The Valley of Ashes

Author(s): Zgamer
Location: Eagle, ID

"The Valley of Ashes"

Directed by: Roman Polanski
Written by: Ronald Harwood

Main Cast

Barry Pepper as Pvt. Tom Walker

Tagline: "A journey is defined by the steps a man takes to finish it"

Synopsis: Tom’s eyes open. He is still breathing, a welcome reminder that he is alive. He never thought that he would have to deal with such a trauma when he signed up for the army. As his eyes focus, his vision becomes obscured by thick jungle foliage. Beyond this, the sky above has succumbed to darkness. His hands, unsteady from disorientation, check his body. He is all right. He tilts his head to observe the surrounding, only to come face to face with the body of a dead U.S. marine. His mind slowly recollects the attack that wiped out his team and commanders. He attempts to get up, only to be greeted by a surge of pain. As he looks down, he notices a bloody hole where a bullet has penetrated his leg. This is bad. If he knows anything for sure, he knew that you should never have a bullet inside you for long.

Suddenly, Tom hears rustling in the background. His hand reaches for a discarded machine gun nearby. He has to be alert. The Vietnamese always try to catch their victims off-guard. With the gun pointed in that direction, Tom quickly checks his supplies. A bayonet, a half-empty canteen, a candy bar and his journal. This wouldn’t be any help if he wanted to wait for a rescue team. Gritting his teeth, Tom uses the gun to help support him as he slowly stands up. After letting the blood go to his legs, Tom slowly starts to walk through the jungle. He knows it will be dangerous. He knows he will have to think on his feet. He knows he could die at any time. But even if he had to walk across the entire country, he was going to find his way back to HQ.

What the Press would say:

Words cannot properly describe why “The Valley of Ashes” is such an amazing film. The film goes beyond the terms like “artistic” or “well-crafted” to something on a more intimate and personal level. Polanski has risen from the title of great director to modern artistic genius by engaging us with a Vietnam film that doesn’t try to tell a story of war or politics. It is a two-hour study of man’s natural survival instincts put to the test during a time of crisis. To give the film a sense of location and reality, Polanski puts you into the scene by making the situation feel natural. Instead of a sweeping score, the film uses the sounds of the environment to create a distinct mood in a subtle and effective way. Instead of droning dialogue filled with clichés, the script uses almost no dialogue to allow the main character to vocalize his feelings through expressions and emotions. Basically, the film is the zenith of the effective “show-not-tell” technique.

The film is defined by how the character chooses to deal with obstacles. Each obstacle Tom must face on his long journey, from avoiding possible enemy encounters to trying to find food, has a purpose for the film’s progression. Every time he succeeds or fails, you know that it was needed to help him learn and survive. Even the film’s setting in Vietnam has a significant purpose for the journey itself. Polanski uses the jungle’s natural beauty to contradict the reality of pain, death and war that the character tries to avoid. Of course, Polanski uses a symbolic use of ashes to prove that Tom cannot do so. One of the film’s pivotal scenes, where Tom attempts to find water in napalm burned stretch of land, gives an amazing depiction of how sometimes man’s need to survive can cause destruction to everything beautiful and holy. With every charred plant Tom unwittingly crushes as he walks, the irony of his survival through the destruction of others becomes more apparent. Not only that, but the cinematography for the scene (and pretty much throughout the film) is breathtaking.

Obviously, when you are dealing with only one cast member, you want an actor you can relate to. Thankfully, Polanski wisely chose an experienced war actor to carry the film’s weight. Barry Pepper, finally in a good lead role, plays against type to create a believable character. Tom Miller is not a gung-ho action hero. He is an average man surviving a war like an average man would. If he’s thirsty, he will carefully search for water. If he’s wounded, he will try to treat it. If he thinks a threat is present, he will find cover. Pepper does all of this so naturally you don’t even think he’s acting. A perfect example of this is the disturbingly realistic scene where Tom attempts to remove a bullet in his leg with his bayonet. The pain expressed through his gritted teeth and strained face is so real that you can almost feel it with him. With Polanski’s amazing artistic vision, Pepper’s finely tuned performance and an epic scope that expands beyond the scenery, this is an artistic film that the Oscars will love to award.

Award Possibilities

Best Picture
Best Director (Roman Polanski)
Best Actor (Barry Pepper)
Best Original Screenplay (Ronald Harwood)
Best Cinematography
Best Art-Direction
Best Sound Design