King of Hearts (VHS, 1990, Widescreen)

One of the first films to explore the insanity of war, this 1967 French farce drew a literal connection between the clinically insane and the hawkish mentality of war. The message of director Phillipe de Broca's masterpiece resonated with its Vietnam-era audience and was proclaimed one of the most powerful political statements of the sixties art house scene. KING OF HEARTS takes place at the end of World War I in the French village of Marville. Discovering that a German explosive has been set within its environs, British troops send one of their own, Private Charles Plumpick (Alan Bates), on a reconnaissance mission into the town. There he discovers that the only remaining inhabitants are the patients in a mental hospital who promptly dub Plumpick their lost king. As he tries to lead them out of danger, they take over the town in an exuberant celebration. Despite its strong antiwar stance, KING OF HEARTS is a sweetly comedic work. This is primarily evident in the innocent romance between the bewildered Plumpick and the tender mental patient Coquelicot, played by a radiantly youthful Genevieve Bujold.