Samuel LoveAnother must-own title in StudioCanal’s Vintage Classics series, King and Country is a raw, sobering film that has lost none of its power to shock. The film is timeless in its portrayal of the brutality of all aspects of war, and the price paid by those who made any attempt to escape it and return home. StudioCanal’s new Blu-ray release is a revelation, bringing the film’s hauntingly stark black & white imagery to life like never before.
KING AND COUNTRY is a 1964 uncompromising WW1 drama, directed by Joseph Losey, featuring outstanding performances from Tom Courtenay (who won the 1964 Venice Film Festival Award for Best Actor) and Dirk Bogarde. During World War I, a young soldier, Hamp (Tom Courtenay) deserts his post, attempting to escape the ever-present sound of guns and walk back home. Captain Hargreaves (Dirk Bogarde) an aristocratic and British Army lawyer must defend Hamp before the army tribunal, for whom the crime of desertion carries a nasty stigma and the penalty of execution. Initially, Hargreaves approaches Hamp’s case with disdain; however, upon learning that Hamp volunteered for duty on a dare, that he is the sole survivor of his unit and that his wife has been unfaithful in his absence, his efforts on Hamp’s behalf become more impassioned and earnest.
Special Features
- Tom Courtenay on King and Country,
- Archive Interview with Dirk Bogarde (1964)
- Behind the Scenes stills gallery
