The Last Valley should be required viewing for everyone

I taught history for many years and I never blinked from the horror of it. Life has been a desperate, depressing struggle for as long as people have been on the earth. But some periods are worse than others and this is definitely the case with the 30 Years War in the 1600's which was a civil, war, religious war, and territorial war all rolled into one giant bloodbath that took 4-8 million lives. Rarely have I come across a film that brought all these depressing dynamics out like The Last Valley (1970). Its has wholesale slaughter, rape, witch burnings, torture, betrayal, religious insanity, bigotry, savagery all made the more awful because it happens in a valley which should be paradise. 

I am of the firm belief that one of the big reasons people are causing so much trouble and danger these days is that they have no idea how fortunate and fragile is the time we live in. I always wake up happy to live in the age I live in and aware that things can be lost in a hurry if we just start blowing things up because we can't get 100% satisfaction. People always forget the lessons of the past and lose all perspective of what real trouble is. 

This movie should be required viewing for everyone (BTW- its also a good movie).