Two families living on a remote island off of Scotland are brought together by star-crossed lovers. When Ruth’s brother Robbie plans to leave the island for a future abroad, her item of affection, Andrew, challenges her brother to race up the island’s treacherous cliffs. Their challenge threatens to tear the families apart and ruin whatever peace is left on their island home, bringing both men right up onto THE EDGE OF THE WORLD. Shot entirely on the wild, windswept island of Foula in the Shetlands, this thrilling romantic drama from director Michael Powell (The Red Shoes, Stairway to Heaven) is beautiful and profoundly moving for its time.
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[youtube https://youtu.be/UbusyprQuNI?si=VASwZhh4kZ_kxwvm&t=5620]
Video Quality
The Edge of the World makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Milestone Films with a brand new 1080p transfer from a restoration conducted by the company at some unknown point. For a film of such vintage shot on location on this remote island, this presentation is very pleasing despite intermittent deficiencies with the source. Most nicks and scratches have been eradicated, but there are still occasional marks that linger without distracting. The black-and-white photography shines in high definition with natural grain intact and resolved favorably.
The new transfer shows off a substantial amount of depth and detail within the film’s composition. As the camera roams across these immense expanses, you will be taken aback by the wonder of the environment. There is a fine amount of texture on the clothing and within the sparse production design. Black levels are firm with no obvious occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is decently defined, and the track only experiences occasional instances of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. Milestone Films has given this a rich presentation.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a fine DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original English with optional English SDH subtitles which serves this movie well enough. Dialogue and background noises remain in harmony with all competing elements, even if the accents can be a bit difficult to discern in a few instances. At worst, the track sounds slightly thin on occasion, which likely dates back to the age and condition of the source elements. The music never drowns out the dialogue or other important information. This track presents with a small amount of age-related wear and tear and some faint hissing. Overall, Milestone Films has delivered a pleasant audio experience.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Oscar-winner Thelma Schoonmaker (and Michael Powell’s widow) and film historian Ian Christie provide a great commentary track that is accompanied by Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis reading from Michael Powell’s book on the making of the film. Through this, you get some great personal insight into how this film was crafted, the life and work of Michael Powell, what this project meant to him, and more.
- An Airman’s Letter To His Mother (1941), Michael Powell’s WWII-era Short Film: A six-minute short film is provided here in standard definition which provides a narrated account of a famous letter written by a pilot who was killed in the war.
- Alternative Scenes (Silent): A seven-minute collection of unused footage is provided here.
- Michael Powell’s Home Movies narrated by Thelma Schoonmaker (c. 1955): A seven-minute snapshot of some home movies shot by Michael Powell during a trip to Scotland with some lovely insights from his wife.
- Return to the Edge of the World (1979, dir. Michael Powell): A nearly 25-minute reunion special is provided here which finds Michael Powell reflecting on his time making this film and returning to the island to reunite with some of the people in the film.
- Original Trailer: There is a two-and-a-half-minute trailer provided here.
Final Thoughts
The Edge of the World toes the boundary between narrative and documentary with Michael Powell’s delicate capturing of this environment and its inhabitants. The core narrative is fairly engaging within its melodrama, but it is the stunning sight of the island itself and the gripping implications of life in this environment that stops you in your tracks. This is an impressive bit of early filmmaking from one of the greats. Milestone Films has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a great A/V presentation and an excellent assortment of special features. If you are a Michael Powell enthusiast, you should love this release. Recommended
The Edge of the World is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
