Director: James Clavell

Writer: James Clavell

From novel by: J. B. Pick

Keywords: Drama

Name	Occupation	Birth	Death	Known for
Brian Blessed	Actor	9-Oct-1937		Prince Vultan of the Hawk Men
Michael Caine	Actor	14-Mar-1933		Get Carter
Nigel Davenport	Actor	23-May-1928	25-Oct-2013	Chariots of Fire
Arthur O'Connell	Actor	29-Mar-1908	18-May-1981	Anatomy of a Murder
Omar Sharif	Actor	10-Apr-1932	10-Jul-2015	Doctor Zhivago

REVIEWS

Review by Dave (posted on 21-Mar-2005)

Interesting concept with beautiful cinematography and ultimately poor directing. Set during the 30 Years War in Germany, a wandering professor (Omar Sharif) attempting to escape marauding armies, the plague and starvation stumbles into an idyllic valley untouched by the war. When a mercenary troop lead by Michael Caine invades he manages to convince them to spare the valley in exchange for wintering among the peasants with food warmth and women.

Essentially a study of conflicts between the soldiers and the peasants. Between the pragmatists and the religious zealots. Between Catholics and Protestants, and finally between the mercenary captain and the burgermeister. Through it all the professor attempts to keep the peace.

Beautiful locations, and exquisite costuming for students of military history. Each of the mercenaries is of a different nationality and the mixture of Spanish, Polish, German, Italian weaponry is fascinating.

Unfortunately the acting is stilted, epecially the opening scenes -- although it does improve through the body of the show. The dialogue has a tendency to belabor the points and the scenic flow is inconsistent.

When I first watched this as a youth in 1971 I was astonished by the casual violence, which appears fairly mild in retrospect.

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