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History, War, Drama 128 min PG
IMDb7.0
From An Age of Conflict...A Film For The Ages!
People in a small German village in the last valley to remain untouched by the devastating Thirty Years' War try to exist in peace with a group of soldiers occupying the valley.
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Bleak, meticulous, classical in form and grave.
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Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Taste Buds's numbers.
**_Wintering in a paradisal vale in the Alps during the Thirty Years' War_** In 1643, during the horrible Thirty Years War in Europe, a band of ruthless mercenaries and a drifter discover a hidden vale, the last valley untouched by the horror. The drifter, Vogel (Omar Sharif), talks The Captain (Michael Caine) into wintering in the peaceful valley rather than pillaging it and raping/killing the villagers. The first thing that makes a favorable impression with James Clavell's "The Last Valley" (1971) is the outstanding opening credits sequence with John Barry's magnificent score. Parts of the film have a dreamy, surreal quality, particularly the beginning and ending, which is reminiscent of the later "Apocalypse Now" (1979). Caine is outstanding as a man so hardened by the horrors of war that he no longer even has a name, just "The Captain." He would perform a similar role in the underrated "The Eagle Has Landed" (1977), a stunning performance. The Captain's answer to everything was to simply kill, but now, in the valley, he has found peace and the warmth of love. Sharif is also effective as the disillusioned Vogel. His reaction to the horrors of war has always been to run, but in t
Read the whole review on TMDBThe Last Valley is set in the German countryside during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), a conflict originally motivated by religious differences that soon became mainly political (if there’s any difference at all). Vogel (Omar Sharif), a former teacher constantly running from the ravages of war, discovers a village hidden in an idyllic valley; unfortunately for him, the Captain (Michael Caine) and his band of mercenaries — which includes Lutherans, Calvinists, and Anabaptists (“pagans”, “blasphemers,” “Satan worshipers”, and “worse;” i.e., Catholics) — arrive at the same time. To save himself, and the village, from looting, pillaging, and rape by the soldiers, Vogel persuades the Captain to camp there and forget about war, famine, and, of course, the plague, for the winter. Using Vogel as a mediator, the Captain brokers a truce with the population, agreeing to protect the people of the valley in exchange for food, shelter, and concubines; in a scene brimming with religious satire, the Captain manipulates the local Catholic priest into give, or better yet, sell the chosen women a “public blessing ... full remission of past and future sins” (I’m reminded me of the bishop in The Ba
Read the whole review on TMDBIt might be possible 50 years on, to make the casting choices work that James Clavell tried to do with this. Back in 1971, however, casting Omar Sharif as the teutonic "Vogel" opposite Michael Caine's only marginally more convincing "Captain" really does stretch the imagination a little too much. Add arch-Englishmen Nigel Davenport ("Gruber") and Brian Blessed ("Korski") and you have a recipe for characterisation disaster. Though well produced, with plenty of attention to detail and a typically strong score from John Barry, that is what we get! It is set amidst the bitter and rancorous 30 years war - maybe not an historical event known to many in Germany, let alone anywhere else - and has the ingredients of a good action drama. Armies, villagers - even individuals fight over the roles of their churches in their lives - Protestant v Catholic - a story of battling traditions that should have been far more engaging and enthralling. Clavell's adaptation of his own novel keeps the story tight and it is action-packed - it just doesn't ever catch fire. At just over the two hour mark, it is a long watch with those at the top of the bill looking out of place. They just don't gel at all well
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