Michael Caine names his most underrated movie: “I thought that was a wonderful film”
British cinema has given Hollywood some of the greatest names ever to grace the silver screen. The likes of Anthony Hopkins, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Michael Caine neatly slot into the ranks of cinema royalty, with the latter having been active in the industry since the 1950s, working with some of the greatest filmmakers of all time along the way.
Quickly finding success in television and cinema, Caine would potter along in the industry until the mid-1960s, where he found considerable success with the war flick Zulu by Cy Endfield, as well as the popular comedy romance Alfie. In fact, he would come to define the ‘60s, thriving in such movies as Gambit, The Italian Job and the celebrated WWII film Battle of Britain.
Ever since, Caine has been considered an icon of Hollywood cinema, even earning two Academy Awards for his contribution to the craft in 1987 for the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters and in 2000 for The Cider House Rules. Still, nowadays, Caine is most remembered for roles in the movies of Christopher Nolan, most famously appearing as the butler Alfred in the Dark Knight trilogy.
With well over 150 credits to his name, however, there are several movies that Caine believes have never gotten the credit they deserve, once revealing what he thinks is his most underrated film in a 1997 interview with GQ.
“I used to think Get Carter was underrated, but now it’s been rated, now it’s very rated,” the actor started, making reference to the once underappreciated Mike Hodges action flick from 1971. Indeed, the film is so appreciated in contemporary cinema that the great Quentin Tarantino once called it his favourite British movie.
Yet, Get Carter wasn’t the movie Caine wanted to discuss; instead, he felt that the 1971 war movie The Last Valley was his most neglected piece of work. “It went completely nowhere,” Caine said of the movie that takes place during the Thirty Years’ War of the 1600s, “It’s my elder daughter’s favourite film – not only of mine, but of all time. I thought that was a wonderful film, with an unbelievable score by John Barry.”
Following the story of a group of Protestants coexisting with German Catholic villagers in something of a contemporary utopia, the film was a pretty remarkable cinematic vision, particularly for its time. Co-starring beside the likes of Florinda Bolkan, Nigel Davenport and Omar Sharif, take a look at Caine in the trailer for The Last Valley below.
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