King of Hearts

I first heard about Philippe de Broca's 1966 French film King of Hearts while in a film studies class at Temple University in the mid 70's. It was released in the US in 1967 and the distribution to repertory theaters began in 1973 where it eventually attained cult film status. 

We talked about this film in class and then went down to the TLA Cinema to see it in 1974. I saw it again a couple of more times at that theater in the late 1970's and then at least one more time much later. I saw that it is available to view on our Criterion Films streaming service and we should watch it again. It's been a while.

This film was a fascinating comedy drama antiwar story set near the end of World War I and takes place in a small French town at an insane asylum where a British soldier is hiding from a group of German soldiers. Alan Bates was amazing in this movie and the cast is highly entertaining as is the story itself.

We saw a lot of movies down on South Street at the TLA Cinema during the 1970's and I wrote about that theater and the neighborhood here.