Valley of the Gods (film)

Movie
Original title	Valley of the Gods
Country of production	Luxembourg , Poland
original language	English
Publishing year	2019
length	126 minutes
Rod
Director	Lech Majewski
script	Lech Majewski
production	Lech Majewski, ; Filip Jan Rymsza
music	Jan AP Kaczmarek
camera	Pavel Tybora
cut	Norbert Rudzik
occupation
	Josh Hartnett : John Ecas; Charlotte Rampling : Amanda Joyce; John Malkovich : Wes Tauros; Jaime Ray Newman : Laura Ecas; John Rhys-Davies : Dr. Hermann; Bérénice Marlohe : Karen Kitson; Keir Dullea : Ulim;

Valley of the Gods is a drama film directed by Lech Majewski that premiered at the Gdynia Polish Film Festival in September 2019 and was released in the USA on August 11, 2020.

action

John Ecas was looking for the Valley of the Gods, an area in southeastern Utah near Monument Valley, where the spirits of the Indian Navajo deities are said to inhabit the huge rocks, and he makes notes. The newly divorced copywriter followed the advice of his therapist Dr. Hermann, who thought it was the best way to deal with all the strange and inexplicable in this world and just do crazy things. After successfully trying his hand at climbing, John is determined to write the novel he has always dreamed of.

His journey takes him to Wes Tauros, the richest man in the world. He is currently in the process of signing a contract to acquire the mineral rights for the Valley of the Gods to mine uranium. However, this drives a wedge between the Navajos still living there, some of whom are only interested in the money, but others are skeptical of these plans because they would desecrate the land they consider holy ground. John wants to write a biography about Wes Tauros and learns a lot of strange things about this secretive man.

production

Directed by Lech Majewski . The Hittite legend of Ullikummi served as the starting point for the script that the director himself wrote. According to this legend, two mountains created a rock that was half man, half god. The film also picks up on another narrative thread that tells the story of the richest man on earth, a hermit who meets his potential biographer. Valley of the Gods was produced by Angelus Silesius, the Polish filmmaker's own production company, together with the US ensemble Royal Road Entertainment and The Safran Company.

US actor John Malkovich plays billionaire Wes Tauros, Josh Hartnett plays his biographer John Ecas. British actor John Rhys-Davies took on the role of John's therapist Dr. Hermann.

Majewski describes Valley of the Gods as a visually sophisticated film and a challenge in terms of digital technology with a whole range of special effects. In spring 2016, recordings were made in two blue-screen and green-screen studios in the Audiovisual Technology Center in Wroclaw. Lower Silesia, the Cistercian monastery in Lubiąż, Książ Castle and Katowice, the filmmaker's hometown, serve as further locations. Furthermore, one shot / turned in Italy and Utah.

The first screening of the film took place on September 17, 2019 as part of the Polish Film Festival Gdynia . In October 2019 it was presented at the Warsaw International Film Festival and in November 2019 at the Camerimage Film Festival . A first trailer was presented at the beginning of June 2020. The film was released in the United States on August 11, 2020.