AllMovie

The documentary Edge of Outside works as an introductory primer to the careers of some great filmmakers, but offers little else. From the beginning of the filmmaking business there have been directors who have refused to follow the orders of the money men. Edge of Outside argues that this independent spirit began with D.W. Griffith, and continued through a variety of figures including King Vidor, Nicholas Ray, Stanley Kubrick, Sam Peckinpah, and many others. The filmmakers have assembled a solid collection of clips from films as varied as The Birth of a Nation, In a Lonely Place, and Eraserhead in order to explain the various ways directors have fought to bring their uncompromised vision to the screen. Highlights include critic David Thompson explaining why he thinks young male filmmakers are drawn to the work of Stanley Kubrick, and cinematographer Frederick Elmes explaining his working relationship with David Lynch.