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The Last Valley (1971)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 4/25

LValley
4/25: Shot on location in Austria, The Last Valley is too mediocre for a unique anti-religious war picture.

Then again, it was directed by James Clavell, the last of his career. Because of the huge box-office disaster, he would devote his time to writing permanently. The subject matter is interesting: life in war-torn Germany during the mid-17th century. There are a lot of great ideas, especially when it comes to dealing with religion and superstitions, but as a whole, they don't come together very well to make a strong impact.

Everybody talks about brutality and killing constantly such as "The next time I see you, Vogel, I'll tear out your eyes" and "If they can't, then 10,000 to 20,000 innocent men, women, and children are falsely accused, brutally tortured till they confess." It doesn't feel real if nothing is shown. That's why Braveheart won Best Picture of 1995 by never holding back to depict the reality of harsh times.

The performances are fine. Michael Caine could've been much more. Again, it's the tame material that held him back. Omar Sharif is almost as he was in Lawrence of Arabia. Per Oscarsson should've gotten more screen time to be transformed into a dominating figure. This way, the movie can focus on the rivalry between his character and the Captain and Vogel. Ironically, Per Oscarsson died in 2010 by burning to death in a house fire.

All in all, talking too much about something but never demonstrating it ruins a film, and that's what happened in The Last Valley.