Search - La Vallee on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Nudity, Adult Situations Movie Release: 1972 DVD Release: 02/25/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 45 mins Studio: Homevision Members Wishing: 6 Genres: Adventure, Drama, Adventure Drama, Psychological Drama, Erotic Drama

An early film by director Barbet Schroeder, La Vallée stars Bulle Ogier as the wife of a diplomat who embarks on a journey through the jungles of New Guinea in order to locate a rarely seen type of bird feather. During the course of her quest, she meets up with a group of free-spirited hippies who are seeking their own personal Shangri-la. She becomes involved in their alternative lifestyle; however, their idea world comes crashing down when they begin to interact with a local native tribe. Future Oscar winner Nestor Almendros' cinematography and the counter-culture attitudes helped make this film a success in art-house theaters. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Bulle Ogier
Jean-Pierre Kalfon
Michael Gothard
Valerie Lagrange

Barbet Schroeder's La Vallée enjoyed an extended theatrical run in New York at a single art-house theater in 1973-1974, mostly by virtue of its soundtrack having been written and performed by Pink Floyd, whose Dark Side of The Moon album in 1973 having turned them into a Supergroup. Needless to say, many millions more have heard the album Obscured by Clouds, which contains the music from this movie, than have ever seen the film. After a 30-year wait for the movie's arrival on DVD, it's gotten a beautiful transfer despite a few minor flaws. A good amount of care was taken, although the producers recognized reality by placing the credit to Pink Floyd on the front cover immediately below the director's name. Schroeder personally supervised the transfer from the best existing 35 mm master elements, but there is a rip in the film at 15 minutes in (followed by a momentary roll in the image) that was impossible to repair without creating serious audio synchronization problems. It passes quickly, however, and except for that momentary flaw, the film looks and sounds so good that its visual allure -- a product of Néstor Almendros' stunning photography -- overcomes pacing that now seems hopelessly languid and soporific. The 2.35:1 aspect ratio captures the richness of the location shooting through a good transfer that offers a huge range of rich color. The chaptering is also reasonably generous considering how slowly paced the movie is, and the audio (in Dolby Digital Mono) has been mastered at a reasonably high volume, essential for appreciating the Pink Floyd score. The disc opens on a simple two-choice menu offering "Start" and "Chapter Selection" options. For reasons best understood by the producers, the promised English subtitles -- which appear in the black masking below the letterboxed image -- can only be accessed by pressing the "Subtitle" button after starting the movie, rather than switched on through the menu. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide