King of Hearts

This 1966 French-Italian co-production, directed by Philippe de Broca, unfolds in a small French town during the closing phase of World War I. Withdrawing German troops wire the entire town to blow up, prompting the inhabitants to flee; the good-humored patients of the local asylum then slip out and make the empty streets their own. Charles Plumpick, a Scottish soldier dispatched alone to neutralize the explosives, is baffled by this exuberant group, who decide to crown him as their king. The story plays the senselessness of warfare against the harmless fantasy world of the patients, giving the picture a blend of comedy and a gentle, storybook poetry. Alan Bates and Geneviève Bujold head the cast. The original French title is Le Roi de cœur.