(Some Spoilers) We already see there's been a slaughter in the little Norwegian town of Trollness as a German military scout plane lands there to check out what happened.The head Nazi in town Capt. Hauptmann Koenig, Helmut Dantine, is found behind his desk with a self inflected bullet wound in his skull. This obviously in an attempt by the Captain to prevent himself from being taken alive by the rebellious Norwegians and made to face the music.
It's then that we get this almost two hour flashback to what lead up to this mindless slaughter of what looks like the entire town and the German garrison in it. Capt. Koenig felt that his ability to lead man in battle had been squandered by his higher up in the German Military High Command by being put in this little nothing town on the Northen Norwegian coast. Wanting to see action on the Russian Front the Captain was always turned down by his superiors from being stationed there. This made Captain Koeing very pi**ed off but unable to take it out on those who screwed him, the German Military High Command, he took it out on the local peaceful Norwegians.
Capt. Koenig abuse of the people of Trollness lead them to go so far as getting involved with the British in having them, through he Royal Navy, get loads of arms ammunition and explosives in order to drive the hated Germans out. But what they really needed most was the will to do it, drive the Germans out of town, and be willing to suffer the consequences.
When the and the people of Trollness just had their fill of Capt. Koenig and his men they lead by Norwegian freedom fighter Gunnar Brogge, Errol Flynn, broke open the boxes of guns and ammunition that they got from the British and planned to have the German run out of town once and for all. It's wasn't until after Gunner's girlfriend Karen Stensgard, Ann Sheridan, was assaulted and raped, off camera, by a horny German soldier who had the hots for her for some time that he finally got it, and the men and women of the town, all together and revolted against the Germans.
It's when Gunnar himself and the leaders of Trollness were rounded up and forced to dig their own graves by the Germans that had the townspeople lead by the peace loving father of Karen Dr. Stensgard, Walter Huston, and town towns ultra-passive Paster Aalesen, Richard Prasen, take to the streets.
What's makes "Edge of Darkness" a cut above your average war-time propaganda movie is that it keeps the action off the screen until the last fifteen or so minutes. When the fighting finally breaks out the good guys, the freedom fighting Norwegians, are for the most part the ones who get the worst of it by the much better armed and disciplined German troops. What makes the Norwegians succeed is that their more then willing to die,unlike the Germans, for both their ideals and freedoms. The Norwegians use human wave and suicide tactics, totally disregarding their lives and safety, like attacking the Germans with live hand grenades, exploding themselves together with the German troops, in order to drive the hated Germans out of Trolless.
An irony in the movie is that the two Quisling in it Kasper Torgerson, Charles Dingle, and is nephew Johann Stensgrad, John Beal, Karen's and Dr. Stensgard brother and son die different death one fighting against the Nazis and the other sucking up to them. Johann having a change of heart risks and eventually gives his life alerting the Norwegian freedom fighters, lead by Gunnar Brogge, that the Germans are waiting in an ambush that they set up for them. Kasper survives the slaughter of Trollness only to get shot, as he rants and raves like a lunatic, by the very Germans whom he sold his people and country out to.
It's then that we get this almost two hour flashback to what lead up to this mindless slaughter of what looks like the entire town and the German garrison in it. Capt. Koenig felt that his ability to lead man in battle had been squandered by his higher up in the German Military High Command by being put in this little nothing town on the Northen Norwegian coast. Wanting to see action on the Russian Front the Captain was always turned down by his superiors from being stationed there. This made Captain Koeing very pi**ed off but unable to take it out on those who screwed him, the German Military High Command, he took it out on the local peaceful Norwegians.
Capt. Koenig abuse of the people of Trollness lead them to go so far as getting involved with the British in having them, through he Royal Navy, get loads of arms ammunition and explosives in order to drive the hated Germans out. But what they really needed most was the will to do it, drive the Germans out of town, and be willing to suffer the consequences.
When the and the people of Trollness just had their fill of Capt. Koenig and his men they lead by Norwegian freedom fighter Gunnar Brogge, Errol Flynn, broke open the boxes of guns and ammunition that they got from the British and planned to have the German run out of town once and for all. It's wasn't until after Gunner's girlfriend Karen Stensgard, Ann Sheridan, was assaulted and raped, off camera, by a horny German soldier who had the hots for her for some time that he finally got it, and the men and women of the town, all together and revolted against the Germans.
It's when Gunnar himself and the leaders of Trollness were rounded up and forced to dig their own graves by the Germans that had the townspeople lead by the peace loving father of Karen Dr. Stensgard, Walter Huston, and town towns ultra-passive Paster Aalesen, Richard Prasen, take to the streets.
What's makes "Edge of Darkness" a cut above your average war-time propaganda movie is that it keeps the action off the screen until the last fifteen or so minutes. When the fighting finally breaks out the good guys, the freedom fighting Norwegians, are for the most part the ones who get the worst of it by the much better armed and disciplined German troops. What makes the Norwegians succeed is that their more then willing to die,unlike the Germans, for both their ideals and freedoms. The Norwegians use human wave and suicide tactics, totally disregarding their lives and safety, like attacking the Germans with live hand grenades, exploding themselves together with the German troops, in order to drive the hated Germans out of Trolless.
An irony in the movie is that the two Quisling in it Kasper Torgerson, Charles Dingle, and is nephew Johann Stensgrad, John Beal, Karen's and Dr. Stensgard brother and son die different death one fighting against the Nazis and the other sucking up to them. Johann having a change of heart risks and eventually gives his life alerting the Norwegian freedom fighters, lead by Gunnar Brogge, that the Germans are waiting in an ambush that they set up for them. Kasper survives the slaughter of Trollness only to get shot, as he rants and raves like a lunatic, by the very Germans whom he sold his people and country out to.