Esse Mundo É dos Loucos

A timeless and exquisite treatment of profound and compelling issues, this 1966 International collaboration, was one of the few films ever to give tasteful testimony to being truly sane, or maybe I should say being truly (in)sane in a cruel and berserk world. If you liked Life Is Beautiful, E.T., Star Wars, The Great Dictator, Gandhi, Henry V, Blazing Saddles, or Rain Man... you will probably love this movie. It remains for me among the top three or four, of all movies I have ever seen.

One of the biggest cult films of the 60s and 70s* is now back for a brief theatrical run on it's way to Blu Ray and Streaming courtesy of a new 4K Restoration by the Cohen Media Group to commemorate its 50th Anniversary. The restoration looks fine, if not extraordinary (it may look better on Blu-Ray since most theaters will be showing it via 2K DCP).

Reviewing the film for the first time is a bit tricky in light of its formidable cult history. At the time, it's success was often chalked up to as a counter-culture commentary on the insanity of the Vietnam War. By the 80s and 90s, KING got tabbed as 'of its time' and 'dated' (a term I despise).

In 2018? With distance, one can look at it as the timeless fable it always was at its core. A British soldier Plumpick (Alan Bates) is sent to a small German occupied village in WWI on a spy mission. Unbeknownst to the Allied forces, the village has already been evacuated and the Germans have also left (leaving a nasty surprise behind). In a bizarre turn of events, the village's only inhabitants are the patients at an insane asylum. The patients soon dub Plumpick their de facto ruler - 'The King of Hearts'. Not content with just a 'King', the patients dress up and become characters of their own - everything from Dukes and Duchesses, to Prostitutes and Madams. A particularly winsome lass, Coquelicot (Genevieve Bujold) is presented as a possible Queen to the 'King'.

There is much frivolity and preciousness on hand, much of it entertaining, and much of it cloying (and all of it will be found offensive to many people offended at its portrayal of the mentally ill). De Broca's direction and the script by Daniel Boulanger and Maurice Bessy moves in fits and starts. How enjoyable one finds it will depend on one's tolerance for such whimsy. The performances are energetic and its no wonder Bujold (in her yellow tutu) soon became an international name.

The film's message that the insanity of war would be no different with the actual 'insane' in charge (if not better off!) is facile, of course, but, one can see how it would have had resonance during a time of war, protest, assassinations and such. It's like Renoir's RULES OF THE GAME as played by mad fools. But, rather than just saying it's 'dated' and 'of its time' (just as facile, in my book), its better to just look at KING OF HEARTS as fairy-tale for all times. * After not doing much business in its initial run, KING OF HEARTS had a legendary 4 to 5 year run (depending on the source) at the now defunct Central Square Cinemas in Boston. During that period it spread to midnight shows, college campuses and revival houses across the country. It remained in regular revival house distribution into the 80s.

My mother had seen King of Hearts years ago, when she was in college. When I was about seven or eight (a few years ago, she rented the movie. Most of the movie is in French and it had subtitles, so even though I could just barely understand what was being said, I had a wonderful understanding of what was going on. It's the type of movie where what's on screen is enough to let a person get a gist of the scene. When I first saw the movie, I remembered how lovely the music was, how I grew to love the "crazy" people from the asylum, and how beautiful the movie was. When my mom bought the movie, we watched it constantly. I still watch it at least once a month. It's one of my favorite movies. I really do love the music. For me, it simulates fun insanity. I love every single aspect of King of Hearts. If you ever have a chance to see it, then go! Go see King of Hearts!

As I was reading through the comments here for "King of Hearts" I noticed two different schools of thought on the film. Many, like myself, have fond memories of seeing this film in the 60s and 70s and were delighted by it. The other comments come from younger viewers who see this film as being "dated" and not that funny, yet worthwhile viewing. At first I was a little miffed at this generations comments about a gem of my generation, until it dawned on me that they were somewhat correct. The film is a bit dated because they just do not make films like this anymore. It was never meant to be knee slapping funny. The humor was a non-intrusive "gentle" humor that seems to be a foreign concept in this day and age. Another reason many younger viewers do not "get" this film is because one of the themes here is non-conformity. This was a crucial concern of those growing up in the 60s. We wanted our individuality to show and not be just a number. Society has did a 180 since then. Today people are more concerned with fitting in than standing out. So yes, this film possibly is a bit dated. It is a bit of movie magic from a far simpler time and I have a feeling that there are a lot of people under 30 who would not see this as dated at all. King of Hearts is one of a small handful of films that celebrates the simple magic of being alive. Come and experience it.

I saw King of Hearts on its original release when I was 15. For 35 years it has remained one of my favourite movies; perhaps the number one. Nothing in particular about the film so qualifies it. I like quite a number of "better" films, but KOH touched me in a way that stuck. It is an authentic movie; the reality is as simple as the english speaking english, the french french, and the germans german. The crazy people are sane, the sane people crazy. It is funny and tragic and perhaps a little too quirky but ... if you haven't tried it on you should.