It's 1918 in the last days of the war and the Germans are in full retreat. The British are advancing on Marville, France but the Germans have boobytrapped the town and the bridge. Topographer Private Charles Plumpick (Alan Bates) is volunteered into an impossible mission to infiltrate the town and disarm the explosives. He is chased by the Germans into an asylum where the inmates believe him to be the King of Hearts. Coquelicot (Geneviève Bujold) takes him as her fiancee. He tries to lead them out of the town but they are unwilling to follow.
This is a dark war satire. I don't really understand why the Germans would abandon the town. The three British soldiers are too silly. It's a balancing act and the movie has to figure out the level at which it operates. Once Hitler is introduced, he has to be the villain. He can't be a side character or end up as a cameo. It would be great to have Hitler be the German soldier staying behind to set off the explosives. The fact of losing the town to crazy people could set him off on his historical path. As for Alan Bates, he's a fine veteran actor but the role is begging for a younger, more inexperienced kid. He's in his 30s and the private should be an innocent teenager. The final shootout is stupid although I get the point. I wonder if Hitler could elevate this.
This is a dark war satire. I don't really understand why the Germans would abandon the town. The three British soldiers are too silly. It's a balancing act and the movie has to figure out the level at which it operates. Once Hitler is introduced, he has to be the villain. He can't be a side character or end up as a cameo. It would be great to have Hitler be the German soldier staying behind to set off the explosives. The fact of losing the town to crazy people could set him off on his historical path. As for Alan Bates, he's a fine veteran actor but the role is begging for a younger, more inexperienced kid. He's in his 30s and the private should be an innocent teenager. The final shootout is stupid although I get the point. I wonder if Hitler could elevate this.