Rockport will be appear on big screen, albeit once again as another town, when the movie "Edge Of Darkness" is released Friday, Jan. 29.
Mel Gibson stars as a Boston Police homicide detective who digs up the many secrets surrounding the murder of his activist daughter.
The drama began filming in Rockport on Sept. 17, 2008, a week ahead of the production's scheduled arrival in town.
The movie, an adaptation of the 1985 British television mini-series of the same name, is Gibson's first movie since 2002 when he starred in "Signs," and the movie is being billed as his comeback. The film was directed by Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale").
Nancy Lewis of South Street agreed to allow the movie to film her small Victorian-era home after being contacted by the production.
Lewis said she was happy the crew arrived a week early because it ensured she would be at home during the filming. She brought her dog, Roscoe, to Cape Hedge Beach just to check on the crew's progress ahead of her home's big screen moment.
Former Town Administrator Michael Racicot, had said the scene on Cape Hedge Beach was to feature Gibson's character returning to the beach to scatter his slain daughter's ashes into the sea.
As part of the location agreement, the production company donated $2,000 toward Rockport's animal shelter.
The filming of "Edge of Darkness" was Rockport's second major film production during 2008, and came some five months after the town's rugged coastline and quaint downtown shops had also served as a backdrop for "The Proposal."
Before Disney's "Proposal," filmed on Bearskin Neck in April 2008, the last film scenes shot in Rockport had been for 2003's "Stuck on You," starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear.
"The Proposal" — in which downtown Rockport stood in for the fishing vilage of Sitka, Alaska — once again put the town in the spotlight in recent weeks, with actress Sandra Bulllock receiving a Golden Globe nomination for the popular romantic comedy.
Staff writer and Rockport beat reporter Jonathan L'Ecuyer has been on vacation. He returns Monday, and can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3451, or via e-mail at jlecuyer@gloucestertimes.com.
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