Le roi de coeur (1966)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Philippe de Broca

Writers:

Daniel Boulanger (scenario and dialogue)
Maurice Bessy (idea)

Release Date:

19 June 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy | War

Tagline:

De Broca's Crowning Touch!

Plot:

During the latter part of World War I, Private Charles Plumpick is chosen to go into the French town...

Plot Keywords:

French | WWI | Mental Hospital | Anti War | Lunatic

Cast

Pierre Brasseur	...	Gen. Geranium
Jean-Claude Brialy	...	The Duke
Geneviève Bujold	...	Coquelicot
Adolfo Celi	...	Col. Alexander MacBibenbrook
Françoise Christophe	...	The Duchess
Julien Guiomar	...	Bishop Daisy (Monseigneur Marguerite)
Micheline Presle	...	Madame Eglantine
Michel Serrault	...	Marcel
Alan Bates	...	Pvt. Charles Plumpick
Jacques Balutin	...	Mac Fish
Palau	...	Alberic
Pier Paolo Capponi		(as Paolo Capponi)
Madeleine Clervanne	...	Brunehaut
Marc Dudicourt	...	Lt. Hamburger
Jean Richard

Also Known As:

King of Hearts (USA)
Tutti pazzi meno io (Italy)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French | English | German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:Unrated | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Senlis, Oise, France

Company:

Fildebroc

Goofs:

Continuity: The stairs/ladder Plumpick uses to climb to the top of the blockhouse appear out of nowhere.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Dead End (1985)

A Foreign Film Classic

It's World War I, and a Scottish Private named Plumpick (Alan Bates) is ordered to infiltrate a French village and stop a bomb that the Germans have planted from going off. Upon arriving, Plumpick discovers the entire village deserted, except for the patients of the local insane asylum, who have been left behind. The patients soon escape the asylum, play dress-up with the various clothes they find lying around the village, and take it over. Not only this, but they crown Plumpick their king! With the German army still in the vicinity nearby, Plumpick must find the bomb, diffuse it, and save his "subjects" from certain death....

An all-time foreign film classic, "Le Roi De Coeur," aka "King Of Hearts," is a marvelous movie, full of sweetness, charm, and both clever comedy & fine drama that also comments very well on the stupidity of war. Alan Bates, who sadly passed away recently, is simply wonderful as Private Plumpick, as is the lovely Genevieve Bujold as the young patient named Poppy that Plumpick falls for, and Adolfo Celi is quite funny as Plumpick's stuffy superior officer. The rest of the film's big ensemble cast, whether playing the asylum patients or various soldiers, are all excellent, too.

The only thing that stops "King Of Hearts" from being perfect is that it *could* very well be argued that the insane asylum patients in this movie aren't...well, *insane* enough. They may speak strangely to one another or to Private Plumpick, but, for the most part, they act & behave quite coherently. But other than that, "King Of Hearts" is a very charming foreign film, and one of the very best films of the late, great Alan Bates. Definitely seek this one out.