King & Country

Infobox Film
name = King and Country
director = Joseph Losey
producer = Joseph Losey
Norman Priggen
writer = Evan Jones (screenplay)
based on a play by John Wilson and a novel by James Lansdale Hodson
music = Larry Adler
cinematography = Denys Coop
starring = Dirk Bogarde
Tom Courtenay
Leo McKern
Barry Foster
distributor = Warner-Pathé
released = September, 1964, Venice Film Festival
runtime = 88 min.
country = UK
language = English
imdb_id = 0058263
awards = Venice Film Festival Best Actor, Tom Courtenay|

"King and Country" is a 1964 British film, directed by American-born director Joseph Losey, shot in black and white, and starring Dirk Bogarde and Tom Courtenay. The film was adapted for the screen by American screenwriter Evan Jones based on a play by John Wilson and a novel by James Lansdale Hodson.

ynopsis

During World War I, in the British trenches at Passchendaele, an army private, Arthur Hamp (Tom Courtenay), is accused of desertion. He is to be defended at his trial by Capt. Hargreaves (Dirk Bogarde), an upper-class officer. Hamp had been a volunteer at the outbreak of the war, and was the sole survivor of his company, but then decided to 'go for a walk': he had contemplated walking to his home in London, but after more than 24 hours on the road, he's picked up by the Military Police and sent back to his unit to face court-martial for desertion.Hargreaves is initially arrognat towards the simple-minded Hamp but comes to identify with his plight. With testimony from a doctor (Leo McKern), the soldier must be made an example of in front of the other soldiers. He is found guilty and is shot by a firing squad, but as he is still alive afterwards, he is then shot through the mouth. The action is confined to the mud-entrenched, rat-infested confines of the trenches and barracks. The film shows a grim picture of life in the trenches during the war.

Awards

Tom Courtenay received the award for the Best Actor for his role as Hamp at the 1964 Venice Film Festival, where the film was also nominated for the Golden Lion. The film was nominated for four 1965 BAFTA awards, including Best Film.