''King of Hearts'' (original French title: ''Le Roi de cœur'') is a 1966 French/Italian international co-production

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

directed by

Philippe de Broca Philippe de Broca (; 15 March 1933 – 26 November 2004) was a French movie director. He directed 30 full-length feature films, including the highly successful ''That Man from Rio, That Man from Rio (''L'Homme de Rio'')'', ''Le Magnifique, The M ...

and starring

Alan Bates Sir Alan Arthur Bates (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor who came to prominence in the 1960s, when he appeared in films ranging from the popular children's story '' Whistle Down the Wind'' to the " kitchen sink" dram ...

and Geneviève Bujold. The film is set in a small town in France near the end of World War I. As the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

retreats, they

booby trap A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or another animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap m ...

the whole town to explode. The locals flee and, left to their own devices, a gaggle of cheerful lunatics escape the asylum and take over the town — thoroughly confusing the lone Scottish soldier who has been dispatched to defuse the bomb. Though the film is set during WWI the main message against war which the film pushes is intended to be about the Vietnam war which France had already been involved in for over a decade at this point. The connection between the "war to end all wars" and the then current conflict would have been obvious to French moviegoers at the time. Likewise its status as a

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

is largely because of its connection to the anti-war movement in the 1960s.

Plot

Signaller Charles Plumpick (Bates) is a kilt-wearing French-born Scottish soldier caring for

war pigeon Homing pigeons have long played an important role in war. Due to their homing ability, speed, and altitude, they were often used as military messengers. Carrier pigeons of the Racing Homer breed were used to carry messages in World War I and Wor ...

s, who is sent by his commanding officer to disarm a bomb placed in the town square by the retreating Germans. After the townspeople learn about the booby trap, its inhabitants—including those who run the insane asylum—abandon it. The asylum gates are left open, and the inmates leave the asylum and take on the roles of the townspeople. Plumpick has no reason to think they are not who they appear to be—other than the colorful and playful way in which they're living their lives, so at odds with the fearful and war-ravaged times. The lunatics crown Plumpick the King of Hearts with surreal pageantry as he frantically tries to find the bomb before it goes off.

Theatrical releases

When it was released in France in 1966, ''King of Hearts'' was not especially successful critically or at the box office, with only 141,035 admissions. However, it achieved bona fide cult-film status, when United States distribution rights were picked up by Randy Finley and Specialty Films in Seattle in 1973. It was paired with Marv Newland's ''

Bambi Meets Godzilla ''Bambi Meets Godzilla'' is a 1969 black-and-white animated short student film created entirely by Marv Newland. Less than two minutes long, the film is a classic of animation; it was listed #38 in the book ''The 50 Greatest Cartoons'' (1994). ...

'' and John Magnuson's ''

Thank You Mask Man ''Thank You Mask Man'' is an animated short film based upon a comedy routine by Lenny Bruce involving The Lone Ranger and Tonto. The film was produced by John Magnuson, and directed by Jeff Hale (director), Jeff Hale. Plot After years of saving a ...

'' and marketed under the heading ''The King of Hearts and His Loyal Short Subjects''. During the mid 1970s, it was presented in repertory movie theaters as well as non-theatrical college and university film series across the United States, eventually running for five years at the now defunct film house, the Central Square Cinemas (2 screens) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Main cast

* Jacques Balutin as Le Sergent Mac Fish *

as Le Soldat Charles Plumpick *

Daniel Boulanger Daniel Boulanger (24 January 1922 – 27 October 2014) was a French novelist, playwright, poet and screenwriter. He has also played secondary roles in films and was a member of the Académie Goncourt from 1983 until his death. He was born in Compi� ...

as Le Colonel Von Krack * Pierre Brasseur as Le Général Géranium *

Jean-Claude Brialy Jean-Claude Brialy (30 March 1933 – 30 May 2007) was a French actor and film director. Early life Brialy was born in Aumale (now Sour El-Ghozlane), French Algeria, where his father was stationed with the French Army. Brialy moved to mainland ...

as Le Duc de Trèfle * Geneviève Bujold as Coquelicot * Pier Paolo Capponi as Un Officier Anglais * Adolfo Celi as Le Colonel Mac Bibenbrook *

Françoise Christophe Françoise Christophe (1923–2012) was a French film actor, film and television actress.Goble p.201 Partial filmography * ''Premier rendez-vous'' (1941) - Une pensionnaire de l'orphelinat (uncredited) * ''Mariage d'amour'' (1942) - La secrétai ...

as La Duchesse * Daniel Prévost as Le Général Vallemat * as Brunehaut *

Marc Dudicourt Marc Dudicourt (6 May 1932 – 1 May 2021) was a French actor. Biography Son of an industrial designer, he came to live in Paris with his family when he was eleven years old. Passionate about Walt Disney and cartooning, he decided to become a ...

as Lieutenant Hamburger * Julien Guiomar as Monseigneur Marguerite * Palau as Alberic * Micheline Presle as Madame Eglantine * Michel Serrault as Monsieur Marcel

Uncredited

as Adolf Hitler

Stage adaptation

In 1978, ''King of Hearts'' was adapted as a Broadway musical of the same name, with a book by Joseph Stein, lyrics by

Jacob Brackman Jacob Brackman (born 1943) is an American writer, journalist, and musical lyricist. After graduating from Harvard University in 1965, he went to work for ''Newsweek'' as a journalist. He remained there for six months and was then hired by ''The ...

, music by

Peter Link Peter Link is an American composer, lyricist, music producer, stage director, and presently CEO/Creative Director of Watchfire Music, an on-line Inspirational record company and music store. During his career, which spans over 40 years, he has ...

, orchestrations by Bill Brohn, set design by Santo Loquasto, and direction and choreography by

Ron Field Ron Field (October 18, 1933 – February 6, 1989) was an American choreographer, dancer, and director. Life and career Field was born in New York City, New York where he made his Broadway debut as a child in ''Lady in the Dark'' (1941) with Ge ...

. The cast featured Don Scardino as the lead character, who was reworked as an American soldier named Johnny Perkins. Pamela Blair, Bob Gunton, and Millicent Martin played supporting roles. Opening at New York City's Minskoff Theatre on October 22, amid the three-month

1978 New York City newspaper strike The 1978 New York City newspaper strike ran from August 10 to November 5, 1978, a total of 88 days. It affected the New York City newspaper industry shutting down all three of the city's three major newspapers: ''The New York Times'', ''New York ...

that may have impeded its advance publicity, the show closed after 48 performances.Kelly, Kevin. "A broken 'Hearts': Director looks at what went wrong." ''The Boston Globe, December 24, 1978.
/ref>

References

External links

* * * {{Philippe de Broca 1966 films 1960s war comedy-drama films Anti-war films about World War I Western Front (World War I) films Films scored by Georges Delerue Films directed by Philippe de Broca Films set in France Films set in psychiatric hospitals Films shot in France French war comedy-drama films 1960s French-language films 1966 drama films 1960s French films