The Last Valley (1971)

Simply A Masterpiece

Did you people see the same film I saw?

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Skip it – This is an exceedingly strange movie that blends war with the concept of a utopian society. It takes place in Germany during the Thirty Years War. War and plague have ravaged the entire country, except for one small hidden valley in the mountains. When a small band of soldiers, led by Michael Caine's character, discover this valley, they decide to join with the villagers in order to co-exist. Eventually, they must defend the valley from outsiders. The two main battle scenes that take place during the film are pretty good, but they are few and far between. Also, this film would have been better if it was made before 1970. The director decided to focus on religion rather than war. Although religion was the conflict that started the Thirty Years War, it is portrayed in a fanatical way that only the 1970's could offer.

Superficially about the 30 years war in Europe in the early part of 17th century, this insightful film portrays much about human personality and relationships. Much of human thought is influenced by thought disorder (loose associations and delusions). This thought disorder often goes unrecognized as it is shared by many others, and thus regarded as reality-based. The people in this film (except for the main characters of the Captain, village leader, and wandering teacher) are a study in this human tendency to construct ideas based on thought disorder. This makes for a more fascinating film that adds to the enjoyment of the fine story depicted. Caine's laid back performance is brilliant. Sharif does his Dr. Zhivago thing as modified to fit this story. This is a classic that one can enjoy in repeted viewing every 5 to 10 years.

This for me has to be 1 of my favourite films for several reasons.Firstly it has quite a cast with Michael Caine, Brian Blessed, Omar Sharif etc etc,secondly it has 1 of John Barry's(James Bond, The Black Hole)finest scores!I have found out that he had an exceptional amount of time in which to compose the score after the final edit & produced a *MUST HAVE* score if your into your movie soundtracks(I have hundreds as I am a bit of a collector!).The movie was also shot in a remote isolated valley & all the buildings you see in the film were constructed by local craftsmen drafted in from the surrounding towns using traditional techniques as per the time period it portrays.This creates a totally convincing back drop to the filming & some of the shots of the valley are breath taking! My fondness of the film stems from early memories of it as a child.My Dad used his video(when video had only just come in!)for the 1st time to record this off TV late at night & in fact he still has that tape floating around somewhere!ha ha He was quite strict so I wasn't allowed to use the video for a start & definitely not allowed to watch this....but I used to sneak it on when me folks were out(shhhhush-don't tell him ha ha!). It is actually a very rarely aired movie & has not really been recognised for the depth & strength it portrays. I think it was way ahead of its time in terms of brutality.It was also marketed too high as a sort of Ben Hur, Spartacus epic.Those films had way more budget & far more scope in terms of the size of story line they were depicting - after all The Last Valley is just dealing with a small village community in a remote isolated valley where as Ben Hur is dealing with a whole Roman Empire theme!Never the less The Last Valley still has impact.The opening scene is still shocking 40years on!I think those scenes are the reason it does not get the air play as the violence & issues it deals with are so honest & truthful!This film pulls no punches!It will show you exactly how difficult 'Life' was in those times - its not got many soft edges.The rivalry between the various factions, their attempts to control & manipulate are bang on!The way the church in those days had the last word on everything!The way the land owners made sure that everyone was indebted to them to maintain control.The fact that if you sinned & were caught out - well the consequences were severe as in the ultimate price!Don't watch this film if you just want to see fantasy eye candy, but if you appreciate the truth & want a film that shows an honest appraisal of Life & times in the 16th Century Europe then it will not fail to deliver.It is full of irony, sub plots & intrigue.I am of course biased & as I have got older & my own wisdom has increased I see different things in it that I had not perceived before!It is a mature intellectual persons film.I must of seen it at least 30 times & it still delivers for me.Take the time out to see it & see what you think. Cheers Jon ;0)

I had the chance to watch this movie at the 70mm Festival in Schauburg (Karlsruhe/Germany). I was stunned that I hadn't heard about this movie before, more so as the movie did progress. I found myself caught up in the religious and social commentaries the movie had. It is well made, has a fantastic location (therefor a great cinematography) and although some might call the acting "emotionless", I think it fits the bill perfectly.Maybe one of the only criticisms I can really hand out, is the length of the movie. The pace is OK, but it could have been a bit shorter. Not as much action packed as some might expect, but with a good tension throughout that makes up for that