ANCHOR INTRO: Eighty-three countries have submitted entries for the 2015 Best Foreign Film Oscar. KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando says you can check out the Austrian entry, “The Dark Valley,” when it opens this weekend at the Digital Gym. DARKVALLEY 2 (ba) 1:11 The western has its roots dug deep in America but that hasn’t stopped foreign filmmakers from transplanting the genre to their own turf. Austrian director Andreas Prochaska sets his late 19th century western “The Dark Valley” in the Alps, where the harsh winter and rugged terrain prove a fitting backdrop for a terse tale of vengeance. A stranger arrives in an isolated Alpine town run by the cruel Brenner family. The stranger claims he only wants to take photographs and a metronome ticks off the seconds that his subjects have to hold still for the image to be fixed. CLIP Ticking Old man Brenner describes the camera as “a mirror with a memory.” But the camera isn’t the only thing that doesn’t forget. The motive for revenge lies buried in the past and is carried across generations. And the ticking metronome measures out the slow, steady pace of retribution. The cold, unforgiving environment reflects the determination of a young man bent on settling an old family score. The story arc is familiar but reinvigorated by the novelty of the locale. “The Dark Valley” delivers the western formula with straightforward sincerity and a fine sense of craft. Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
Companion Viewing
"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (Italy, 1966)
"The Proposition" (Australia, 2005)
"Sukiyaki Western Django" (Japan, 2007)
"The Good, the Bad, the Weird" (South Korea, 2008)
Eighty-three countries have submitted entries for the 2015 Best Foreign Film Oscar. You can check out the Austrian entry, “The Dark Valley,” when it opens this weekend at the Digital Gym. Cinema
The western has its roots dug deep in America but that hasn’t stopped foreign filmmakers from transplanting the genre to their own turf. Sergio Leone most famously brought the western to Italy and created a new subgenre of spaghetti westerns with films such as "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."
Austrian director Andreas Prochaska sets his late 19th century western “The Dark Valley” (a German-Austrian co-production) in the Alps, where the harsh winter and rugged terrain prove a fitting backdrop for a terse tale of vengeance.
A stranger (British actor Sam Riley of "Control") arrives in an isolated Alpine town run by the cruel Brenner family. The stranger, whose name is Greider, claims he only wants to take photographs of the townsfolk and scenery. The Brenners allow him to stay but only because he offers them gold coins. He immediately sets to work taking photos, beginning with the Brenner sons. A metronome ticks off the seconds that his subjects have to hold still for the image to be fixed.
Old man Brenner describes the camera as “a mirror with a memory.” But the camera isn’t the only thing that doesn’t forget. The motive for revenge lies buried in the past and is carried across generations. And the ticking metronome measures out the slow, steady pace of retribution. The cold, unforgiving environment reflects the determination of a young man bent on settling an old family score. The story arc is familiar but reinvigorated by the novelty of the locale and the stunning cinematography.
"The Dark Valley (Das finstere Tal)," unrated and in German with English subtitles, delivers the western formula with straightforward sincerity and a fine sense of craft. The people may be predictable archetypes but its the landscape and harsh nature that prove to be the fresh characters in the western.
You can watch the trailer.
