La Vallee (aka "The Valley Obscured By Clouds")
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Movie Reviews of La Vallee (aka "The Valley Obscured By Clouds")
Movie Review: Remembrance on DVD
Summary: 4 Stars
I saw THE VALLEY (Obscured By Clouds) in a theater in the 70s, though probably not on its first-run engagement. What I remember is the imagry, not the music (in hindsight I'm startled Pink Floyd supplied the mostly subtle score), and an awe for the film and an appreciation for the night on walking out of the theater. I remember the ad campaign, but it was a word-of-mouth hit -- "You HAVE to see this movie!"Much of the content is dated to its times, but a surprising portion is not. Remember, too, that the term "hippie" was itself getting dated in 1972, the pursuit of personal pleasures rising, as one bit of dialogue touches on.
The DVD transfer is imperfect, but artifacts are not obtrusive. Some of the editing is abrupt, again not detracting from the whole. The film is largely in French with some English and native New Guinean; English subtitles are available, but only accessible by pressing the Subtitles button on the player or remote.
As with most art-house films, THE VALLEY is aimed at an adult audience. Contained are full-frontal nudity (both genders), sex, and the frank killing and slaughter of three pigs, as well as themes of sensuality, monogamy, societal rigidity, and natural mood-altering substances.
Movie Review: Sensual Mood Film and Music
Summary: 4 Stars
I've always liked the alternative mood music that Pink Floyd
produced in the early years and this film with its lush surroundings and sensual scenes in french (with subtitles) is a perfect sensory match. It is intriguing to see the native people
of that time and to fit them into the story really made the film
realistic. Vivian has a magnetic beauty that makes the film one you can enjoy more than once. I was disturbed about the still on
the back cover also as another reviewer noticed,that it is not in the movie since it looks like an important scene. Nevertheless
the film is a real treasure- sort of a flashback to a more open society and the dilemmas they faced.
Movie Review: Le Vallee DVD purchase
Summary: 4 Stars
Thank you for the opportunity to give you a review. When I received the DVD I was excited to see that although it was used, it looked "new". When I played the DVD I was disappointed to realize that there are no English subtitles. The blurb, as well as the DVD itself, says that the movie is in French with English subtitles. Please let me know how to handle this. Thanks!Movie Review: Exotic movie
Summary: 4 Stars
It's good to learn about tribe habits. The movie represents the hyppie ideology of 70's with fidelity. A movie for people who loves Floyd and rare stuff.Movie Review: Schroeder's best
Summary: 3 Stars
It is difficult to write a review of this film without mentioning the soundtrack for two reasons: one, the soundtrack is incredible, and two, it is more famous than the film itself. I'll get it out of the way by saying that Pink Floyd's music is fantastic, the soundtrack is sometimes better than the film (as was the case when they scored Schroeder's first film "More"), and it is worth owning more than La Vallee. Anyway...
Like most foreign (and non-Hollywood) films, this movie is very deliberately paced...if your favorite film is "2 Fast 2 Furious" or some other Hollywood pulp, this is not the movie for you. This is a film for those who watch Bergman, Fellini, and Kubrick, auteurs who make intelligent films at the expense of superficial action and wooden dialogue. La Vallee is a highly philosophical film, one that highlights the cultural divide between the West and the Third World (in this case, Papua New Guinea), and which therefore calls into question the very values of our society. The plot has been discussed before so I won't go over it again, except to say that it follows a woman's journey from one set of mores to another, and the changes she makes to gradually cast aside her values in favor of new ones. The two leaders of the group she joins in their quest for paradise represent two extremes of New Age thought...one a pessimist who believes that the two cultures will forever remain divided and estranged and that they will forever be plagued by the West, the other one who strives to immerse himself in a culture unspoilt by modern values and to cast aside the decadent West. A realist and a dreamer, some might say, but their two conflicting philosophies give balance to the film and force the viewer to draw their own conclusions as to what lies in the Valley and who is right.
We never see the Valley, although the characters do. Some have complained about this, but I think this ambiguous ending enhances the film. What the Valley is, and what is in it, is left to the individual to decide. The Valley is each person's paradise, and so could not be shown on film.
All things considered, a very good film. I recommend this over Barbet Schroeder's "More," which is not unique as this film is, far more dated in every aspect, and in which Pink Floyd's soundtrack really is better than the film. I also recommend buying Pink Floyd's soundtrack for both films (it is called "Obscured by Clouds" in the case of La Vallee).