The Last Valley (1971)
Written and directed by James Clavell,
The Last Valley has long been unavailable on video (and was even
for a time believed lost). Happily, Anchor Bay Entertainment
has resurrected and released this outstanding film on DVD and
VHS.
Set during the Thirty Years War, the film opens with a war refugee,
Vogel, who stumbles upon an idyllic village hidden in a valley
of the Bavarian Alps. Whereas most of Europe has been ravaged
by war, starvation, and plague, this one valley, inaccessible
for much of the year due to mountain snows, sits untouched and
pristine. Unfortunately, Vogel has been followed by a band of
mercenaries, led by a ruthless officer who calls himself The
Captain. Initially intent on looting the village, The Captain
is persuaded by Vogel to spare the valley and live peaceably
with the farmers, that all might be sheltered from the horrors
of the war outside.
As The Captain, Michael Caine gives one of the stand-out performances
of his career. Long ago jaded by the wars, The Captain is the
consummate, unimpassioned pragmatist, granting mercy to those
who can help him, and murdering others in cold blood if they
cannot. Omar Sharif provides an effective counterweight as Vogel,
who is a passionate, intellectual pacifist. The film also features
a brief but memorable performance by the then-unknown Brian Blessed,
as one of the Captain's sadistic henchmen.
Ultimately, the soldiers and farmers strike an uneasy peace,
with Vogel often forced into the unenviable position of having
to mediate between the two. As the soldiers come to reveal that
they are capable of compassion, so are the vices of the farmers
brought to the surface, and it soon becomes clear the valley
was never quite the idyllic haven it seemed at first. John Barry's
powerful score embodies the bucolic warmth of the valley itself,
while surging choral passages evoke the threat of religious fanaticism.
The Last Valley is a poignant depiction of the fanaticism which
caused the Thirty Years War (and many wars since), and persuasively
asserts that neither goodness nor tyranny are particular to any
one ideology, class, or race.
Paul Andrew MacLean
Shelton CT 06484 USA
(800) 232-2224 voice
(800) 775-2729 fax
LadyJanet@RenaissanceMagazine.com