The Edge of Love
Encyclopedia
The Edge of Love is a 2008 John Maybury
film starring Keira Knightley
, Sienna Miller
, Cillian Murphy
and Matthew Rhys
from a script by Sharman Macdonald
, Knightley's mother. Originally titled The Best Time of Our Lives, the story concerns the famous Welsh
poet Dylan Thomas
(played by Rhys), his wife Caitlin Macnamara
(played by Miller) and their married friends, the Killicks (played by Knightley and Murphy). It was an official selection at the Edinburgh International Film Festival
.
, Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley
) runs into her first love, charismatic Welsh poet Dylan Thomas
(Matthew Rhys
). Their feelings for each other are rekindled, despite the fact that Dylan is now married to and has a child with the spirited Caitlin Macnamara (Sienna Miller
). In spite of their initial rivalry, the two women become friends, and the three get along well, drinking heavily in wartime London. At this time, soldier William Killick (Cillian Murphy
) pursues Vera, and the two marry before he is sent to war. Vera gives birth to his baby, and she and the Thomases move to the Welsh seashore to raise their children in two neighboring cottages. There, Vera and Dylan restart their affair. When William returns home from horrifying experiences on the battlefield, he is unstable and cannot handle being a civilian, being a new father, and his suspicions of his wife's infidelity. Severely drunk one night and angry with Dylan's friends' ignorant talk of war, he takes a machine gun and grenade to the Thomases' cottage and fires ten shots at the walls and ceiling. He hits no one, but is arrested and taken to trial. Dylan testifies against him, exaggerating the facts and stating that he believed Killick was sober and meant to kill him, his wife, and his child. The jury finds William innocent of intent to murder, and he returns home to accept his new role as a father. In the last scene of the film, the Thomases move out of their cottage. Vera and Caitlin part fondly, but Vera ignores Dylan, unable to forgive him for testifying against her husband.
and Dublin two days later, with a Welsh
premiere taking place in Swansea
(the birth place of Dylan Thomas
) on the same night, to be attended by Matthew Rhys
. A national release follows in the UK and Ireland
on 27 June 2008. An exhibition of costumes, scripts and props from the film is on display at the Dylan Thomas Centre
in Swansea
until September.
reported that the film received a 34% "rotten" rating, based on 53 reviews by critics. The Hollywood Reporter
critic Ray Bennett commented that The Edge of Love is a "wonderfully atmospheric tale of love and war" and stated about Knightley and Miller that; "the film belongs to the women, with Knightley going from strength to strength (and showing she can sing!) and Miller again proving that she has everything it takes to be a major movie star."
As of August 25, 2008, the movie review aggregator, Metacritic
, awarded the film a score of 39 denoting "generally unfavorable reviews".
In Variety
, Leslie Felperin commented: "While the period drama has several redeeming features, tonally it's all over the map, veering between artsy stylization and hum-drum, sometimes almost twee melodrama."
Mark Kermode
described the film as "inert" and said that the script was "flawed but not without some form of admirable merit". The Independent
felt that "Maybury's stylisation makes the film more interesting than it would have been if directed by your average British journeyman, but it finally adds up to earnest heritage romance."
Sienna Miller received a nomination as Best Supporting Actress at the British Independent Spirit Awards.
At the 2010 Vits Awards it received 3rd Place in "Bottom 5 Movies". Plus, it was nominated for "Worst Directing" and "Worst Script".
soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti
includes performances by lead singers Keira Knightley
, Siouxsie Sioux
, Suggs
, Patrick Wolf
, and Beth Rowley
. Sioux
performs the second version of "Careless Love".
The composer performed the soundtrack live with Siouxsie
and Beth Rowley
in Ghent
, at the World Soundtrack Awards, in October 2008.
John Maybury
John Maybury is an English filmmaker. In 2005 he was listed as one of the 100 most influential gay and lesbian people in Britain.-Early life:...
film starring Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
, Sienna Miller
Sienna Miller
Sienna Rose Diana Miller is a British-American actress, model, and fashion designer, best known for her roles in Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl, The Edge of Love and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2007, the London Film Criticsnamed her British Actress of the Year for Interview...
, Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy is an Irish film and theatre actor. He is often noted by critics for his chameleonic performances in diverse roles and distinctive blue eyes and general sex appeal....
and Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys Evans , known professionally as Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, best known as Kevin Walker on the U.S. ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters, and as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love.-Early life:...
from a script by Sharman Macdonald
Sharman Macdonald
Sharman Macdonald is a Scottish playwright, screenwriter, and former actress. She is the mother of Academy Award-nominee Keira Knightley.-Career:...
, Knightley's mother. Originally titled The Best Time of Our Lives, the story concerns the famous Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
poet Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
(played by Rhys), his wife Caitlin Macnamara
Caitlin MacNamara
Caitlin Thomas , née Macnamara, was the wife of poet and writer Dylan Thomas. Their marriage was a stormy affair, fuelled by alcohol and infidelity, though the couple remained together until Dylan's death in 1953. After her husband's death she wrote the book Leftover Life to Kill, an account of her...
(played by Miller) and their married friends, the Killicks (played by Knightley and Murphy). It was an official selection at the Edinburgh International Film Festival
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...
.
Plot
The story is based loosely on real events and people, drawing on David N. Thomas' book Dylan Thomas: A Farm, Two Mansions and a Bungalow. During the London blitz of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
) runs into her first love, charismatic Welsh poet Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
(Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys Evans , known professionally as Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, best known as Kevin Walker on the U.S. ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters, and as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love.-Early life:...
). Their feelings for each other are rekindled, despite the fact that Dylan is now married to and has a child with the spirited Caitlin Macnamara (Sienna Miller
Sienna Miller
Sienna Rose Diana Miller is a British-American actress, model, and fashion designer, best known for her roles in Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl, The Edge of Love and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2007, the London Film Criticsnamed her British Actress of the Year for Interview...
). In spite of their initial rivalry, the two women become friends, and the three get along well, drinking heavily in wartime London. At this time, soldier William Killick (Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy is an Irish film and theatre actor. He is often noted by critics for his chameleonic performances in diverse roles and distinctive blue eyes and general sex appeal....
) pursues Vera, and the two marry before he is sent to war. Vera gives birth to his baby, and she and the Thomases move to the Welsh seashore to raise their children in two neighboring cottages. There, Vera and Dylan restart their affair. When William returns home from horrifying experiences on the battlefield, he is unstable and cannot handle being a civilian, being a new father, and his suspicions of his wife's infidelity. Severely drunk one night and angry with Dylan's friends' ignorant talk of war, he takes a machine gun and grenade to the Thomases' cottage and fires ten shots at the walls and ceiling. He hits no one, but is arrested and taken to trial. Dylan testifies against him, exaggerating the facts and stating that he believed Killick was sober and meant to kill him, his wife, and his child. The jury finds William innocent of intent to murder, and he returns home to accept his new role as a father. In the last scene of the film, the Thomases move out of their cottage. Vera and Caitlin part fondly, but Vera ignores Dylan, unable to forgive him for testifying against her husband.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Keira Knightley Keira Knightley Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham... |
Vera Phillips |
| Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy is an Irish film and theatre actor. He is often noted by critics for his chameleonic performances in diverse roles and distinctive blue eyes and general sex appeal.... |
William Killick |
| Sienna Miller Sienna Miller Sienna Rose Diana Miller is a British-American actress, model, and fashion designer, best known for her roles in Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl, The Edge of Love and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2007, the London Film Criticsnamed her British Actress of the Year for Interview... |
Caitlin Macnamara Caitlin MacNamara Caitlin Thomas , née Macnamara, was the wife of poet and writer Dylan Thomas. Their marriage was a stormy affair, fuelled by alcohol and infidelity, though the couple remained together until Dylan's death in 1953. After her husband's death she wrote the book Leftover Life to Kill, an account of her... |
| Matthew Rhys Matthew Rhys Matthew Rhys Evans , known professionally as Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, best known as Kevin Walker on the U.S. ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters, and as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love.-Early life:... |
Dylan Thomas Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself... |
| Lisa Stansfield Lisa Stansfield Lisa Stansfield is an English singer and songwriter.-Early years:Stansfield was born to Marion and Keith Stansfield in Heywood, Lancashire, in England, where she attended Redbrook School, Rochdale. Her first television appearance was on a talent programme in the Granada TV area in 1982... |
Ruth Williams |
| Graham McPherson | Al Bowlly |
| Camilla Rutherford Camilla Rutherford Camilla Rutherford is an English actress and fashion model.-Background:Rutherford was born to a journalist father and magistrate mother in Holland Park... |
Nicolette |
| Alastair Mackenzie Alastair Mackenzie Alastair Mackenzie is a Scottish actor. He was born in 1970 in Trinafour, near Perth and educated at Westbourne House School and Glenalmond College in Perthshire.Mackenzie left home at the age of 18 and moved to London... |
Anthony Devas |
| Richard Dillane Richard Dillane Richard Dillane is an English actor. He appeared as Merv, the husband of Margaret Humphreys in Jim Loach's fact-based movie Oranges and Sunshine, as Wernher von Braun in the BBC television docudrama Space Race, as Nero in Howard Brenton's play Paul at the National Theatre of GB and as Stephen... |
Lt Col David Talbot Rice |
| Huw Ceredig Huw Ceredig Huw Ceredig, born Huw Ceredig Jones was a Welsh television actor best known for playing Reg Harries in the Welsh soap opera, Pobol y Cwm.-Personal life:... |
John Patrick |
| Simon Armstrong | Wilfred Hosgood |
| Rachel Essex | Mel |
| Nick Stringer Nick Stringer Nick Stringer is an English actor.In a thirty year career, Stringer has appeared in numerous well-known British television shows, including The Bill, Open All Hours, Only Fools and Horses, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Coronation Street, Family Affairs, Minder, Johnny Jarvis, Butterflies and My Family... |
PC Williams |
| Anthony O'Donnell Anthony O'Donnell Anthony O'Donnell is a Welsh actor. In 1982, he was awarded the London Critic's Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Newcomer in the Stratford Season.-Filmography:*Knock for Knock *Nuts in May *The Sweeney... |
Jack Lloyd |
| Rachel Bell Rachel Bell Rachel B. Bell is a British actress.Bell has many television credits to her name and has been associated as a long-running character with three series: Margaret Holmes in Grange Hill ; Edith Pilchester in The Darling Buds of May ; and Louise, the overbearing chair of the divorcee support group in... |
Midwife |
| Anne Lambton Anne Lambton The Lady Anne Mary Gabrielle Lambton is a British actress.Lambton is a younger daughter of Antony Lambton and his wife Bindy née Blew-Jones. Her older sister is Lucinda Lambton, the British writer, photographer and broadcaster... |
Anita Shenkin |
| Karl Johnson Karl Johnson Karl Johnson is a Welsh actor, notable for acting on stage, film and television. He is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Birmingham City University. His most notable role to date was the title role in Derek Jarman's 1993 film Wittgenstein... |
Dai Fred |
| Richard Clifford | Alistair Graham |
| Bethany Towell | Rowatt 1 month |
| Acacia Pattinson Biggs | |
Distribution
The film made its world premiere opening the Edinburgh Film Festival on 18 June 2008. It was released in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Dublin two days later, with a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
premiere taking place in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
(the birth place of Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
) on the same night, to be attended by Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys Evans , known professionally as Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, best known as Kevin Walker on the U.S. ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters, and as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love.-Early life:...
. A national release follows in the UK and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
on 27 June 2008. An exhibition of costumes, scripts and props from the film is on display at the Dylan Thomas Centre
Dylan Thomas Centre
The Dylan Thomas Centre is an arts centre located in the Maritime Quarter in Swansea, Wales, UK.Formerly the city's Guildhall, which was originally built in 1825, the Dylan Thomas Centre was restored and refurbished to host the UK Year of Literature and Writing in 1995.It was opened in 1995 by...
in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
until September.
Critical reaction
The review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that the film received a 34% "rotten" rating, based on 53 reviews by critics. The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
critic Ray Bennett commented that The Edge of Love is a "wonderfully atmospheric tale of love and war" and stated about Knightley and Miller that; "the film belongs to the women, with Knightley going from strength to strength (and showing she can sing!) and Miller again proving that she has everything it takes to be a major movie star."
As of August 25, 2008, the movie review aggregator, Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, awarded the film a score of 39 denoting "generally unfavorable reviews".
In Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, Leslie Felperin commented: "While the period drama has several redeeming features, tonally it's all over the map, veering between artsy stylization and hum-drum, sometimes almost twee melodrama."
Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode is an English film critic, musician and a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He contributes to Sight and Sound magazine, The Observer newspaper and BBC Radio 5 Live, where he presents Kermode and Mayo's Film Reviews with Simon Mayo on Friday afternoons...
described the film as "inert" and said that the script was "flawed but not without some form of admirable merit". The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
felt that "Maybury's stylisation makes the film more interesting than it would have been if directed by your average British journeyman, but it finally adds up to earnest heritage romance."
Sienna Miller received a nomination as Best Supporting Actress at the British Independent Spirit Awards.
At the 2010 Vits Awards it received 3rd Place in "Bottom 5 Movies". Plus, it was nominated for "Worst Directing" and "Worst Script".
Soundtrack
The Edge Of LoveThe Edge of Love
The Edge of Love is a 2008 John Maybury film starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy and Matthew Rhys from a script by Sharman Macdonald, Knightley's mother...
soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti
Angelo Badalamenti
Angelo Badalamenti is an American composer, known for his movie soundtrack work for director David Lynch, notably Blue Velvet, the Twin Peaks saga and Mulholland Drive...
includes performances by lead singers Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
, Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",...
, Suggs
Suggs (singer)
Graham McPherson , better known as Suggs, is an English singer, actor, former radio DJ, TV personality, and most famous as the frontman of the band Madness.-Early life:...
, Patrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf is an English-Irish singer-songwriter from South London. Patrick utilises a wide variety of instruments in his music, most commonly the ukulele, piano and viola...
, and Beth Rowley
Beth Rowley
-Background:Rowley was born to British parents who moved back to Bristol, England from Peru when Rowley was two years old.-Early career:She was influenced by her family's love for many different musical styles, particularly blues, country, folk, gospel and Latin American music. When aged 16, Rowley...
. Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",...
performs the second version of "Careless Love".
The composer performed the soundtrack live with Siouxsie
Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",...
and Beth Rowley
Beth Rowley
-Background:Rowley was born to British parents who moved back to Bristol, England from Peru when Rowley was two years old.-Early career:She was influenced by her family's love for many different musical styles, particularly blues, country, folk, gospel and Latin American music. When aged 16, Rowley...
in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, at the World Soundtrack Awards, in October 2008.
Track listing
- "Lovers Lie Abed"
- "Overture/Blue Tahitian Moon"
- "Underground Shelter"
- "Hang Out The Stars In Indiana"
- "After The Bombing/Hang Out The Stars In Indiana"
- "A Stranger Has Come"
- "Fire To The Stars"
- "Careless Talk"
- "Careless Love"
- "Love Me"
- "Careless Talk"
- "Drifting And Dreaming"
- "Home Movies"
- "Under Fire"
- "Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much"
- "Vera Begs Dylan"
- "Vera's Theme"
- "Holding Rowatt"
- "Careless Love"
- "Caitlin's Theme"