Le roi de coeur (1966)

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

Trivia:

Cited by lyrics author and poet Horacio Ferrer as a direct influence in his masterpiece "Balada para un loco", co-written with the great musician Astor Piazzolla.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Plumpick is trapped in the wires and hits his head, he is tangled. When he wakes up, he is free of the wires, the posture of his body has changed, and his location in the street has changed.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Dead End (1985)

They don't make them like this anymore

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.