Edge of Darkness: The Complete Series (1985, BBC)

Own it on DVD (Released: November 3, 2009)

This Friday will see the release of the new Mel Gibson thriller, Edge of Darkness. What you may not realize is that Edge of Darkness is an adaptation of a six-episode series that ran on the BBC in 1985. The original Edge of Darkness was at the time hailed as a revolutionary piece of British TV and garnered huge ratings. It was also considered somewhat controversial at the time for it’s political messages and the fact that it was produced by public money and aired on public television. Today, with the new film about to release I take a look at the recent North American DVD release of the BBC’s Edge of Darkness.

The Series

Troy Kennedy-Martin, who most recently gave us the screenplay for The Italian Job, wrote Edge of Darkness. Kennedy-Martin crafted this series with extraordinary vision in both the political elements and the realm of character examination. Working with him was director Martin Campbell, who would go on to twice reboot the Bond franchise with Goldeneye and Casino Royale, and is now directing the remake of Edge of Darkness. Campbell is, in many ways, where the series gets its juice, but, to understand why, it stands that some summarizing take place.

The series begins with the shooting of police officer Ronald Craven’s daughter Emma on the steps of their home. It is widely assumed that the killer meant to murder Craven, and that killing Emma was merely an accident. But Craven thinks otherwise, and he slowly begins to see evidence that Emma, who was involved in anti-nuclear activism, may have been the target of a massive corporate and political cover-up. Along the way he becomes the pawn of political investigators Harcourt and Pendleton, and forms a partnership with jovial C.I.A. agent Darius Jedburgh. The nuclear conspiracy they uncover stretches right through the depths of the World political community, global military alliances, and corporate influence.

On top of all the political intrigue we also get the deeply personal story of a devoted widower father who is now dealing with the death of his only daughter. The late Bob Peck of Jurassic Park, raptor-hunting fame, plays Ronald Craven perfectly. He imbues his character with an enormous amount of pathos, and with just the right amount of dark wit to make him more than just a vengeance-seeking father. He also plays well the very not-so-subtle hints at a possible incestuous relationship with his late daughter.

Balancing out the darkness Peck brings to the table is the truly marvelous performance by Joe Don Baker as Darius Jedburgh. Jedburgh, who at first seems a little out of place in the super-serious world of British nuclear politics, becomes the perfect foil for Craven. They play off each other until the explosive ending in which their opposing worldviews come to a head and define the series’ thesis on nuclear proliferation, the nuclear state, and the relationship between man and nature.

Keeping tight reins on all the very complicated proceedings are the hands of director Martin Campbell. Even in this early example of his work the abilities of Campbell as a director are clear. He shoots this 16mm TV production with the ambition of a small-scale feature film. He often shoots his subjects close up and fills his frame with as many faces as possible, and it results in an engaging-but-claustrophobic experience. It gives the sense that the events depicted are that much more pressing. Campbell also handles the more peculiar elements to the story with ease. Craven, throughout the series, has dreams, exhibits flashbacks, and talks to his own dead daughter. All this could have come off terribly in unskilled hands, but Campbell treats it all with the same sense of reality as everything else. This allows us to get a much better look into Craven’s headspace and allows the character development to play a much more central role in the story.

There are a few things holding the series back from perfection though. First of all, the series is slightly dated in a few areas. Most obviously, the production looks like an 80s TV series produced by the BBC. Poor image quality on less-than-stellar 16mm means that some may dismiss the series as a television relic. The series is also quite directly targeted at the Cold War fears that went along with the paranoia over nuclear proliferation. The portrayal of the nuclear state is quite alarmist, and knowing how the Cold War turned out it is sometimes hard to take that viewpoint as seriously as the makers clearly intend. The other are where the series falls a little short is in the sheer scope of it all. While laudable, the number of characters and motivations is often so shrouded in mystery that it becomes difficult to maintain one’s bearings. There were a number of scenes where I was so confused by what was happening I simply gave up trying to figure it out. By the end the piece fall into place well enough that I didn’t have this problem anymore, but it probably didn’t need to be an issue to being with.

Overall though, the themes are fairly universal and certainly applicable in many ways today. I normally don’t see a point in a cinematic adaptation of a series like this, but I definitely see the appeal of applying the story of the Edge of Darkness series to the issues of the current era. And even if the film drops the ball, at least you always have this wonderful original series to look to.

The Special Features

The DVD is also chock-full of great features. We get a lot of informative featurettes covering the making of the series and the controversial intentions behind it. The coolest feature, but probably the least likely to get a viewing, is the isolated musical score track for each episode. The reason this is so cool is that Michael Kamen and the legendary Eric Clapton composed the score. The music is truly great. It’s filled with mood and is totally deserving of the BAFTA award it was given. I don’t know how fun it would be to watch all six hours of the show with only the music, playing, but watching an episode, or flipping through certain key scenes, it becomes very clear how much effect the music has on conveying the tone of the series.

Final Thoughts

With the new film coming out it is the right time to check out the original series it is based on. Edge of Darkness is a pretty brilliant piece of television that TV and film buffs alike should be able to appreciate. It displays great conceptualizing, great acting, and great directing. If you have any interest in deep character drama and high political conspiracy then Edge of Darkness is definitely worth checking out on DVD. Luckily the DVD, after many years of only being up for purchase across the pond, is now available on DVD here in North America.

The BBC’s Edge of Darkness: The Complete Series is Highly Recommended.

Check out the official site for more information on the series.