Amazon.com: This film was a touchstone of the late 1960s, when it was seen as an antiwar allegory for a world in which madness seemed to reign. Of course, that would probably be true whenever this movie was shown, wouldn't it? Directed by Philippe de Broca and set during World War I, King of Hearts stars Alan Bates as a Scottish soldier separated from his unit in France. He wanders into a small French village that has been abandoned by its residents in the face of oncoming combat. Instead, the town is populated by the residents of a nearby insane asylum, whose keepers have fled--a fact that escapes the innocent soldier, who assumes these are the regular folks. A film that celebrates the innocence and wisdom of the insane, even as it questions who the real madmen are. --Marshall Fine
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - The Lunatic Asylum Comedy
"October 1918" is the date for this story. German soldiers are planting explosives to destroy the advancing British soldiers when they occupy a French city. The townspeople hurriedly evacuate the town. The British are warned, they will not march into town. Instead Private Plumpick [some pun?] will be sent in to scout the town and defuse the bombs - by himself! [Believable?] Discovered by the Germans, he flees into a building for refuge and safety; it is the local insane asylum. The result of the German withdrawal is the inmates can wander freely into the deserted town and select new clothes from ... Read More
Rating: - One of the five best movies ever made
Funny, profound. Near perfect! In French, English and German -- with subtitles. Full of deep insights about sex, love, war, madness and society -- all in a charming hilarious wrapper. Watch it with someone you love!
Rating: - an Alan Bates fan
Saw this movie back when I was in college, so it brings back memories. Better than I remembered.
Rating: - The madness and madcap-ness of war
The madness of war makes the members of the asylum seem sane. Such is the theme of this anti-war comedy directed by France's Philippe de Broca, starring the English actor Alan Bates wearing a jaunty crown, and featuring a young and delectable Genevieve Bujold in a yellow tutu.
She's insane. A virgin who believes she's a prostitute. Her madame is also insane, or so the townsmen of Marville believe. But theirs is such a pleasant insanity that we in the audience are persuaded to ask what is sanity and who needs it? Can nerve gas and rat-infested trenches with bloated, rotting bodies ... Read More
Rating: - A True Classic
King of Hearts is an endearing and deeply touching film. It poses the question, "Who's more crazy, delusional patients in a mental institution, or the people who promote and fight wars?" An answer emerges from the chaos of this very funny and profound tale.
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