Knightley) amongst dozens of other nameless flings. Despite wanting to renew her childhood romps with Dylan, Vera (initially) has too much respect for Caitlin, Dylan's wife, whom she has befriended, to give into temptation. She reluctantly gets involved with a moonstruck soldier William (our man Murphy) who leaves her knocked up right before going off on another tour. The Thomas's leech off of Vera's war-bride income and everyone is miserable, with Vera teetering between her sexual desire to nail Dylan (which she does eventually) and her growing love/desire for her actual husband. William comes back shell shocked and humiliated by rumors of his wife, gets pissed (I mean that in both the American & British sense of the word) and shoots up the Thomas household (in typical Murphy craze fashion). Vera stands by her man, Dylan tries to sabotage William's trial, but being a war hero pays off and William is free. The women give up their friendship for the sake of their men because that's what women has been doing since the dawn of human culture.
The End
Onto the four main actors:
Matthew Rhys as Dylan Thomas. I don't know if this guy is a competent actor or not because Thomas is such a douchebag it's hard to get past that. So I'll say for now he did an all right job because I wanted to smash his face in and burn some poetry just to make him cry. I don't know just how much of a dick the real Thomas was, but this is the one character I don't think the film makers went too far off the reality-o-meter with.
Keira Knightley as Vera. While I like Keira Knightley as a person (though she really needs to make sure she focuses on health before work), I don't care for her as a dramatic actress. To me, Keira acts the same exact way in all of her roles. Putting on a Welsh accent and singing a couple of songs isn't going to change this. I think she's better suited for comedies and has shown a bit more range when humor has a solid holding in the script. She herself is an absolute riot; I adore listening to her & Jack Davenport on the Pirates of the Caribbean commentary. I am just not impressed in the least with the same old shit I've seen from role to role. She can sing though, which was a pleasant surprise. I'm just sad that it still came off as lip-syncing, especially at the start of the film. Lovely voice, though.
Sienna Miller as Caitlin. HOLY. SHIT. This chick can act. I'm a bit of the opposite opinion with her & Keira; Like Keira personally, not much of an actress to me. Not big on Sienna on a personal level, but was I absolutely mesmerized by her performance. I rarely bestow my good opinion on younger actresses (don't ask; I'm a snob, no more to it) but I think she was smashing and it just doubled my interest in the upcoming Hippie Hippie Shake (also with Cillian Murphy).
And, of course, saving the best for last, Cillian Murphy as William. I don't consider myself to be disillusioned by Murphy; he does have his shortcomings. I am not razzled dazzled by his physique; my interest in him is purely on a professional level. So it is without starry eyes that I do say, despite having a back seat role, he did carry this film with Sienna Miller. His portrayal of William Killick was subtle, but profound and highly impressive. He really could have gone his traditional over-the-top nuts ala Pig, but knew how to reign it back in a most realistic manner. I think the art direction (I believe that's the department) could have ruined this for him had they gone any splashier with their visuals, but luckily did not.
BY THE WAY on a side note, remember how I complain how Murphy looks off in The Dark Knight? He does have moments of looking off early on in this film. As they were filmed somewhat around the same time of Murphy's life, I'm thinking it does partially have to do with him. He does have a fuller face here ~ nice and healthy-like, not at all bad. I think hair cut & uniform also contributed, as well as my previous suggestion in the camerawork. He's such an angular guy that when I don't see him as such, it's odd. He's also quite a bit buffer in this role than any other, so I'm also thinking he was of the same build during TDK. Anyway, just my observation.
The film was only about half as pretentious as I was expecting it to be, so on average for an indie film. It did have the LOOK AT ME THIS IS DREARY DRAMA ART AREN'T WE CLEVER LITTLE ARTISTS? feel to it, but I'm also a bitterly jaded wannabe film critic, so you should take this notation with a generous pinch of salt.
Also, Keira's mother wrote this movie. Nepotism makes me all sorts of rage-filled stabby and I'd have less of a harsh opinion of her had this not been the case. IMHO, there is no way in hell Keira would have gotten this role had it not been a family affair. When is it flat out nepotism versus artistic necessity and who should dictate how film is to be handled is a big subject, one not worthy of getting into at the moment.
My second beef with this movie comes from the fact that these people are/were real and a lot of what this movie presented in its presentation of the characters is fluff and there are no apologies for it. I'm of the opinion that, if a film is going to be adapted from history, it is a film maker's duty to Get It Right. Honestly; if a movie is going to be written based on real people, why go and say "Oh, but we're going to take these characters in a different direction." Keira Knightley was very open about "Her Vera" being different from the real Vera.
To this I reply...WHY EVEN BOTHER?
Apparently Keira's mom just couldn't be bothered to write her own damn characters? If she wanted to keep the situation similar, that's fine, I don't begrudge her for being inspired by true events and using them creatively to put her own unique spin on...but to say that THESE PEOPLE EXISTED! (but we're just going to play them in a different way because we're artists and that's how it goes) is utterly fucking ridiculous.
Not to mention that William Killick was a lot more sympathetic in the movie. In reality, he spouted off some pretty hateful anti-Semitic blather during a drunken pub brawl and his vendetta against Dylan Thomas appears to be purely focused on Thomas and all about the war, and what William felt was disrespect towards him. Though it is true Vera squandered her husbands money supporting her two lush friends, there is no substantial proof that an affair ever occurred. All articles I've read on the matter insist not.
That Killick's granddaughter was a producer on this film is kind of raised eyebrow worthy.
Anyway, this is all neither here nor there, I'm getting sidetracked.
Really, despite my grumpy, heckler-like take on this flick, it really isn't half bad and does present some very interesting issues that come out of being human & trying to interact with one another. I'd watch this movie again over a couple of other flicks of his, that's for damn sure.
Let me put it this way; rarely am I elitist on anything else in my life. Film and the Film Industry is something I reserve to be my one outlet to be a cunt about. So when I say a movie isn't half bad, or worth a watch, you know something (or someone) in the flick is making it thus.
Then again, I do consider watching Howard the Duck to be two hours well spent and I adore Ewoks, so it really is all relative =P
The Edge of Love:
Overall Story: 3
Insanity Meter: PTSD-nutty only
Would I Buy: Probably not, but wouldn't snub if it was given to me
Can Your Mum Watch It: If your mum is like mine, she'd probably really like it
Death Toll: All within reason given it's set during WWII
Angst-o-Meter: 8+ His wife is boffing a drunken poet and spending his paycheck on drunks. I mean, the whole damn movie thrives (depends) on angst
Gun Toting: Military gun toting!
Would I Recommend: I'd say it's worth watching. This is definitely one of those Cup of Tea movies.
My friend Stefanie wanted more Murphy in the movie and said she would watch Girl with a Pearl Earring with me since it's also another movie I can't be trusted to watch on my own. So that will be my next Murphy movie, along with his brief appearance as would-be Queen Padme rapist in Cold Mountain.
Never mind, I went on a rampage. Do not say I did not warn you.
Here is the gist of the movie: Dylan Thomas is a man-whore who wants both his wife (Sienna Miller), his childhood best friend Vera (Keira Knightley) amongst dozens of other nameless flings. Despite wanting to renew her childhood romps with Dylan, Vera (initially) has too much respect for Caitlin, Dylan's wife, whom she has befriended, to give into temptation. She reluctantly gets involved with a moonstruck soldier William (our man Murphy) who leaves her knocked up right before going off on another tour. The Thomas's leech off of Vera's war-bride income and everyone is miserable, with Vera teetering between her sexual desire to nail Dylan (which she does eventually) and her growing love/desire for her actual husband. William comes back shell shocked and humiliated by rumors of his wife, gets pissed (I mean that in both the American & British sense of the word) and shoots up the Thomas household (in typical Murphy craze fashion). Vera stands by her man, Dylan tries to sabotage William's trial, but being a war hero pays off and William is free. The women give up their friendship for the sake of their men because that's what women has been doing since the dawn of human culture.
The End
Onto the four main actors:
Matthew Rhys as Dylan Thomas. I don't know if this guy is a competent actor or not because Thomas is such a douchebag it's hard to get past that. So I'll say for now he did an all right job because I wanted to smash his face in and burn some poetry just to make him cry. I don't know just how much of a dick the real Thomas was, but this is the one character I don't think the film makers went too far off the reality-o-meter with.
Keira Knightley as Vera. While I like Keira Knightley as a person (though she really needs to make sure she focuses on health before work), I don't care for her as a dramatic actress. To me, Keira acts the same exact way in all of her roles. Putting on a Welsh accent and singing a couple of songs isn't going to change this. I think she's better suited for comedies and has shown a bit more range when humor has a solid holding in the script. She herself is an absolute riot; I adore listening to her & Jack Davenport on the Pirates of the Caribbean commentary. I am just not impressed in the least with the same old shit I've seen from role to role. She can sing though, which was a pleasant surprise. I'm just sad that it still came off as lip-syncing, especially at the start of the film. Lovely voice, though.
Sienna Miller as Caitlin. HOLY. SHIT. This chick can act. I'm a bit of the opposite opinion with her & Keira; Like Keira personally, not much of an actress to me. Not big on Sienna on a personal level, but was I absolutely mesmerized by her performance. I rarely bestow my good opinion on younger actresses (don't ask; I'm a snob, no more to it) but I think she was smashing and it just doubled my interest in the upcoming Hippie Hippie Shake (also with Cillian Murphy).
And, of course, saving the best for last, Cillian Murphy as William. I don't consider myself to be disillusioned by Murphy; he does have his shortcomings. I am not razzled dazzled by his physique; my interest in him is purely on a professional level. So it is without starry eyes that I do say, despite having a back seat role, he did carry this film with Sienna Miller. His portrayal of William Killick was subtle, but profound and highly impressive. He really could have gone his traditional over-the-top nuts ala Pig, but knew how to reign it back in a most realistic manner. I think the art direction (I believe that's the department) could have ruined this for him had they gone any splashier with their visuals, but luckily did not.
BY THE WAY on a side note, remember how I complain how Murphy looks off in The Dark Knight? He does have moments of looking off early on in this film. As they were filmed somewhat around the same time of Murphy's life, I'm thinking it does partially have to do with him. He does have a fuller face here ~ nice and healthy-like, not at all bad. I think hair cut & uniform also contributed, as well as my previous suggestion in the camerawork. He's such an angular guy that when I don't see him as such, it's odd. He's also quite a bit buffer in this role than any other, so I'm also thinking he was of the same build during TDK. Anyway, just my observation.
The film was only about half as pretentious as I was expecting it to be, so on average for an indie film. It did have the LOOK AT ME THIS IS DREARY DRAMA ART AREN'T WE CLEVER LITTLE ARTISTS? feel to it, but I'm also a bitterly jaded wannabe film critic, so you should take this notation with a generous pinch of salt.
Also, Keira's mother wrote this movie. Nepotism makes me all sorts of rage-filled stabby and I'd have less of a harsh opinion of her had this not been the case. IMHO, there is no way in hell Keira would have gotten this role had it not been a family affair. When is it flat out nepotism versus artistic necessity and who should dictate how film is to be handled is a big subject, one not worthy of getting into at the moment.
My second beef with this movie comes from the fact that these people are/were real and a lot of what this movie presented in its presentation of the characters is fluff and there are no apologies for it. I'm of the opinion that, if a film is going to be adapted from history, it is a film maker's duty to Get It Right. Honestly; if a movie is going to be written based on real people, why go and say "Oh, but we're going to take these characters in a different direction." Keira Knightley was very open about "Her Vera" being different from the real Vera.
To this I reply...WHY EVEN BOTHER?
Apparently Keira's mom just couldn't be bothered to write her own damn characters? If she wanted to keep the situation similar, that's fine, I don't begrudge her for being inspired by true events and using them creatively to put her own unique spin on...but to say that THESE PEOPLE EXISTED! (but we're just going to play them in a different way because we're artists and that's how it goes) is utterly fucking ridiculous.
Not to mention that William Killick was a lot more sympathetic in the movie. In reality, he spouted off some pretty hateful anti-Semitic blather during a drunken pub brawl and his vendetta against Dylan Thomas appears to be purely focused on Thomas and all about the war, and what William felt was disrespect towards him. Though it is true Vera squandered her husbands money supporting her two lush friends, there is no substantial proof that an affair ever occurred. All articles I've read on the matter insist not.
That Killick's granddaughter was a producer on this film is kind of raised eyebrow worthy.
Anyway, this is all neither here nor there, I'm getting sidetracked.
Really, despite my grumpy, heckler-like take on this flick, it really isn't half bad and does present some very interesting issues that come out of being human & trying to interact with one another. I'd watch this movie again over a couple of other flicks of his, that's for damn sure.
Let me put it this way; rarely am I elitist on anything else in my life. Film and the Film Industry is something I reserve to be my one outlet to be a cunt about. So when I say a movie isn't half bad, or worth a watch, you know something (or someone) in the flick is making it thus.
Then again, I do consider watching Howard the Duck to be two hours well spent and I adore Ewoks, so it really is all relative =P
The Edge of Love:
Overall Story: 3
Insanity Meter: PTSD-nutty only
Would I Buy: Probably not, but wouldn't snub if it was given to me
Can Your Mum Watch It: If your mum is like mine, she'd probably really like it
Death Toll: All within reason given it's set during WWII
Angst-o-Meter: 8+ His wife is boffing a drunken poet and spending his paycheck on drunks. I mean, the whole damn movie thrives (depends) on angst
Gun Toting: Military gun toting!
Would I Recommend: I'd say it's worth watching. This is definitely one of those Cup of Tea movies.
My friend Stefanie wanted more Murphy in the movie and said she would watch Girl with a Pearl Earring with me since it's also another movie I can't be trusted to watch on my own. So that will be my next Murphy movie, along with his brief appearance as would-be Queen Padme rapist in Cold Mountain.