Valley of Eagles
| Valley of Eagles | |
|---|---|
 Original British cinema poster | |
| Directed by | Terence Young |
| Written by | Terence Young |
| Story by | Nat A. Bronstein Paul Tabori |
| Produced by | Nat A. Bronstein |
| Starring | Jack Warner Nadia Gray John McCallum |
| Cinematography | Harry Waxman |
| Edited by | Lito Carruthers |
| Music by | Nino Rota |
Production company | Independent Sovereign Films |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors (UK) Lippert Pictures (US) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Valley of Eagles (US release title Valley of the Eagles) is a 1951 British thriller film written and directed by Terence Young and starring Jack Warner, Nadia Gray and John McCallum.[1] A Swedish scientist's crucial new invention is stolen by his wife who tries to take it to the Soviet Union.
Plot
The setting is Stockholm, Sweden, "this year". Dr Nils Ahlen is preparing to give a talk on his new invention and discussing arrangements for his absence with his assistant, Sven Nystrom. Nystrom intends to work from home but Ahlen shows him where he has hidden the key to his laboratory "just in case". While they are talking, Ahlen's wife, Helga, complains that the couple will miss a dinner engagement with friends. Ahlen tells her she could go on her own and Helga replies that she could. Ahlen's invention is a devise which allows huge amounts of energy to be stored, as audio recordings, on Barium discs. When played back, the discs release enough power to fuel a small town or "propel a rocket or flying bomb across the Atlantic". Naturally, the military are interested in this and request that Ahlen provide them with the specifications for his recorder "by yesterday". Returning home, Ahlen finds his appartment disturbed and his wife and the key to his laboratory both missing. A search of the lab reveals that the vital components of the recorder have been stolen. He alerts the Police and his "institute" and an investigation begins. Ahlen, however, soon becomes impatient with the attitude of Inspector Peterson and, having established that his assistant Nystom is also missing, begins an investigation of his own. This takes him to a rendevous with a mysterious baroness in Karlstad, with whom Nystrom has been in correspondence. The baroness denies all knowledge of Nystrom but she answers to the description of a frequent visitor given to Ahlem by Nystrom's housekeeper. As Ahlem is leaving her house, the baroness' manservant tells her she has a call from Leksand. Peterson has also traced the trail to the baroness meets up with Ahlen in his car. The two agree to work together. They find out that a plane has been forced to make a landing at Leksand and that Nystrom and Helga were on board. The pair are making for the border with Finland, presumably to deliver the invention to the Soviets, although this is never made explicit. From now on, the action switches between Ahlen and Peterson and Nystrom and Helga in their race for the border. When a blizzard begins, Ahlen remarks that the weather is visited on the just and unjust alike and then wonders which of them is which. The chase takes all four protagonists into the terratory of the local nomads, referred to here as Lapps. Nystrom and Helgar have hired 3 locals as guides but Ahlem and Peterson join a large family group who are taking their reindeer across the border. Right from the start, the presence of Ahlem and Peterson causes discord amongst the nomads, many of whom regard them as bad luck and resent the distraction of involving themselves in the chase. Nystrom and Helga lay a false trail which leads Ahlen's group over a cliff, destroying their reindeer herd. The nomad leader, who has championed the pair, takes his own life out of remorse and the group disbands. Ahlem and Peterson are left with a small group led by a young woman called Kara Niemann. When Ahlem and Peterson criticise the "savagery" of the Lapp culture, Niemann defends it and reveals herself to be the grandaughter of the former leader. Ahlem warms to her and the two begin to fall in love. Niemann's group is now in deep trouble as they have attracted the attention of two different packs of wolves and lack the firepower to defend themselves. Just all seems lost, one of their party spots a group of birds circling overhead. One of them descends and kills a wolf. It is an eagle, controlled by one of a group of tribal hunters. More birds descend and the wolves are driven off. The group are taken to "the hidden valley" a kind of local Shangri La. The valley is a refuge but is under constant threat of avelanche from the mountains which overhang it. This is why the hunters hunt with eagles and why the children can never laugh or play. Nystrom and Helga are also here and Peterson places them both under arrest. Ahlem talks to Helga who reveals her motives to have been loneliness and frustration. She mocks him for caring more about glass tubes and wires than he cares about flesh and blood but this is no longer true. Ahlem begs Peterson to let the pair go free. Peterson refuses but there is a strong suggestion that he will "turn a blind eye". Before any plan can be made, however, Nystrom takes matters into his own hands and he and Helga attempt to escape by crossing the mountains. Fearing an avelanche, the locals give chase with their eagles. Peterson and Ahlem try to persuade Nystrom to turn back but he fires at them, starting an avelanche which kills the fugatives but spares the village. The locals reflect that they have been needlessly living in fear for generations and Ahlen and Niemann are free to enjoy their newfound love.
Production
While most interiors were shot at Pinewood Studios and Denham Film Studios outside London, the exterior scenes were done in Stockholm and Swedish Lapland. A number of Swedish actors participate in supporting roles.
Cast
- Jack Warner - Inspector Peterson
- Nadia Gray - Kara Niemann
- John McCallum - Doctor Nils Åhlén
- Anthony Dawson - Sven Nyström
- Mary Laura Wood - Helga Åhlén
- Naima Wifstrand - Baroness Erland
- Norman Macowan - McTavis, ferry pilot
- Alfred Maurstad - Trerik
- Martin Boddey - Chief of the Lost Valley
- Trillot Billquist - Colonel Strand
- Christopher Lee - Detective Holt
- Ewen Solon - Detective Anderson
- Peter Blitz - Anders
- Gösta Cederlund - Professor Lind
- Sten Lindgren - Director-General of the "Institute of Technical Research"
References
Bibliography
- Shail, Robert. British film directors: a critical guide Edinbrugh University Press, 2007.
External links
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