Sometimes a movie can get lost trying to make a point. The Last Valley is one of those. An excruciatingly bloody tale which is excruciating to sit through as well. All I could think of watching this mess was how humans ever survived this period of history. It is little different than all the rest of the movies made about this period of history when slaughter, butchery and destruction were commonplace.

Over my many years of cinema-going, I've viewed a whole range of movies with titles beginning "The Last .." including "The Last Emperor" (1987) and "The Last Samurai" (2003). "The Last Valley' may not be the best-known film with this kind of title, but it made an impression on me when I first saw it at the cinema in 1971 and still resonated with me when I viewed it again on DVD some 46 years later.It is partly the unusual historical context: the story is set during the repeated bloody clashes of Catholic and Protestant armies largely in German-speaking continental Europe in the Thirty Years War of 1618-1648 and reference to a particular battle in a line of dialogue places the period more precisely in late 1643 and early 1644. It is partly the important subjects that it addresses: the narrative is a sharp critique of the role of religion and superstition in fostering hatred and war and the leading character eventually shouts at the local priest: "There is no Hell. Don't you understand? Because there is no God. There never was. Don't you understand? There is no God! It's a legend!".This British film was written, produced and directed by James Cavell before he became famous for his blockbuster novels. The 17th century village in question was recreated in the valley of Trins in the beautiful Tyrol region of Austria. The Catholic villagers who live there may look rather too clean and well-clothed for the period but the mainly Protestant soldiers who occupy the valley certainly look the part. The music is from John Barry who had made his name with the early James Bond movies.At the heart of the story is the changing fortunes of the characters as they are subject to competing sources of power: civil authority in the shape of the head villager Gruber (Nigel Davenport), religious dogma provided by the village priest Father Sebastian (Per Oscarsson), military authority imposed by a character known only as The Captain (Michael Caine), and the voice of reason and tolerance offered by the academic refugee Vogel (Omar Sharif). In the course of the story, each will have his moment of triumph but each will suffer grievously in this under- known and under-appreciated film.

I was at the store and spied this unknown 1971 flick amongst the DVDs; it looked like my kind of movie, especially with Michael Caine and Omar Sharif, so I naturally wondered why I had never heard of it. I made a mental note to check out some reviews on the internet. The across-the-board high ratings piqued my interest, so I decided to pick it up the next time I saw it.The first thing that made a favorable impression was the outstanding opening credits sequence. Many reviewers mention John Barry's magnificent score as a highlight and they're right. This credits sequence innovatingly depicts the theme of the Thirty Years War -- members of essentially the same religion at each other's throats.THE STORY: During the horrible Thirty Years War in Europe (1618-1648) a band of mercenaries led by the merciless Michael Caine ("The Captain") and a drifter attempting to flee the horrors of the war discover a hidden vale -- the last valley untouched by the war. The drifter talks The Captain into wintering in the peaceful valley rather than pillaging it and raping/killing the villagers. (This setup itself is a hint that this is no ordinary war flick).WHAT WORKS: Parts of the film have a dreamy, surreal atmosphere, particularly the beginning and ending; this is reminiscent of the incomparable "Apocalypse Now." Michael Caine is outstanding as The Captain, a character so hardened by the horrors of war that he no longer even has a name, he's just "The Captain." Caine would perform a similar role in the underrated "The Eagle Has Landed" in 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. Omar Sharif also perfectly depicts the disillusioned drifter, Vogel, his reaction to the horrors of war has always been to run, but in the valley he also finds peace and love, and even -- maybe -- a family? The depth and ultra-seriousness of the story, including the dialogue of the characters touching on issues of war, loss, God, religion, ignorance, superstitions, love, hope, loyalty, duty, redemption, etc. truly separate this pic from an ordinary war-adventure yarn.It's also very interesting to observe how people lived in a regular hamlet 400 years ago in backwoods Europe. It was not unusual for people back then in such circumstances to live their entire lives within 10 miles or so from where they were born. Such people would likely be under-educated, superstitious, innocent, ignorant and narrow-minded all at the same time, and the film realistically portrays this.WHAT DOESN'T WORK: There are parts of the film that aren't pulled off very well. Some of the dramatic stagings and dialogue come off awkward here and there. These aspects perhaps needed more fine-tuning and this explains why critics originally panned the movie and why it fell into obscurity for thirty years (a fitting curse for being the only movie to ever address the Thirty Years War, eh?).Some have criticized the film for being anti-church or even anti-God. Actually the film's about the pursuit of God, truth, love and happiness in the face of the ultimate horror -- war. And not just any war, a war that lasted three decades wherein innocent civilians -- men, women, children & family members -- were needlessly slaughtered. The repugnance and terror of war caused The Captain to become a ruthless atheist, as he declares in one potent scene, and "tore the heart out of" Vogel, as revealed in another. But the last valley untouched by the neverending conflict has given them both hope again.***SPOILER ALERT*** Originally The Captain was going to slay Vogel as soon as he met him, but after wintering in the valley he sets Vogel up as the leader while he leaves to attend to the business of war. He obviously had a change of heart concerning Vogel. In any event, he returns to the vale, wounded, his only sanctuary from the evils of battle and plague. His dying words to Vogel are: "Vogel, if you find God tell him we created..." He was no longer an atheist in the strictest sense; he now even hoped their was a Creator and WANTED Vogel to find truth, love & happiness. But it was too late for him. Or maybe not? ***END SPOILER*** FINAL ANALYSIS: Despite the obvious flaws the film gets a huge 'A' for effort in my book. "The Last Valley" is a special picture. It successfully creates a small world of people some 400 years ago in a secluded vale in the paradisical wilderness of the Alps. A world you can get lost in for 2 hours. The originality of the story and its inherent profundities, not to mention the fine cast, performances and surreal aspects, lift the film above a simple adventure yarn. It's unorthodox, enlightening, thought-provoking and ultimately moving. If you enjoy films like "Apocalypse Now" and "Runaway Train," films that boldly attempt to go far deeper than the run-of-the-mill action/adventure flick, then be sure to check out "The Last Valley." You won't be disappointed. In addition, it's a film you'll continue to glean from in future viewings. But, since this is a dialogue-driven picture, be sure to use the subtitles so you can understand the heavily accented dialogue. You'll get much more out of it.GRADE: A-

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.