Watch King Of Hearts Movie Online
Lundi, août 30th, 2010 |
Watch King Of Hearts Movie Online.
Movie Title: King Of Hearts King Of Hearts is available for streaming or downloading. |
A fairy tale set in a French town caught between the opposing armies of the First World War, “King of Hearts” has lost none of its beguiling charm in the 35 years since its original release, nor has its message grown stale. Alan Bates shines as Charles Plumpick, a simple private in a Scottish regiment and perhaps the only sane man in the abandoned town. But is his world of war and brutality really any saner than the make-believe world conjured up by the escaped inmates of the town lunatic asylum, the only residents Private Plumpick encounters during his reconaissance? It is a point of view that depends entirely on one’s perspective. This whimsical, gentle tale challenges the watcher to reexamine what constitutes true madness, just as the asylum characters force Pvt. Plumpick, having been to his initial discomfort acclaimed as the King of Hearts, to choose which role he prefers: king of the fools or fool for King George V? Broca directs his own screenplay with a deft touch and using a stellar cast of mostly French actors. A very young Genevieve Bujold makes one of her earliest appearances in a major picture. The English subtitles aren’t the best I’ve seen (and unlike the VHS version, are distractingly present even during English dialogue), but far better than the awful English-dubbed version of “King of Hearts” that is sometimes broadcast or sold. (The best subtitles I have ever seen were on a print that circulated around theatres during the 1970s and 1980s, but I’ve never seen this version used for home video.) The score by Georges Delerue is one of his best.
Quelle Surprise! This DVD version has, without fanfare, at least two entirely new scenes in the film that I have never seen before (and I first saw this in 1977). The first is a lengthier “homily” by Monseigneur Marguerite (aka Bishop Daisy) in the church before Charles’ coronation. But the real grabber is an added scene at the very end of the movie that offers a parting glance at the primary players and a final bittersweet twist. Where on earth did this footage come from, and why has it been missing from this film for so long? Does this DVD version offer a “better” ending than the familiar one? It’s debateable. But it’s certainly intriguing.
Near the end of the First World War, Charles Plumpick is dispatched to a French town that has been wired to explode by midnight. His mission is to defuse the explosives. Never mind that he is an expert at raising and training carrier pigeons. He dutifully sets out on his mission, and avoids capture by the Germans by escaping into an insane asylum.
By now, we’re all familiar with the idea that war is itself insane. We’ve all been exposed to the idea that insanity may be a higher form of sanity. What’s magical about this film is that it communicates these ideas with such charm and such finesse. I can’t imagine that anybody could avoid falling in love with the inmates as they take over the town once it’s abandoned.
Alan Bates is superb as the gentle yet dutiful Plumpick. A very young Genevieve Bujold is absolutely wonderful as the innocent Coquelicot. I rarely notice the music in a film, but in The King of Hearts it plays a pivotal role in establishing the mood, and accompanying the action. It is also fine music in its own right.
This could have been an earnest anti-war film heavy-handedly stating its moral (remember the movie made of Catch-22?). The direction, the music, and the performances of all the actors (Alan Bates and Genevieve Bujold are the only names that I recognize, but there isn’t a weak performance here), though, lift this far above that level and make it a masterpiece that has stood the test of time well.
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