Review of Last Valley, The

Introduction

17th Century Austria, the 30-Year War, Michael Caine and Omar Sharif. This could only mean James Clavell`s The Last Valley. A peaceful village in a beautiful Austrian valley is discovered by Vogel, which he fancies to be a safe place to see out the winter. Unfortunately, The Captain also finds the village, bringing with him the horrors of war. The village will never be the same again.

Continuing in Clavell`s chosen theme of portraying human conflict of all periods, The Last Valley tackles the role of religion in war. The 30-Year War saw the main protagonists regularly change sides as the going got tough, switching to whichever side seemed to offer the most at the end of hostilities.

Video

The non-anamorphic video is framed at full screen, which is a shame as the Austrian scenery is crying out for a decent resolution of image. The picture is sharply defined but the colours are more pastel than vibrant. The views over the mountains look as though it`s a rainy, misty day, rather than the supposed sunshine the scene is trying to project.

Close up shots are sharp and look good despite the slight colour imperfections, but suffer when movement or long views are used. There is also a large difference between studio shots and those on location. A shame as this could have been tremendously dramatic.

The image is commendably clean and free of noise. It is very good news for all film buffs that these classics are being given a wash and brush up before hitting the shelves on DVD.

Audio

2 channel Dolby Digital is the only offering, but this is to be expected as this is a 1970 film. Some of the fight scenes are lacking a little in the noise department, but in the most part the soundtrack does a good job of complementing the video.

Features

A nice selection of extras accompanies the film. These include the usual chapters, but also biographies of the two main stars, Caine and Sharif, along with a biography of Clavell. The Caine biography also contains a trivia and quotes section. A photo gallery and production notes complete the special features.

Conclusion

Pearson TV has done a good job with this disc, despite the colours being a little disappointing. One has to remember though that this film is 21 years old and cannot be compared to the sort of movies being produced today, although it does better some of the more budget releases.

Both Michael Caine and Omar Sharif give sterling performances, but I think Sharif is slightly better to giving an Austrian accent than Caine. I can`t help but expect a quote from some of his better known movies to make an appearance but I get that with all the films I see with him in them.

Unfortunately, this appears to be the only Pearson release so far not given a widescreen presentation, the other films in their Collection range all sporting the preferred format. Of course, we do not know the condition of the master so must assume this is the best that can be produced.

Overall an enjoyable classic that will be much appreciated in many collections