Dancing on the edge

Writer/director Poliakoff successfully blends tension, romance, social issues, and music in this six-part original drama set in 1930s London. Jazz was making its way into society, scandalizing the old and entertaining the smart set. Stanley Mitchell (Matthew Goode), a young music journalist, helps a struggling black jazz band led by Louis Lester (Chiwetel Ejiofor) get ahead by introducing the band to influential friends. Ambitious Stanley promotes his own career and his magazine at the same time, of course. The band's "groupies" include an extremely wealthy American (John Goodman), who opens doors for the musicians, and Goodman's assistant, a troubled young Englishman (Tom Hughes). The tangle of relationships between the black band members and their white associates, along with the mysterious machinations of Goodman's character, provides a twisting but generally absorbing plot that also illustrates the racial prejudice of the time. Bonus material includes an interview with Poliakoff. -Verdict Original music by Adrian Johnston enhances this stylish and suspenseful production. Viewer discretion advised because of nudity. Recommended for public libraries.-Joan -Greenberg, Warminster, PA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.