I inadvertently tripped over this movie, late at night, at the end of a long weekend work shift. And I have to say, it was so much better than the fare usually found at such hours that I was moved to log on and comment.
As most other commentors have stated, it has a near-unique setting for an English language movie in the Thirty Year's War (1618 - 1648), and does a reasonable job of communicating the feral quality of such a nebulous conflict. The central performances from Caine, Sharif and Davenport are each thoroughly engaging and entirely organic to the story, although the lack of a modern dialog/accent coach is keenly felt throughout, The direction, from Emmy winner James Clavell, is not quite up to the level of a Morricone or Huston, but more than competent considering the depth of story that is conveyed. The cinematography is both simple and elegiac without ever losing itself in Leanesque moments of hubris. Indeed, such lavish images may have detracted from what is ultimately a grubby tale of survival and necessity in seventeenth-century Europe.
If I have a quibble with this film it is in the editing. Whereas there may well be a substantially different or longer cut available than the ~1h45m version I saw, it nevertheless seems to lack a consistent pace in the tale-telling. Minor scenes are given just as much screen time and weight as seemingly decisive plot moments. Even though this is indicative of the heritage of the film's production (early-70s British-made, Yank-financed films with their tendency to cinema-verité values) it nevertheless makes for a slightly more difficult watch than should be absolutely necessary. Plus, it seemed to me, on first viewing at least, that a whole lot of good movie ended up on the cutting-room floor.
In summary, certainly worth a watch. Probably two, especially if a decent widescreen version is available. And if a "director's cut" ever came out, I'd buy it.
As most other commentors have stated, it has a near-unique setting for an English language movie in the Thirty Year's War (1618 - 1648), and does a reasonable job of communicating the feral quality of such a nebulous conflict. The central performances from Caine, Sharif and Davenport are each thoroughly engaging and entirely organic to the story, although the lack of a modern dialog/accent coach is keenly felt throughout, The direction, from Emmy winner James Clavell, is not quite up to the level of a Morricone or Huston, but more than competent considering the depth of story that is conveyed. The cinematography is both simple and elegiac without ever losing itself in Leanesque moments of hubris. Indeed, such lavish images may have detracted from what is ultimately a grubby tale of survival and necessity in seventeenth-century Europe.
If I have a quibble with this film it is in the editing. Whereas there may well be a substantially different or longer cut available than the ~1h45m version I saw, it nevertheless seems to lack a consistent pace in the tale-telling. Minor scenes are given just as much screen time and weight as seemingly decisive plot moments. Even though this is indicative of the heritage of the film's production (early-70s British-made, Yank-financed films with their tendency to cinema-verité values) it nevertheless makes for a slightly more difficult watch than should be absolutely necessary. Plus, it seemed to me, on first viewing at least, that a whole lot of good movie ended up on the cutting-room floor.
In summary, certainly worth a watch. Probably two, especially if a decent widescreen version is available. And if a "director's cut" ever came out, I'd buy it.
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