| The Last Valley | |
|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:TheLastValley1971FilmUsPosterStyleB.png) US film poster | |
| Directed by | James Clavell |
| Written by | James Clavell |
| Based on | The Last Valley by J. B. Pick |
| Produced by | James Clavell |
| Starring | Michael Caine Omar Sharif Florinda Bolkan Nigel Davenport Per Oscarsson |
| Cinematography | John Wilcox |
| Edited by | John Bloom |
| Music by | John Barry |
Production companies | Season Productions ABC Pictures Corporation |
| Distributed by | Cinerama Releasing Corporation |
Release dates |
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Running time | 128 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6,250,000[1] |
| Box office | $1,280,000[1] |
The Last Valley is a 1971 film written and directed by James Clavell, an historical drama set during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). While war ravages southern Germany, a mercenary leader (Michael Caine) and a teacher (Omar Sharif) stumble upon a valley untouched by the war. Based upon the novel The Last Valley (1959), by J. B. Pick,[2] the cinematic version of The Last Valley was the final feature film photographed with the Todd-AO 70 mm widescreen process until it was revived to make the film Baraka in 1991.
Michael Caine called it "the most disappointing picture I ever made. Disappointing not from the finished picture, but the reaction to it. It is a performance of which I’m particularly proud, one of the best performances I ever gave, as a matter of fact. For a start, it was anti-religious war at the time of Northern Ireland. I did the film to show what I felt about all the religions. But it meant absolutely nothing to the public, the critics were extremely unkind, and it was a terrible thing for me because everybody was sure it would be a big hit — and so was I."[3]