Deep Valley

Reviews

John Chard
Ain't no valley low enough - Ain't no river wide enough. Deep Valley is directed by Jean Negulesco and adapted to screenplay by Stephen Morehouse Avery and Salka Viertel from the novel written by Dan Totheroh. It stars Ida Lupino, Dane Clark and Wayne Morris. Music is by Max Steiner and cinematography by Ted McCord. Libby Saul (Lupino) lives in a run down farm house with her unfeeling and estranged parents. Having developed a stammer due to her stmyied life, her only solace comes from walking in the woods with her dog. Then one day she happens upon a convict work party and takes interest in one of them, Barry Burnette (Clark). He's free too... Off the bat you have to be warned that this is very slow going for the first two thirds - almost painfully so. So with the story hardly being compelling in the first instance, or credible of course, it's on shaky ground and becomes tough to recommend with confidence. However, there's plenty to enjoy as it plods along and the final third is well worth waiting for. The whole look of the piece is an atmospheric delight, McCord bringing some monochrome magic. The inside of the cottage is oppressive, director and cinematographer neatly marrying the visuals up to how Libby feels. Other scenes are pure visual treats, such as out in the barn as the sunlight shines through gaps in the wood to reveal a ghostly mist, or subtle shots like river ripples reflected onto Libby's face, there's enough tech skills on show to keep you interested. Add in yet another superb performance from Lupino and you should want to stay all the way here. Narratively it comes down to finding love under trying circumstance, and that of the big decisions we face in life. Libby is faced with a choice, the bad boy or safe boy conundrum rearing its potent head. It all builds to a finale of substance that tantalises the heart and head in equal measure. No great film by any stretch of the imagination, the tech credits better than the actual play itself, but it warrants respect and worth a viewing for sure. 6/10
Movie Recommendation
- Venetian Bird1952-10-01Private eye Edward Mercer travels to Venice to locate a man due a reward for his aid in the war. Shortly after arriving, he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his local contact. In his quest to clear his name, Mercer uncovers a conspiracy. Even the local magistrate seems to be working against him, and Mercer begins to suspect the man he came to find is behind it all.More...
- Pups Is Pups1930-08-30The gang decides to enter their animals in a local pet show.More...
- Do Not Enter2024-08-15Two working class youtubers ‘in the making’ enter an abandoned mansion to get their basketball back, and get lost inside while pranking each other. They record their ‘quick adventure’ with their phones for their audience, and tweak it with a fake phantom appearance to attract more followers to their YouTube channel. When uploaded the video goes viral, so they start a challenge: if the video reaches a certain number of views, they will enter the house again, at night, alone, totally unprotected. As fans react positively, they will do as promised, not only to discover and unveil the true nature of the place and their inhabitants, but to realize they might not be among the living anymore. Which opens a question - how far would you go to be famous?More...
- The Revenge of Frankenstein1958-06-13Rescued from the guillotine by his devoted dwarf Fritz, the Baron relocates to Carlsbruck, where he continues his gruesome experiments.More...
- Dead Sea2024-07-26Stranded in the open sea after a fatal accident, a young woman and her two friends are rescued by a fishing vessel's captain, unaware that the ship harbors a chilling secret.More...
- The Wild Robot2024-09-12After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.More...
- Studio 6662022-02-24Legendary rock band Foo Fighters move into an Encino mansion steeped in grisly rock and roll history to record their much anticipated 10th album. Once in the house, Dave Grohl finds himself grappling with supernatural forces that threaten both the completion of the album and the lives of the band.More...
- Concrete Utopia2023-08-09The world has been reduced to rubble by a massive earthquake. While no one knows for sure how far the ruins stretch, or what the cause of the earthquake may be, in the heart of Seoul there is only one apartment building left standing. It is called Hwang Gung Apartments. As time passes, outsiders start coming in to Hwang Gung Apartments trying to escape the extreme cold. Before long, the apartment residents are unable to cope with the increasing numbers. Feeling a threat to their very survival, the residents enact a special measure.More...
- South Park: Joining the Panderverse2023-10-27Cartman's deeply disturbing dreams portend the end of the life he knows and loves. Meanwhile, the adults in South Park are wrestling with their own life decisions, as the advent of AI is turning their world upside down.More...
- The Convert2024-03-14Munro, a soldier turned lay preacher, comes to New Zealand to minister to the first British colonists, but he is converted by the powerful chief Maianui to serve a different purpose.More...
- The Hill2023-08-18The story of Rickey Hill, who overcomes his physical disability and repairs his relationship with his father in a quest to become a major league baseball (MLB) player.More...
- Elmer Gantry1960-07-07A charismatic charlatan begins a business — and eventually romantic — relationship with a roadside evangelist to sell religion to 1920s America. Based on Sinclair Lewis' novel of the same name.More...
- Wake Up2024-05-08A group of young activists set out to make an environmental statement by vandalizing a home superstore as it closes. But their plan goes terribly wrong when they become trapped inside and must face a deranged security guard with a gruesome passion for primitive hunting. As the night fills with violence and terror, the teenagers find themselves in a desperate fight for their lives.More...
- The Boys in the Boat2023-12-25The triumphant underdog story of the University of Washington men's rowing team, who stunned the world by competing at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.More...
- Salem's Lot2024-10-03Author Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem's Lot only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire.More...
- The Trapped 13: How We Survived The Thai Cave2022-10-05In this compelling documentary, members of the Thai youth soccer team tell their stories of getting trapped in Tham Luang Cave in 2018 — and surviving.More...
- Kingdom III: The Flame of Destiny2023-07-28To defend their kingdom against a sudden invasion, a mighty general returns to the battlefield alongside a war orphan, now grown up, who dreams of glory.More...
- Wedding Season2022-08-04Pressured by their immigrant parents to find spouses, two Indian-Americans pretend to date in order to survive a summer of weddings – but find themselves falling for each other as they struggle to balance who they are with who their parents want them to be.More...
- The Last Night of Sandra M.2023-12-15Freely inspired by the life of the actress Sandra Mozarowsky, who died in 1977 when she fell from the terrace of her house in Madrid, the story will focus on the day before the accident, in which loneliness, fear and anguish in the face of a situation desperate mix with his dreams and ambitions.More...
- The Funhouse1981-03-13Rebellious teen Amy defies her parents by going to a trashy carnival that has pulled into town. In tow are her boyfriend, Buzz, and their friends Liz and Richie. Thinking it would be fun to spend the night in the campy "Funhouse" horror ride, the teens witness a murder by a deformed worker wearing a mask. Locked in, Amy and her friends must evade the murderous carnival workers and escape before it leaves town the next day.More...
Similar Movies
Far from the Madding ...
1967-06-18Bathsheba Everdine, a willful, flirtatious, young woman, unexpectedly inherits a large farm and becomes romantically involved with three widely divergent men.A Scanner Darkly
2006-07-07An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.The Wizard
1989-12-15A boy and his brother run away from home and hitch cross-country, with help from a girl they meet, to compete in the ultimate video-game championship.East of Eden
1955-04-10In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and how to relate to his estranged mother.Goodbye, Hello
2024-08-13Nate Ryan returns home to Bundy Canyon to visit his dying father. With the help of Amal, a compulsively unfiltered hospice nurse, Nate opens old wounds in an attempt to make peace with his incredibly unpeaceful father. A comedy about family trauma, ill-timed romance and cancer.Sisters in the Wilder...
2004-02-26Susanna and Catharine were brought up in a large estate in England. They married soldiers and both couples headed to Canada only to be disappointed. Catharine, a lover of nature, adapted better than Susanna, a society person.Dead Landscape
1972-04-06This Hungarian film chronicles the slow deterioration in the life of Juli, a farmer's wife. As the countryside grows ever more deserted because people are moving to towns or large collective farms, she spends more and more time alone. Despite her best efforts to appreciate her situation, her despair grows. The loneliness is briefly interrupted when she and her husband take in an old woman and care for her, but the woman dies. Shortly after her son visits, she is killed in an accident which may have been a suicide. ~ Clarke Fountain, RoviNowhere in Africa
2001-12-11A Jewish woman named Jettel Redlich flees Nazi Germany with her daughter Regina, to join her husband, Walter, on a farm in Kenya. At first, Jettel refuses to adjust to her new circumstances, bringing with her a set of china dishes and an evening gown. While Regina adapts readily to this new world, forming a strong bond with her father's cook, an African named Owuor.The Net
1995-07-28Angela Bennett is a freelance computer systems analyst who tracks down software viruses. At night she hooks up to the internet and chats to others 'surfing the net'. While de-bugging a new high-tech game for a cyber friend, she comes across a top secret program and becomes the target of a mysterious organization who will stop at nothing to erase her identity and her existence, in order to protect the project.Crocodile Tears
2024-09-09An overbearing mother who lives with her son in a secluded crocodile farm spirals out of control when her son sees the outside world and falls for a girl for the first time.Oupa en die Plaasnooi...
1960-09-05A grandfather is fed up with his stubborn son, who doesn't want to accept a penny from him to develop his farm. So the old man decides to bring his 18 year-old granddaughter Martie to live with him in the city.The Grapes of Wrath
1940-03-15Tom Joad returns to his home after a jail sentence to find his family kicked out of their farm due to foreclosure. He catches up with them on his Uncle’s farm, and joins them the next day as they head for California and a new life... Hopefully.Out of Africa
1985-12-20Tells the life story of Danish author Karen Blixen, who at the beginning of the 20th century moved to Africa to build a new life for herself. The film is based on her 1937 autobiographical novel.Grease
1978-06-16Australian good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance despite their eccentric friends?The Piano
1993-05-18When an arranged marriage brings Ada and her spirited daughter to the wilderness of nineteenth-century New Zealand, she finds herself locked in a battle of wills with both her controlling husband and a rugged frontiersman to whom she develops a forbidden attraction.Little Miss Sunshine
2006-07-26A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.Central Station
1998-04-03An emotional journey of a former school teacher, who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mother has just died, as they search for the father he never knew.California Winter
2015-12-01Young real estate agent Clara Morales encouraged risky loans to her clients during the housing boom. She must now rescue her father’s home from foreclosure - a consequence of the loan she advised him to take.Anne of Green Gables
1934-11-23Anne Shirley, an orphan, is fostered by farmer Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla, who were expecting a boy to be sent them to help with their farm work. They accept Anne, who quickly endears herself to them and to the local villagers.Brick
2006-03-31A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.