In 2012, England officially became the best cricket team in the world, after many years of underperformance. They had a great, and settled, side, but it didn't last. Several players eneded their international careers relatively early: the pressures of playing top-level sport almost certainly contributed to that. 'The Edge' interviews many of the players to chart this journey. The problem with the film is its low-brow approach, and its indifference to telling us about any of the technicalities, or detailed history, of the sport. We get some personal insights, but if you didn't know the sporting story, all you would see is a very dumbed-down version. And while psychology is undoubtedly important at the highest level of competition, the necessity of a happy coincidence of natural talent is downplayed: the documentary gives the impression that England started winning, and then stopped again, entirely due to the mindset of the players. The intriguing and complex overlap between a relatively slow-paced, almost reflective, sport, and the intensity of the international spotlight, doesn't come across. There's some interest here, but the film's lack of apparent interest in cricket itself weakens it, for cricket fans and the merely curious alike.
Plot summary
Between 2009 and 2013, the England Test cricket team rose from the depths of the rankings to become the first and only English side to reach world number one (since ICC records began). The Edge is a compelling, funny and emotional insight into a band of brothers' rise to the top, their unmatched achievements and the huge toll it would take. One of the toughest sports on the planet, and psychologically perhaps the most challenging. Featuring unseen footage from the period and new interviews from star players and coaching staff including: Andrew Strauss, Sir Alastair Cook, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott and Andy Flower, The Edge will reveal the team's intense and often hilarious pursuit of success. Strauss and Flower took over a team including some of the true greats of the English game (Pietersen, Anderson, Cook and Broad) and transformed them into a phenomenal winning machine before the pressure and scrutiny began to fracture bodies and minds.
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Mind games
Gripping And Insightful Cricket Documentary For Fans And Non-Fans Alike
One of the best sports documentaries I've seen. Confession: I'm a big fan of English cricket (especially in the long, Test Match, form). Even so, this seems to be a documentary that draws in both the fan and the more casual director.
Covering the period (2009-2013) when the England test team rose from a very low point to be number one in the world, then spectacularly imploded. Initially - helped by wonderful narration from Toby Jones - it brilliantly portrays the intensity, athleticism and passion of a sport that too often seems to be the slightly soft activity of the upper classes. The match sounds are amplified; there are some striking visual techniques; and some genuinely honest and funny moments from a group of men who clearly loved each other and enjoyed working together.
Powerful insight into the mind of an athlete
After the most exciting and memorable summer of cricket since 2005, I finally got around to watching "The Edge" a documentary directed by Barney Douglas which follows the England cricket team from 2009 to 2013 and the rise to No.1 in the world. This documentary is brilliant, to put it plainly it's one of the best sporting documentaries I've ever seen.
The film its self is shot beautifully with some creative solutions to help the audience visualize what is happening in the mind of the athlete, the documentary also manages to perfectly describe what is happening without alienating viewers new to the sport, but doesn't make it boring for long time fans. What you see during this film is a testament to the work that goes into being a professional athlete, showing grueling scenes of the work they put in to get to where they are. However, this film is far deeper than just showing how hard they work, its an in-depth look into the psychology of sport and the effects that pressure and failure can have on the human brain, it manages to show this through countless revealing interviews with players and coaches about what they went through. In times like these where we are trying to learn more and more about mental health and open ourselves up to the idea that its ok not to be ok, this film is really inciteful and important in helping us understand what it means to fail and to have pressure placed upon yourself.
I would implore a and sport or cricket or anyone that's wants to gain an understanding of what happens in the mind of a professional athlete to watch this film it's hard-hitting revealing, but ultimately its important that films like these are made and its important that people learn as much as they can about mental health. 9/10