The Valley (1976 film)
The Valley is a 1976 short film made by a then fifteen-year-old Peter Jackson with his friends. It was strongly influenced by the films of Ray Harryhausen. It was filmed silent on a Super 8 camera and was shown on the children's television show Spot On.
| The Valley | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Peter Jackson |
| Starring |
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| Edited by | Peter Jackson |
Release date |
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Running time | 20 minutes |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
Plot
The Valley is about four prospectors who walk into a valley and unwittingly enter a rift in the time/space continuum. As they journey down the valley, one of the prospectors (Ian Middleton) gets taken away by a harpy. Another prospector (Peter Jackson) falls off a cliff. The two remaining (Ken Hammon and Andrew Neal) have to fight and destroy a cyclops. They build a raft, float across a lake, and see a building in ruins. This ruin, unbeknownst to them, is the Beehive building of Wellington city – they have not travelled back in time but ahead into a post-apocalyptic world taken over by mythical beasts.
Cast
- Andrew Neal as Prospector #1
- Ken Hammon as Prospector #2
- Ian Middleton as Prospector #3
- Peter Jackson as Prospector #4
- Pete O'Herne stars in an unidentified role
References
- Peter Jackson: From Prince of Splatter to Lord of the Rings by Ian Pryor
- Good Taste Made Bad Taste (Documentary) by Tony Hiles
- Recreating the Eighth Wonder: Making King Kong (Documentary) by Michael Pellerin