I first saw a small clip of Edge of Darkness while visiting Britain during the 1986 BAFTA award ceremony and the imagery has haunted me ever since. After that I have seen it in several occasions, and even if I risk downplaying masterpieces like Bergman's "Fanny & Alexander" or Kieslowski's "Dekalog", for me this is still "the" TV series of all times.
For once every single piece of the production is fully supporting each other. Acting is superb, cinematography and editing terrific and music (by Eric Clapton) creates an unique atmosphere. Director Campbell and his team really knew their medium (this series actually looks better in a small TV set than on a large screen. After all, it was *designed* to be viewed that way!) At 1980s, the style and quality of Darkness was revolutionary. 20 years later it has been copied so often that it looks almost classical.
The complex plot that turns from labour union investigation to tale of grief and personal loss, to murder mystery, to international political thriller, to allegory of the eternal fight between forces of good and bad, to analysis of the philosophy behind environmental movement, is today as acute as it was 20 years ago. Most of all, however, Edge of Darkness is an exceptional TV drama that keeps you enchanted for all of its length. And it does offer the ultimate cliffhanger before the final episode...
For once every single piece of the production is fully supporting each other. Acting is superb, cinematography and editing terrific and music (by Eric Clapton) creates an unique atmosphere. Director Campbell and his team really knew their medium (this series actually looks better in a small TV set than on a large screen. After all, it was *designed* to be viewed that way!) At 1980s, the style and quality of Darkness was revolutionary. 20 years later it has been copied so often that it looks almost classical.
The complex plot that turns from labour union investigation to tale of grief and personal loss, to murder mystery, to international political thriller, to allegory of the eternal fight between forces of good and bad, to analysis of the philosophy behind environmental movement, is today as acute as it was 20 years ago. Most of all, however, Edge of Darkness is an exceptional TV drama that keeps you enchanted for all of its length. And it does offer the ultimate cliffhanger before the final episode...