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King Of Hearts

King Of Hearts

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $11.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A beautiful jewel for the soul's delight
Review: A cult classic that holds universal appeal. Chic or staid, conservative or liberal, you will be enchanted by this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A beautiful jewel for the soul's delight
Review: A cult classic that holds universal appeal. Chic or staid, conservative or liberal, you will be enchanted by this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Enchanting fantasy; topical allegory; classic movie
Review: A fairy tale set in a French town caught between the opposing armies of the First World War, "King of Hearts" has lost none of its beguiling charm in the 35 years since its original release, nor has its message grown stale. Alan Bates shines as Charles Plumpick, a simple private in a Scottish regiment and perhaps the only sane man in the abandoned town. But is his world of war and brutality really any saner than the make-believe world conjured up by the escaped inmates of the town lunatic asylum, the only residents Private Plumpick encounters during his reconaissance? It is a point of view that depends entirely on one's perspective. This whimsical, gentle tale challenges the watcher to reexamine what constitutes true madness, just as the asylum characters force Pvt. Plumpick, having been to his initial discomfort acclaimed as the King of Hearts, to choose which role he prefers: king of the fools or fool for King George V? Broca directs his own screenplay with a deft touch and using a stellar cast of mostly French actors. A very young Genevieve Bujold makes one of her earliest appearances in a major picture. The English subtitles aren't the best I've seen (and unlike the VHS version, are distractingly present even during English dialogue), but far better than the awful English-dubbed version of "King of Hearts" that is sometimes broadcast or sold. (The best subtitles I have ever seen were on a print that circulated around theatres during the 1970s and 1980s, but I've never seen this version used for home video.) The score by Georges Delerue is one of his best.

Quelle Surprise! This DVD version has, without fanfare, at least two entirely new scenes in the film that I have never seen before (and I first saw this in 1977). The first is a lengthier "homily" by Monseigneur Marguerite (aka Bishop Daisy) in the church before Charles' coronation. But the real grabber is an added scene at the very end of the movie that offers a parting glance at the primary players and a final bittersweet twist. Where on earth did this footage come from, and why has it been missing from this film for so long? Does this DVD version offer a "better" ending than the familiar one? It's debateable. But it's certainly intriguing.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An English version would make this a 5 star review
Review: A humorous and touching commentary on war. One of Alan Bates' best ever movies. I would rate it at 5 stars if I didn't have to read subtitles, but still worth the effort at that.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: best movie ever
Review: Anyone who went to Syracuse University in the late sixties or seventies knows that this was the most popular movie on campus year after year. I have watched it 17 times. It is an anti-war love story/comedy that generates a very warm feeling within its fans. However, people seldom recognize how important the music is in setting the mood changes from somber soldier scenes to carefree asylum-inmate scenes. The version with dubbed-in English is sometimes a bit difficult to understand, but the tidbits of wisdom in the words of the inmates are priceless. I have a copy I made from television years ago. I saw the English sub-titled version once and thought it made for a plain, ordinary movie because the magic of the inmates words was gone. Amazon.com should make it available in the English-dubbed version--if they do, I will buy it immediately.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: learning by fools
Review: Each year I Invite friends in a cinema to look a good film (like Clear Slate - Tavernier, May fools - Malle, One, Two Three - Wilder, Sunrise - Murnau). But the one film I'm looking for since years and I would like to present,is "King of Hearts": the old dream against psychiatry. That the fools have something, what has been lost in us; that they are more innocent, more wise and more creative than us domesticated people. Not able to lie, they show all our courtesies as fishy compromises. I would get this film with german undertitles. Where?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WOO!! GOT TO LOVE THIS ONE!
Review: FOUR YEARS AGO, I SAW THIS MOVIE ON TV. I DIDNT KNOW WHAT IT WAS CALLED, BUT SINCE THEN IT HAS BEEN MY FAVORITE MOVIE. WHEN I WAS LOOKING AROUND IN HERE TODAY, I READ THIS DESCRIPTION. THIS IS THE GREATEST MOVIE. IVE ONLY SEEN IT ONCE, AND THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO, BUT I STILL REMEMBER IT ALL. U MUST SEE THIS IF YOU HAVENT YET. YOU MUST SEE THIS IF YOU HAVE.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: LONG LIVE THE KING !!!
Review: I first saw this movie seven years ago when I was eight, I have loved it ever since. Any one who belives being a bit crazy is good must see this. When I was little i thought it was wonderful because it was as though they were simply playing. to be allowed to run around in costume and act however you want is a gift not given to all. Once you grow old you are not to act in that manner. To be crazy is a freedom. When my friends tell me I'm crazy or diffrent I thank them. everyone must be diffrent in their own way. Once I show this movie to my friends they understand. It is wonderful.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Must See This One
Review: I have been looking for this classic for years now. It is as pertinent today as it was in the 60's. See you in the nut house.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Beautiful transfer
Review: I remember the movie from when I was in college and it has always been one of my favorites. Look at the trailer if you want to see what it looked on the movie screen, very nice transfer to DVD. Too bad the only 'extra' is the trailer.


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