Edges of the Lord (2001)

Director:

Yurek Bogayevicz

Writer (WGA):

Yurek Bogayevicz (written by)

Release Date:

12 October 2001 (Poland)

Genre:

Drama | Crime | War

Plot:

A 12-year-old Jewish boy hides with a family of Catholic peasant farmers to escape the Nazis.

Plot Keywords:

Boy | Nazi | Peasant | Jewish | Prayer

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Haley Joel Osment	...	Romek
Willem Dafoe	...	Priest
Liam Hess	...	Tolo
Richard Banel	...	Vladek
Olaf Lubaszenko	...	Gniecio
Malgorzata Foremniak	...	Manka
Andrzej Grabowski	...	Kluba
Chiril Vahonin	...	Robal
Olga Frycz	...	Maria
Dorota Piasecka	...	Ela Kluba
Wojciech Smolarz	...	Pyra
Marek Weglarski	...	Max
Edyta Jurecka	...	Sara
Ryszard Ronczewski	...	Batylin
Krystyna Feldman	...	Wanda
Eugene Osment	...	German Officer at Batylin Field
Krzysztof Pieczynski	...	German Officer at Trains
Stefania Wasko	...	Maria's Grandmonther
Marian Czekalski	...	Old Man With Limp
Aldona Grochal	...	Jewish Mother of Little Girl
Maria Andruszkiewicz	...	Jewish Woman
Ewa Braniecka	...	Jewish Little Girl
Jerzy Swiatlon	...	Leon - Escapee
Etl Szyc	...	Zyta - Escapee
Jerzy Gudejko	...	German Soldier on Bike #1
Maja Barelkowska	...	Jewish Boy's Mother
Piotr Szyc	...	Samuel - Boy Escapee
Grzegorz Lukawski	...	Leading Soldier #1
Pawel Okraska	...	Leading Soldier #2
Karolina Wedrychowicz	...	Middle Aged Jewish Woman
Grzegorz Jozwiak	...	Young Jewish Man
Andrzej Róg	...	Large Man with Clothes
Romek Szymczyk	...	Jewish Boy
Piotr Walczak	...	Piotrek
Hanna Walczak	...	Piotrek's Grandmother
Grzegorz Matysik	...	German Guard
Emilian Kaminski	...	German Officer #2
Dawid Zawadzki	...	German Officer Killing Underground Youth
Borys Szyc	...	German Soldier with Woman on Bike
Waldemar Barwinski	...	Underground Youth
Justyna Sienczyllo	...	Woman on Bike
Michal Chorosinski	...	German Officer by Club
Karolina Lutczyn	...	Blonde with German Officer
Karina Seweryn	...	Soldier's Girl
Teodozja Jozwiak	...	Jewish Woman in Transport

Directed by
Yurek Bogayevicz

Writing credits (WGA)
Yurek Bogayevicz		(written by)

Produced by
Zev Braun	....	producer
Boaz Davidson	....	executive producer
Danny Dimbort	....	executive producer
Philip Krupp	....	producer
Avi Lerner	....	producer
Danny Lerner	....	executive producer
Pinchas Perry	....	co-producer
Trevor Short	....	executive producer
Rony Yacov	....	line producer
Iwona Ziulkowska-Okapiec	....	associate producer (as Iwona Ziulkowska)

Original Music by
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

Cinematography by
Pawel Edelman

Film Editing by
Dennis M. Hill

Production Design by
Mayling Cheng
Ewa Skoczkowska

Art Direction by
Robert Czesak

Set Decoration by
Ryszard Melliwa

Costume Design by
Jagna Janicka		(as Anna Jagna Janicka)

Makeup Department
Liliana Galazka	....	makeup artist
Anna Goronska	....	makeup assistant
Paulina Guzlinska	....	makeup assistant
Paulina Mackiewicz	....	makeup assistant

Production Management
Aneta Cebula	....	assistant production manager
Janusz B. Czech	....	production manager
Todd Gilbert	....	post-production supervisor
Pearl A. Lucero	....	production supervisor: Poland

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ewa Andrzejewska	....	second assistant director
Andrzej Bednarski	....	first assistant director
Magdalena Czartoryjska	....	assistant director
Beata Krekiewicz	....	assistant director
Barbara Monka	....	assistant director
Pawel Sendyka	....	assistant director
Marcin Szczerbic	....	second assistant director
Tomasz Winski	....	assistant director

Art Department
Andrzej Kowalewski	....	stand-by props
Piotr Kowalewski	....	assistant props
Andrzej Rychtarczyk	....	construction coordinator
Grzegorz Skawinski	....	assistant set decorator
Pawel Smialkowski	....	property master
Waldemar Weiss	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Tom D. Backman	....	digital sound transferer (as Tom Backman)
Kevin Bartnof	....	foley artist
Richard Duarte	....	foley editor
Richard Duarte	....	foley recordist
Alex Epstine	....	boom operator
Paula Fairfield	....	supervising sound editor
Jerry Gilbert	....	sound re-recording mixer
Rose Gregoris	....	sound assistant
Carla Murray	....	sound effects editor
Jill Purdy	....	dialogue editor (adr editor)
Stephen Roque	....	sound effects editor
Angie Stanghetti	....	adr recordist
Jonathan Wales	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eli Yarkoni	....	sound mixer
Eric Justen	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Stunts
Zofia Bachleda-Zolnierczyk	....	stunts (as Zofia Bachleda)
Jakub Boguta	....	stunt double
Anna Braszkiewicz	....	stunt double
Robert Brzezinski	....	stunt coordinator
Robert Cichon	....	stunts
Konrad Czekalski	....	stunts
Karol Czerwinski	....	stunt double
Jacek Dlugosz	....	stunts
Kamil Galowski	....	stunt double
Ryszard Janikowski	....	stunts
Grzegorz Jurek	....	stunts
Andrzej Kociubinski	....	stunts
Pawel Kolakowski	....	stunt double
Bartlomiej Kupnicki	....	stunt double
Pawel Pliszka	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Dariusz Bardadyn	....	camera loader
Jakub Bednarek	....	second assistant camera
Pawel Chiczewski	....	best boy electric
Ireneusz Dybowski	....	grip
Magdalena Górka	....	second camera operator
Zbigniew Gustowski	....	first assistant camera
Jacek Januszyk	....	camera operator
Adam Karczewski	....	electrician
Pawel Kincel	....	grip
Piotr Kryska	....	electrician
Cezary Lisowski	....	gaffer
Robert Lukowski	....	dolly grip
Adam Napora	....	electrician
Adam Nawrocki	....	grip
Zbigniew Nietresta	....	grip
Janusz Nogal	....	generator operator
Katarzyna Rolek	....	clapper loader
Artur Sochan	....	electrician
Wojciech Szarlinski	....	still photographer
Michael G. Wojciechowski	....	video assist operator

Casting Department
Carol L. Dudley	....	casting: U.K. (as Carol Dudley)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Katarzyna Bajak-Karas	....	costumer (as Katarzyna Bajak)
Zofia Przybos-Olewicz	....	assistant costume designer
Anna Rychlik	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Marie Hélène Desbiens	....	negative cutter
Saul Escobedo	....	color timer
Ryan Folsey	....	first assistant editor
Agnieszka Glinska	....	second assistant editor
Jordan Kessler	....	post-production coordinator
George Koran	....	colorist
Sebastian Korwin-Kulesza	....	second assistant editor
Andrew Midgley	....	optical line-up
Jorg Walther	....	color timing consultant

Music Department
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek	....	music producer
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek	....	orchestrator
Tadeusz Karolak	....	conductor
Christopher Kennedy	....	music editor
Dylan Maulucci	....	orchestrator
Rafal Paczkowski	....	scoring mixer
Roman Rewakowicz	....	conductor: choir (as Roman Rewakowicz Desorient)
Jacek Urbaniak	....	score recordist
Zbigniew Zbrowski	....	orchestra contractor

Other crew
Tsila Adler	....	post-production accountant
Sonia Apodaca	....	assistant to producers
Andrzej Besztak	....	production coordinator
Donald Bruce	....	production controller
Michael Buster	....	dialect coach
Lois Carl	....	studio teacher
Karen M. Cockrell	....	post-production accounting manager
Rafal Golis	....	production assistant
Elzbieta Heleniak	....	production accountant: Poland
Marcin Jancyk	....	stand-in
Jerzy Mizak	....	set manager
Robert Pfeffer	....	production accountant
Marek Pinkowski	....	animal trainer
Jan Jaroslaw Potocki	....	assistant to line producer
Daria Rogozinska	....	production secretary
David Sitzman	....	contracts administrator
Malgorzata Stando	....	production assistant
Bartlomiej Szewczyk	....	stand-in
Katarzyna Trzaska	....	assistant accountant: Poland
Adam Warchol	....	animal handler: horses and wagons
Katarzyna Warchol	....	animal handler
Slawomir Warchol	....	animal handler
Jacek Weglarz	....	assistant location manager
Anna Zenowicz	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Braun Entertainment Group
• Canal+
• Komitet Kinematografii
• Martien Holdings A.V.V.
• Millennium Films
• Telewizja Polska (TVP)
• Zespol Filmowy "Tor"

Distributors

• Barton Films (Spain) (Basque Country)
• Cipa (France)
• DVD Liider (2006) (Estonia) (DVD)
• Indipendenti Regionali
• LW Editora (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Miramax Films
• Nu Image Films (non-USA)
• Sociedad General de Derechos Audiovisuales (SOGEDASA) (Spain)
• Starmedia Home Entertainment (Germany)

Other Companies

• Cine Steps  camera equipment
• Expert Films  camera crane
• Film Ilumination  lighting equipment (as Film Illumination S.C.)
• FotoKem Film and Video  answer print
• FotoKem Laboratory  color (as Fotokem)
• Ground Control Studios  audio post-production facility
• J.J. S.C.  dolly equipment
• Magic Film and Video Works  negative cutting
• Polish Radio Studios, The  music recorded at (as The Polist Radio Studios - Warsaw)
• Sinfonia Varsovia  orchestra
• Soho Images  film laboratory (as Soho Images London)
• Start International  sound studio: adr, Poland
• Studio Buffo  music mixed at
• Title House Digital  titles and opticals
• Warsaw Chamber Opera Choir  choir (as Warsaw Chamber Choir)

Also Known As:

Boze skrawki (Poland)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and sexual content.

Runtime:

France:95 min (Cannes Film Festival)

Country:

USA | Poland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #38168) | New Zealand:R16 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | USA:R | Australia:MA | Singapore:PG | Australia:M (cable rating)

Filming Locations:

Kraków, Poland

Company:

Braun Entertainment Group

Trivia:

This movie wasn't released in USA due to commercial difficulties right away. There were plans to release it theatrically, but to no avail. It was released straight to DVD.

Goofs:

Continuity: Due to the age of the young actor, the character Tolo is missing teeth, then has those teeth again out of the chronological sequence of the movie. Particularly his two upper front teeth, which appear fully and then as only just coming in.

Quotes:

Romek: Are we blessed? Or are we just the edges?
Priest: We are all scraps, Romek, and we are all blessed the same.
Romek: But not all the people right?

Soundtrack:

Before Your Eyes

Time goes by and this great movie is still so unknown...

You know something? It's really sad that "Edges of the Lord" doesn't get the deserved attention from the press, critics and people in general. But that's in part because of its poor marketing and propaganda. The film should also have a better distribution around the world. It is a quality movie and deserves more credit than it gets.

I like Haley Joel Osment. I think he's one of all-time's finest young actors (a child actor with the maturity of an adult actor). At first I only saw this movie for curiosity because Haley is in it. I don't even like war movies and I'm not big on religious movies either. But this movie is very good. It's actually a good surprise and a reference inside its genre. This is also a religious movie as good as "Marcelino pan y vino". It quickly became one of my favorite films.

This isn't like the majority of war films. This one shows little of the Holocaust's horror and violence (although it still does have some disturbing parts). But in general, this is more of a drama that takes place during the World War II in the early 1940's. It's a human movie, a story of courage, braveness, survival, sacrifices and also about learning to accept other people.

"Edges of the Lord" takes place in Poland, the country where it was filmed. One of its attributes is the natural beauty of the sceneries and landscapes: a pretty village, lakes, trees, mountains and green places. All of that is very well combined with beautiful music, drama, romance, tension, sadness, depression, danger and adventure. It's an intense and emotional movie either, not just another Holocaust movie.

Haley Joel Osment and Willem Dafoe are the best known actors of this film. They're American. The others are mostly polish actors but not without a Canadian one (Richard Banel) and an English one (Liam Hess).

The fabulous Haley Joel Osment once again shows his exceptional talent and he even speaks with a perfect polish accent. Willem Dafoe has his best performance and role ever in this film as the Priest (whose name is unknown).

The other actors have terrific performances too, especially the kids: Liam Hess as Tolo, Richard Banel as Vladek and Ola Frycz as Maria. As for the adult actors, Olaf Lubaszenko is great as Gniecio. As for the woman who plays Gniecio's wife, not only is she good in her role but also beautiful! And she has an amazing Michelle Pfeiffer-like appearance. The director Yurek Bogayevicz did a great job with his American-polish special production.

As for the characters, Tolo is a loving but very strange little boy. Vladek starts by being a hateable brat who's always mistreating Romek, but as the movie runs we end up liking him, because he changes his bratty attitudes, becomes a good boy and finally accepts Romek, becoming his friend and even rescues him when he needs to. Romek is the cute and most loving kid but also a boy who is thought to disguise in perfection his religious roots. Maria is a pretty and provoking girl who also becomes a better person as the movie runs. Who I never like at all are Kluba and his kids: Pyra and, most of all, that horrible Robal.

I must say that Haley Joel Osment did something unique: a reasonable number of wonderful movies. "Bogus", "The Sixth Sense", "Pay It Forward", "Edges of the Lord" and "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" are all very good movies.

This movie is a definitive "must" and a full plate especially for those who appreciate this extraordinary talent named Haley Joel Osment.

This should definitely be on Top 250.