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The Edge of Love [Blu-ray]
(John Maybury, 2008)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: BBC Films Video: Image Entertainment
Disc: Region: 'A'-locked (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:50:42.677 Disc Size: 19,727,700,308 bytes Feature Size: 18,435,078,144 bytes Video Bitrate: 17.99 Mbps Chapters: 18 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: July 14th, 2009
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Resolution: 1080p Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 2001 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2001 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles: English, Spanish, none
Extras: • Commentary by director John Maybury and actor Matthew Rhys• Looking Over The Edge of Love featurette (9:40 SD) • Outtakes • Theatrical Trailer
Bitrate:
Description: In the bohemian underground of World War II London, a stirring love story ignites among legendary poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys, TV's Brothers and Sisters) and the two extraordinary women who inspire him. Sienna Miller (Casanova) is Caitlin, Thomas' free- spirited wife, while Keira Knightley (Atonement) is Vera, the long-lost teenage sweetheart who later reconnects with Thomas. Despite their romantic rivalry, the two women form a surprisingly close bond. The trio is unusually blissful until Vera's husband, a handsome soldier (Cillian Murphy, Girl with a Pearl Earring), sends their uninhibited lives spiraling out of control
The Film: In The Edge Of Love, she creates the world of passions and complexities that fill the poems so we can swim in them. The lives of four friends. There's Dylan (native Welsh-speaker Matthew Rhys), who lusts and loves life to the full. Wife Caitlin (Sienna Miller), his feisty support. War-hero William (Cillian Murphy), who saves him from a street brawl, yet maybe tries to kill him. And his childhood sweetheart, Vera. Dear Vera. She’s Caitlin’s closest friend. William’s wife. And, like a muse, the star in Dylan’s dark sky. It all kicks off in the 1940 London Blitz, with bomb shelters in the Underground. Enter Vera (an impressive Keira Knightley) under makeshift stage spotlights. A singer raising morale for those at home. Meeting Dylan for the first time again in years, her heart is flushed. Their eyes shine through the smoke of the room with purity of passion last experienced as teenage lovers. Dylan is no sanctified, sanitised poet. It is as if to be master of his vices he must experience them all fully. He hardly breaks his stride as he introduces his wife - mother of his child and love of his life - before continuing to woo Vera with every word and gesture. Excerpt from Chris at Eye for Film located HERE
The Edge of Love is a gorgeous film - rife with magnificent cinematography and hypnotic close-ups of Keira Knightley. It was a prime candidate for release on Blu-ray. There are a few interesting visual techniques with intentional gloss or extra grainy flashbacks. Contrast and shadow detail are another hallmark of the film's appearance. This is only single-layered but seems to do its job very well. It's hard to judge whether the stunningly impressive shots are due to the cinematography - utilizing both 35mm and Panavision HD, the locales throughout Wales and England, the costume design or the 1080P transfer. Either/or It produces some succulent eye candy - ripe for the heights of Blu-ray. Contrast looks very strong and artifacts and noise are not prevalent to any degree. Visually The Edge of Love is a treat to watch and the transfer appears to due it justice. I doubt many will be disappointed in the way this film looks in high-defintion
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Despite a few instances of notable separation - the DTS-HD Master 5.1 track at 2001 kbps is competent but stands a wide second to the image. The war sequences produce some viable bass and Angelo Badalamenti's (whose credits include Lynch's Lost Highway and Wild at Heart) crisp score supports The Edge of Love on all fronts. The track is not demo material but does a surprisingly good job when called upon. There are optional subtitles in English and Spanish and my Momitsu tells me this edition is region-locked to 'A'.
Extras :The commentary is very off-the-cuff with director John Maybury and actor Matthew Rhys giving and getting a few healthy chuckles - bordering on rudeness. Expecting something more dry I was very pleasantly surprised by their playful banter. Neither seem to take the film too seriously but viable information is still imparted. There are less than 5-minutes of humorous outtakes and a 10-minute Looking Over “The Edge of Love” featurette with Knightley, Miller and Maybury giving input around clips from the film.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze July 8th, 2009
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About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 7500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. So be
it, but film will always be my first love and I list my
favorites on the old YMdb site now accessible
HERE.
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