"Edge of Darkness" (1985) TV mini-series

User Rating:

9.0/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

4 August 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

The mysterious death of his activist daughter, leads her straight-laced father, an Inspector of the local police force...

Plot Keywords:

Nuclear | Police | Environmental | Nuclear Plant | Political

Awards:

7 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Bob Peck	...	Ronald Craven (6 episodes, 1985)
Joe Don Baker	...	Darius Jedburgh (6 episodes, 1985)
Charles Kay	...	Pendleton (6 episodes, 1985)
Ian McNeice	...	Harcourt (5 episodes, 1985)
Joanne Whalley	...	Emma Craven (5 episodes, 1985)
Hugh Fraser	...	Bennett (4 episodes, 1985)
John Woodvine	...	Ross (4 episodes, 1985)
Jack Watson	...	James Godbolt (4 episodes, 1985)
Allan Cuthbertson	...	Chilwell (4 episodes, 1985)
Kenneth Nelson	...	Grogan (3 episodes, 1985)
David Fleeshman	...	Jones (3 episodes, 1985)
Zoë Wanamaker	...	Clemmy / ... (3 episodes, 1985)
Bill Stewart	...	Dingle (3 episodes, 1985)
T.R. Bowen	...	Childs (3 episodes, 1985)
Imogen Staley	...	Young Emma (3 episodes, 1985)
Paul Humpoletz	...	Elham (2 episodes, 1985)
Sarah Martin	...	Polly Pelham (2 episodes, 1985)
Paul Williamson	...	Bewes (2 episodes, 1985)
Tim McInnerny	...	Terry Shields (2 episodes, 1985)

Runtime:

317 min (6 parts) | Australia:307 min | Brazil:270 min (video version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Gleneagles, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Jedburgh pronounces his name as "Jedburg" throughout. The town of the same name in Scotland, is usually pronounced "Jedburuh", which is the way that his Scottish land lady, Mrs Girvan, pronounces it. (It is also known as "Jeddart" locally)

Quotes:

Ronald 'Ron' Craven: They all drowned.
Emma Craven: I know. I was there.
Ronald 'Ron' Craven: Why didn't you tell me?
Emma Craven: Dad... you were on their side
Ronald 'Ron' Craven: No!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest TV Characters (2001) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Time of the Preacher

TV Drama simply dosen't get any better than this.

UK TV Drama has never again scaled the heights set by Edge of Darkness and Dennis Potter's "The Singing Detective" in the mid-1980s. Those two series have narratives, dialogue, style and acting that few filmmakers can match.

Troy Kennedy Martin came up with a complex, magnificent script, that balanced the bleak with the entertaining. All of the major characters come across as believable, and often enigmatic.

The plot evolves ingeniously from being a local murder case to a universal ecological parable throughout the 6 episodes. It defies categorisation, combining lyricism with tense action sequences. The "Northmoor" episode is as tense an hour of TV as there's ever been. Joe Don Baker gives a virtuoso performance as the truly larger-than-life maverick CIA agent, Darius Jedburgh whose motives are ambiguous to say the least. Charles Kay and Ian McNeice are wonderfully entertaining as Pendelton and Harcourt. Even Tim McInnerny's character with just a few minutes screen time is superbly written and played. It is, however, Bob Peck who should receive the most acclaim for what is to my mind one of the most complex, emotional and well-judged performances ever as Yorkshire policeman, Ronnie Craven. Craven gets caught up in a sinister and fascinating chain of events involving the death of his environmentalist daughter, played very well by Joanne Whalley-Kilmer. Bob Peck's early death was saddening- he deserved another role of this magnitude. Other factors that add to the genius of EoD are the atmospheric Eric Clapton/Michael Kamen score, the gritty direction, photography and the sheer attention to detail in every department.

It's truly a shame that few people today working on TV drama are willing at least to try to experiment and create television as artistic and exciting as "Edge of Darkness." It should go without saying that anyone who's not seen it should buy the video- you won't regret it. Rating:- ****** (out of *****)