Main Cast: Alan Bates, Geneviève Bujold, Jean-Claude Brialy, Julien Guiomar, Pierre Brasseur, Micheline Presle
Release Year: 1966
Country: UK/IT/FR
Run Time: 101 minutes
Plot
The French/Italian/British King of Hearts (Le Roi de Coeur) takes place during World War I, but it might as well have been the Vietnamese conflict so far as its youthful "core" audience was concerned. Overacting outrageously, Adolfo Celi plays British colonel Alexander MacBibenbrook, who orders mild-mannered Scotsman Pvt. Charles Plumpick (Alan Bates) to undertake a life-or-death mission in a tiny French village. While evacuating the town, the Germans have left behind a time bomb that will explode at midnight; Plumpick must defuse that bomb. Upon his arrival in town, Plumpick discovers that it is far from deserted. A group of inmates from the local insane asylum, left behind during the evacuation, have claimed the village for their own. Knocked unconscious, Plumpick awakens to learn that he has been crowned "King of Hearts" by the gentle lunatics. None of the inmates pay any heed to Plumpick's warnings about impending doom, and when he attempts to lead them out of town, they are terrified at the prospect and scurry back to the "safety" of the village. Plumpick is finally able to render the bomb useless, whereupon the grateful inmates decide to stage a three-year celebration. When Plumpick tries to leave, he is kidnapped by the loonies at the behest of beautiful inmate Coquelicot (Geneviève Bujold), who has fallen in love with him. Bound and gagged, Plumpick watches helplessly as the Germans and the British troops kill each other off in comic-opera fashion. Finally set free, Plumpick weighs the horrible insanity of war against the more benign brand of lunacy represented by the inmates. The final image -- of a nude Plumpick carrying a birdcage, knocking on the doors of the asylum, and demanding that he be "accepted" -- was reproduced for the print ads of King of Hearts, effectively giving away the ending. An essential "date" film of the 1970s, King of Hearts was often released to campus movie houses in tandem with a pair of cult-favorite short subjects, the animated Bambi Meets Godzilla and Lenny Bruce's Thank You Masked Man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
A gentle, whimsical anti-war fable, King of Hearts was wildly embraced as a cult favorite in the 1970s. Even at the time, however, there were detractors who felt that the charms of the film were a bit too "soft" to compensate for its flaws. There's certainly validity to this argument, for Hearts definitely has its share of flaws. For one thing, nothing very much happens after the main predicament is established; one witnesses the former members of the asylum reconnecting with their past lives (real or imagined), without a great deal of variation. In addition, the "who is sane and who is mad" argument is a trifle precious, especially when the asylum residents are presented as exhibiting a very bowdlerized version of madness. However, most viewers are very willing to overlook these deficits, and it can easily be argued that these are not so much flaws as characteristics that add to the film's unique feel and sense of enchantment. Certainly, viewers who like Hearts like it a lot, which speaks volumes about its ability to impress, engage, and enthrall. Those who like the film will appreciate Philippe de Broca's delicate direction; those who are not taken with the film will find the direction slow. But almost all should agree that the cast is quite good, especially Alan Bates in what is essentially a straight-man role. Bates makes the character much more than an amused, bemused, or confused observer, bringing just the right amount of weight to the part without going overboard. Geneviève Bujold has never been more attractive or appealing, and the supporting cast as a whole plays their roles with just the right tone. If a viewer is able to enter into King of Hearts' particular world view, he will most likely feel as if he has made a new and very dear friend. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Michel Serrault - Hairdresser; Françoise Christophe - The Duchess; Jacques Balutin - Mac Fish; Pier Paolo Capponi; Adolfo Celi - Col. Alexander MacBibenbrook; Daniel Boulanger - Col. Helmut Von Krack; Marc Dudicourt - Lt. Hamburger; Palau - Alberic
