Edge of Doom

Moviecut—Edge of Doom

Although there's a few weaknesses in "Edge of Doom," all but one could be tweaked away. The one that can't be is the central role, and since so much of the movie revolves around it, any failure here is a real downer. Perhaps the problem starts with the part itself. How is a young man in the tenements supposed to be remarkably sympathetic, to the point of conveying grace to at least two weary priests, and at the same time be a priest-killer? This can be done, but you better locate the right actor, and re-fashion the murder scene if you're to deliver it. Perhaps a young Montgomery Clift could bring this off, but Farley Granger (Martin Lynn) could not and did not--and even a re-conception of the murder scene wouldn't have helped. Granger simply cannot effectively emote anger. And since he's angry, way too angry throughout--even to the point of making us identify with the police and all other characters over him, I don't have to spell out what this does to "Edge of Doom?" Granger's anger is not only stiff, but it's out of place or aimed at all the wrong people. It's the cut-out type-- misplaced, and inapplicable. And how is someone who is quite convincingly humble, alone, devoted, and sincere also such an annoying ingrate. I guess the whole point of this heavy layout of antagonism is to set in place his capacity for murder. But then, the rage is supposed to be out of character, not in-character. I don't know why Robson doesn't temper Granger more. I suppose that Fathers Roth (Dana Andrews) and Kirkman (Harold Vermilyea) might miss a single beat or two because of the plot gyrations, but the supporting cast is well under control, especially Martin's boss, his girlfriend, and the police figures. And Father Roth, to a large degree, despite the too pietistic flashback narration, ends up holding the neighborhood, the parish, the police dept, the despairing lives around him, his world's intimacy (oh that diner scene, the precinct, the rectory, the flower shop) and the movie itself, together.

Excellent, truly depressing, forgotten noir starring Farley Granger. He plays a young man who's had an incredibly difficult life: he has grown up poor. His father, when he was a teenager, committed suicide after committing a robbery. The church denied providing any services for his father and basically told Granger and his mother that the guy was doomed to rot in Hell. Granger's mom was too religious to give it up, but Granger holds a powerful grudge for the church. The film opens with his mother dying, and Granger has to honor his mother's final wishes by going to the church to get her a funeral. A big one, he insists, because she never had anything good in life. Unfortunately, the priest his mother trusts (Dana Andrews) is out on a call, and he is forced to deal with the same priest (Harold Vermilyea) who denied his father a proper burial. This agitates Granger so much, he ends up committing a horrible crime. Andrews is quicker to understand the truth than the police, so he tries to get Granger to turn himself in before he gets himself in more trouble. Both Granger and Andrews are very good in their roles, and Mark Robson, who previously directed several horror films in the Val Lewton cycle, does an excellent job ratcheting up the suspense. This was kind of a bomb on its first release. It perhaps was too dark, even for the genre. Farley Granger didn't think it was very good, but he was wrong. He should have been proud of it. You can find this film right now on Netflix Instant. It was on VHS, but has never been on DVD.

I kinda liked this film--maybe it was the cast more than anything. The script was a bit lame @ x's. the author's son makes some comments that indicate that the book was deeper or something--but when a book is sold to Hollywood--the author gives up ownership, so to speak. this film came out in 1950 & 57 years later the son still sounds sore. Meanwhile, the book is like totally unavailable so a modern viewer of the film would be hard pressed to make comparisons. Anyhow, I thought that Farley Granger did an excellent job ( despite his negative views on the film). Also excellent were Paul Stewart, Mala Powes and Robert Keith. Joan Evans was given nothing to do & Dana Andrews was good--but the character was not written well.

Edge of Doom is directed by Mark Robson and adapted to screenplay by Philip Yordan from the novel written by Leo Brady. It stars Dana Andrews, Farley Granger, Joan Evans, Robert Keith, Paul Stewart, Mala Powers and Adele Jergens. Music is by Hugo Friedhofer and cinematography by Harry Stradling. Give evil a root and it will grow and thrive. Relentlessly grim in thematics and mounted in classic film noir style by Robson and Stradling, if it were not for the heavy religio angle then we would be talking about one of film noir's highlights. Bookended by pious pontifications as Dana Andrews' priest offers his wisdom to a new understudy, everything in between is tinged by a bleakness as Granger's poverty stricken young man desperately tries to arrange a "big" funeral for his just deceased mother. With a mother fixation firmly planted on his shoulders, Martin Lynn trawls through the oppressive and unforgiving city looking for help but finding none. His employer, the church, nobody, so when his temper finally snaps he also has to contend with guilt and the police circling him like a straight-jacket. All the while Father Roth is hanging around to show the good side of the church, even turning into the punching preacher at one point. But can he grant salvation to a frantic Martin Lynn as his soul begins to fracture? Samuel Goldwyn effectively stopped backing the picture and Granger pretty much disowned it, unsurprisingly it flopped at the box office and has sort of languished in noir purgatory ever since. Shifting too much of the focus onto Father Roth really hurts the film, where Goldwyn had Robson do a re-edit and hired Ben Hecht to spruce up the religious theme. There's also a problem with Granger over acting at times, while Andrews is a touch miscast in a role tailor made for Pat O'Brien. Though the support players, particularly Keith and Stewart, more than compensate. There's enough bite in the narrative to do justice to the excellent visuals, a cynicism that haunts the shadows of this seamy side of the city, but this really should have, and could have, been so much better. 7/10

Edge of Doom (1950) It would be hard to find a movie as unrelentingly dark and brooding as this one. Everyone from the priest to the hero's mother, from the sweet girlfriend to the neighbor down the hall is burdened with the pain of everyday life. Most of the scenes at night, too, or inside dark rooms and hallways, or both, so the shadowy world only descends lower. And this is partly what makes it really work. Dana Andrews is a worldly, reflective priest in a tale of redemption, actually, against all this gloom. The protagonist is a young Farley Granger, who gets in trouble from a single rash act, and is in a tailspin for the rest of the movie. From one shadowy scene to another, running through dark streets or hiding in a dingy apartment, Granger has to face his inner demon. But Granger, like Andrews, is a thoroughly decent person inside, and the movie, despite all the negative vibes, is about faith and goodness. Director Mark Robson is not a big name, of course, but he paid his dues with some of the best--Robert Wise and Val Lewton. And he came out of an era of Hollywood that was uncompromising in its technical quality. It shows. This is a movie with a single main theme, and if it has impassioned acting and high dramatics (at times) it also is gritty and single minded, too. The plot is packaged too neatly, and littered with Andrews narrating through the long flashback. That's its one limitation--that it's limited. But what it does do it does with real intensity.

Sometimes dismissed by the critics (read Matlin's review ) as "histrionic Granger" , "edge of doom" should be considered as it was intended for : an edifying movie, a Christian profession of faith. On the contrary ,Granger gives a gripping performance of an overwrought man who got a raw deal :nowadays, a person who commits suicide passes for "crazy" and is not denied a funeral in consecrated ground, but at the time, the Catholic Church was adamant ;Martin has a grudge against the priests who took his mom's hand-outs in the masses ,and never gave her anything ;since he lost his faith ;thus a contradiction for he wants a beautiful funeral for his departed mother ,with plenty of flowers ,even though he's got to work off the price all his life.But it's more a vengeance on the Church than an act of redemption. Mark Robson has a flair for scenes with a sense of mystery ,probably stemming from his first Val lewton productions ("the seventh victim" " the ghost ship" " bedlam" ) : it shows in the murder scene , and even more in the funeral parlor where Martin sees his victim in his coffin ; the reconstruction of the crime is a great moment too ; Granger's face gives away his guilt ,his stress ;all along the movie,he plays as though he's about to break down:a lesson he may have learned from the masters Ray ("they drive by night" ) and even more Hitchcock ("the rope" in which his self-conscious nervous attitude contrasts with John Dall's aplomb).Note the omnipresence of the crucifixes. It's a long flashback :a story told by a priest (Dana Andrews) to one of his younger colleagues who thinks that the load is too heavy. "there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (St Luke)

That a film of this sort should come from Samuel Goldwyn is in itself quite a surprise, for he was much more apt to produce something with an uplifting feeling (THE BISHOP'S WIFE, ENCHANTMENT) than a grim study of the lower fringes of society. He gave it some box-office assurance by combining DANA ANDREWS (as a priest) and FARLEY GRANGER (as a victimized youth from the slums). But in telling a story of how the poor boy becomes a criminal on the run, it fails to inject enough ingredients to make the screenplay work on any level. And that, too, is surprising, since the screenplay is the work of Philip Yordan and it is directed in bleak, noir fashion by none other than Mark Robson. But neither of the two priest characters are well developed--the testy, aging priest who is murdered and his young assistant (played by DANA ANDREWS) are not given the amount of detail they were in the novel to explain their background and motives. This is equally true of the tormented young man who rebels against the Catholic Church's treatment of his father's death and his mother's funeral. Granger, however, is good in his edgy role. Bleak and uncompromising, it nevertheless appeared to be a film ahead of its time and would probably be more appreciated today by fans of gritty film noir, as it captures the streets, the noise, and general atmosphere of a very blighted city.

Dana Andrews (Father Roth), Farley Granger (Martin Lynn), Joan Evans (Rita Conroy), Robert Keith (Mandel), Paul Stewart (Craig), Mala Powers (Julie), Adele Jergens (Irene), Harold Vermilyea (Father Kirkman), John Ridgely (1st detective), Douglas Fowley (2nd detective), Mabel Paige (Mrs Pearson), Howland Chamberlain (Mr Murray), Houseley Stevenson, Sr (Mr Swanson), Jean Innes (Mrs Lally), Ellen Corby (Mrs Moore), Ray Teal (Ned Moore), Mary Field (Mary Jane Glennon), Virginia Brissac (Mrs Dennis), Frances Morris (Mrs Lynn). Directed by MARK ROBSON. Screenplay: Philip Yordan. Based on the novel by Leo Brady. Music director: Emil Newman. Score: Hugo Friedhofer. Photographer: Harry Stradling. Editor: Daniel Mandell. Art director: Richard Day. Costumes: Mary Wills. Set decorator: Julia Heron. Make- up: Blagoe Stephanoff. Hair styles: Marie Clark. Additional scenes directed by Charles Vidor, written by Ben Hecht. Sound recording: Fred Lau. Producer: Samuel Goldwyn. Copyright 3 August 1950 by Samuel Goldwyn Productions, Inc. Released by RKO Radio Pictures. New York opening at the Astor: 3 August 1950. U.S. release: 30 September 1950. U.K. release: December 1951. Australian release: 16 August 1951. 99 minutes. U.K. release title: STRONGER THAN FEAR. SYNOPSIS: "It's simple story about a boy who wants a fine funeral for his mother, so he kills a priest." — Sam Goldwyn, explaining the plot to an eager group of journalists. NOTES: After its New York opening, Goldwyn rejigged the movie by adding narration, plus a prologue and epilogue, written by Charles Brackett and Ben Hecht, directed by Charles Vidor. Even with the additional scenes, the movie still came in at 96 minutes — 3 minutes less than before. Considerable excisions were made. Some of the most powerful episodes were deleted altogether, whilst others, notably the undertaker's sequence, were unmercifully diluted. VIEWERS GUIDE: Adults. COMMENT: This film is not now available in its original form but, whether called "Edge of Doom" or "Stronger Than Fear" (its U.K. release title), in a version somewhat mutilated by the addition of a fatuous prologue and epilogue and a patronizing commentary, all written by Ben Hecht and flatly directed by Charles Vidor. In its present state, the movie's entertainment quotient hasn't been increased, but lessened. Nonetheless, there are still features of interest to the connoisseur. The scene in which Harold Vermilyea is murdered still comes across with considerable force. The driving pace of Robson's direction, the moody black-and-white photography of Harry Stradling, the fine sets of art director Richard Day and some very good performances, particularly Vermilyea, Keith and Stewart, plus incisive dialogue are all positive recommendations. Offsetting all these is the glum performance of Dana Andrews, whilst Farley Granger makes an unlikely hero. Mala Powers is also very weak as the hero's girlfriend. And then there's that commentary! OTHER VIEWS: Whatever induced that normally astute showman Sam Goldwyn to attempt a film of Leo Brady's morbid novel? (Some sources say it was his wife, a convert to Catholicism). Whatever, Sam parted up with no less than $150,000 just for the film rights. He then ripped the guts out of the book by casting Dana Andrews as the priest. What few virtues Mr Andrews has as an actor — doggedness, certainly — neither sincerity nor saintliness, let alone spiritual strength, figure in that short list. Not that Farley Granger was any more charismatic, but at least his weakness was right for the role. As for the movie itself, even the re-edited light version is still mighty heavy going. — JHR writing as George Addison.

The first 40 minutes or so of Edge of Doom are quite interesting, as Farley Granger offers a character that we sympathize with and understand. Another standout is the always excellent Paul Stewart, who portrays a no-good neighbor of Granger's. But the movie becomes predictable and rather tiresome about halfway through, and the viewer is forced to endure trite dialogue and a tired climax before it's all over. Although there are several good scenes, and strong noir overtones, the overpowering religious message is a bit much, being pounded over the viewer's head like a mallet. It's not a complete waste of time, but it comes pretty close.