Product Details

• Actors: Paul Robeson, Edward Chapman, Simon Lack, Rachel Thomas, Dilys Thomas
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Homevision
• VHS Release Date: June 13, 2000
• Run Time: 77 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: 0780020642
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #387,147 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Featuring Paul Robeson (The Emperor Jones, Show Boat, 1936) in his prime, The Proud Valley is a stirring portrait of compassion and courage. Robeson lends his magnificent voice and presence to the role of David Goliath, a black stoker looking for work in a Welsh coal-mining town. Befriended by Dick Parry, the local choir master and a miner, Goliath finds a job and a home. Tragedy strikes when Parry dies in an explosion and the mine shuts down, leaving most of the townspeople jobless. After campaigning to have the mine re-opened, Goliath puts his life on the line to save workers trapped in a tunnel. Said to have been Robeson's personal favorite, this moving story has been favorably compared to Carol Reed's The Stars Look Down. The Proud Valley stands apart for its documentary-like realism and Robeson's powerful singing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Proud Valley, November 26, 2000

By 

Mary Trebilcox (Anaheim, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Proud Valley [VHS] (VHS Tape)

While the story is very predictable, and by today's standards it is lacking in cinematic technique, this is a classic from the early fourties. It gives you an honest look into the passion for singing the Welsh people have, and the harsh realism of their lives as coal miners. Robeson has a magnificent voice and it is show cased beautifully. Anyone who has been to Wales will immediately sense the authenticity of this video.