King of Hearts

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King of Hearts

1966

1h 42m

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

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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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

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.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 7, 2018

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Charles Champlin

Los Angeles Times

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.

Mar 8, 2018

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

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.

May 6, 2003

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Its appeal is easy to understand, even if its themes and characters err on the superficial side.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 10, 2021

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Don Strachan

Los Angeles Free Press

It is dully photographed, rather tritely directed, obviously conceived, and encumbered with a leaden plot which it fails to fully exploit.

Feb 3, 2020

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Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

It's a delightful tale of rank stupidity and realising what is important in life.

Oct 31, 2018

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Ross H

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/21/25

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Audience Member

My all-time favorite movie--charming--and a brilliant anti-war movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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Audience Member

One of my favorites!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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s r

A cynical comedic look at war and sanity. I see its cult appeal.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

I enjoyed its allegoric dimension.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

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Audience Member

A classic anti-war film. Also, a comedy in many ways while effectively showing the absurdity of war.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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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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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

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