King & Country (1964)

movie

(2486)

Country: UK
Genres: Drama, War
Release: 1965-11-30
Director: Joseph Losey
Writers: Evan Jones , John Wilson , J.L. Hodson
Language: English
Stars: Dirk Bogarde , Tom Courtenay , Leo McKern (1920–2002) , Barry Foster , Peter Copley , James Villiers , Jeremy Spenser , Barry Justice , Vivian Matalon , Keith Buckley
Runtime: 86 min
Awards: Nominated for 4 BAFTA 2 wins & 7 nominations total
AKA: Pelo Rei e pela Pátria (Brazil) , For konge og fædreland (Denmark) , Za króla i ojczyznę (Poland) , Kuningas ja isänmaa (Finland) , Konge & fedreland (Norway) , King & Country (United States of America) , King & Country , Stavroi sta harakomata (Greece) , Hamp (United Kingdom) , A királyért és a hazáért (Hungary) , За короля и отечество , 銃殺 (Japan) , Rege şi Patrie (Romania) , För kung och fosterland (Sweden) , The Glory Hole (United Kingdom) , Por la patria (Argentina) , Für König und Vaterland , O Rei e o Cidadão (Brazil) , Pentru ţară şi rege (Romania) , King & Country (United Kingdom) , Za Kralja i otadzbinu , King and Country , För kung och fosterland (Finland) , King & Country (Portugal, Portuguese Republic) , Per il re e per la patria (Italy) , King & Country (Canada) , O Rei, o Cidadão (Brazil) , Pour l'exemple (France, French Republic) , Rey y patria (Spain)
Plot: During World War I, the British troops are entrenched at Passchendaele, Belgium. Amongst the volunteers, there is a young British soldier, Private Arthur James Hamp (Sir Tom Courtenay), who is the sole survivor of his original company. Hamp spent three years in the trenches, and this makes him a veteran. He has never been accused of cowardice, but one day, he simply decides to leave the war behind him and walk all the way home to Britain. In Calais, France, he is challenged by a Military Police patrol, who promptly arrests him for leaving without permission. Hamp's commanding officers decide to convene a court-martial and charge him with desertion. If found guilty, Hamp could be shot by a firing squad. Captain Hargreaves (Sir Dirk Bogarde) is assigned to be Hamp's defending attorney, but he seems skeptical about the deserter's chances of acquittal. During their first talk, Captain Hargreaves is impressed by his client's utter sincerity and naivete. He learns that his client volunteered on a dare by his friends back home, spent three years in the front-line trenches, remained sole survivor of his company, and that he decided to leave the war and return home. When Hargreaves asks Hamp why he decided to leave the war, Hamp simply says that he got tired of watching his comrades die, and that the noises of war made him sick. On top of that, Hamp argued he received news from home about his wife's unfaithfulness. All of these reasons made him want to leave the war behind and return home to England. Captain Hargreaves remains unsympathetic. The military doctor's report indicated that deserter Hamp does not suffer from shell-shock and Captain Hargreaves accepts that fact. However, suspecting that his client's case is a more complex and peculiar case, Captain Hargreaves believes that Hamp is not responsible for his actions. He prepares the best he can for the upcoming court-martial.
IMDB:tt0058263