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King of Hearts

Play trailer Poster for King of Hearts 1966 1h 42m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
This quirky comedic war film focuses on Scottish soldier Charles Plumpick (Alan Bates), who is sent to a French town on a mission to disarm a bomb left behind by the retreating German army. Plumpick discovers that the area is deserted except for the inmates of the local asylum. The mental patients playfully take over the town and pronounce the soldier their king. While Plumpick is intrigued by the antics of the former inmates, he must stay on task and find the bomb before it detonates.
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King of Hearts

Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw Guardian 06/07/2018
3/5
An engaging and contrived oddity - like a U-certificate Marat/Sade - exoticised by the spectacle of non-English-speaking actors dubbed in order to play Scottish soldiers. Go to Full Review Charles Champlin Los Angeles Times 03/08/2018
A surrealistic jewel of a comedy which you realize, when you can catch your breath between laughs, has made the case for the sanity of the lunatics and the madness of the war-waging sane. Go to Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 05/06/2003
It's the kind of comic allegory about war that depends on muddleheadedness in order to make much sense, but if you're feeling muddleheaded, you might find yourself charmed and enchanted by the conceit. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 08/10/2021
3/4
Its appeal is easy to understand, even if its themes and characters err on the superficial side. Go to Full Review Don Strachan Los Angeles Free Press 02/03/2020
It is dully photographed, rather tritely directed, obviously conceived, and encumbered with a leaden plot which it fails to fully exploit. Go to Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia 10/31/2018
It's a delightful tale of rank stupidity and realising what is important in life. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ross H @Jimicat 02/18/2025 To a college freshman, 1970 was a terrifying time with Vietnam, oppressive patriotism and society in general gone mad. Every Friday night my girlfriend and I would see this film at a small cinema in Cambridge, where it ran for years, and saw much of our world satirized. Afterwards we'd take what was left of the popcorn home to our micro apartment and act out some of the silliness. Somehow the world didn't seem so bad. I never told her what a crush I had on Genevieve Bujold. See more 07/05/2020 My all-time favorite movie--charming--and a brilliant anti-war movie. See more 03/28/2020 One of my favorites! See more s r @ScottR 10/07/2018 A cynical comedic look at war and sanity. I see its cult appeal. See more 08/05/2018 I enjoyed its allegoric dimension. See more 05/06/2018 A classic anti-war film. Also, a comedy in many ways while effectively showing the absurdity of war. See more Read all reviews
King of Hearts

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Cast & Crew

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Philippe de Broca

Director

Alan Bates

Le soldat Charles Plumpick alias le roi de coeur

Geneviève Bujold

Coquelicot

Pierre Brasseur

Le Général Géranium

Jean-Claude Brialy

Le Duc de Trèfle

Françoise Christophe

La Duchesse

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King of Hearts

King of Hearts (1966) King of Hearts (1966) King of Hearts (1966) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis This quirky comedic war film focuses on Scottish soldier Charles Plumpick (Alan Bates), who is sent to a French town on a mission to disarm a bomb left behind by the retreating German army. Plumpick discovers that the area is deserted except for the inmates of the local asylum. The mental patients playfully take over the town and pronounce the soldier their king. While Plumpick is intrigued by the antics of the former inmates, he must stay on task and find the bomb before it detonates.
Director
Philippe de Broca
Producer
Philippe de Broca, Jacques Juranville
Production Co
Les Productions Artistes Associés
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 12, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$17.6K
Runtime
1h 42m