Synopsis

The horrors of war seen through the eyes of two little orphans. A girl, called Lottie and a boy, called Marko flee from a town occupied by German forces and bombed by Americans. At all costs, they want to reach the Valley of Peace, that the four-year-old girl’s grandmother used to sing to her about. Marko, a few years older than Lottie, thinks that this valley must be where he spent holidays with his uncle in the past. Consequently, they set forth. On a riverside, the children meet Jim, an American pilot, who managed to escape by parachute from his shot-down aircraft. The soldier ministers to the children’s needs and they continue their journey together. Finally, they arrive at the holiday place the boy mentioned before. Unfortunately, the area is teeming with German soldiers fighting the partisans. This was one of the first film productions made in former Yugoslavia and presented in Cannes in 1957. John Kitzmiller, a former captain of the US forces, was honoured as best actor for his outstanding performance in Valley of Peace. Decades later, this stirring and passionate anti-war film returned to Cannes’ Croisette in a digitally-restored version and now to LET’S CEE. Le technique cinematographe put it in a nutshell: “This film is truly excellent!”