THE LAST VALLEY (1970) ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
D: James Clavell
Michael Caine, Omar Sharif, Florinda Bolkan,
Nigel Davenport, Per Oscarsson, Arthur O'Connell
This is like a 17th-century variation on "Survivor", about what happens when a small contingent of soldiers moves into a remote mountain village during the Thirty Years' War. The soldiers, led by Captain Michael Caine, no longer care which side they're fighting on. They just want to be fed. The burgomaster, the town's nominal authority, turns his own mistress over to Caine, rather than risk Caine's wrath. The six local girls picked to keep the troops happy do what they're told without complaining. They know the alternative is worse. Even the parish priest, who in theory answers to somebody higher up, has to do some quick improvising when Caine threatens him with castration in a dispute over a religious shrine. It's an elaborate game of chess in which everybody's a participant, each character watching intently to see how the others are going to move, gauging how the game is playing out, and trying to adjust to any subtle shifts in the balance of power. There aren't any winners, only those who die and those who get to continue to play. The game goes on.
Omar Sharif
(1932-2015)
