King and Country (Blu-ray Review)
Director
Joseph LoseyRelease Date(s)
1964 (October 21, 2025)Studio(s)
BHE Films / Landau/Unger (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: A-
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B
Review
Anti-war movies often are heavy-handed and preachy. Though the overarching message is the same—war is horrible—filmmakers have approached it from varying perspectives. King and Country, a British film based on actual events poses a moral dilemma. A private in the British army during World War I is caught walking away from a German battlefield and charged with desertion. Is he guilty, was he shell-shocked, and in any case should the penalty be swift execution by firing squad?
After serving three years voluntarily during the war, 23-year-old Pvt. Arthur Hamp (Tom Courtenay), a bootmaker in civilian life, is in despair over the death of all the other men in his unit following a disastrous advance on the battlefield. British officers capture him walking away and he’s charged with desertion. Capt. Charles Hargreaves (Dirk Bogarde), an upper-class lawyer assigned to defend Hamp, is initially contemptuous of him. He has no sympathy for deserters and feels the young man’s execution is inevitable, however strong his defense.
Hamp simply tries to tell Hargreaves what he was thinking at the time. He was trying, he says, to walk home, away from the explosions and gunfire and the screams of the wounded and dying, away from the mangled bodies and the blood. As the two men prepare for the court-martial, Hargreaves sees an innocence in Hamp and recognizes how emotionally damaged he is by war. He’s not a coward but a traumatized victim of shell shock.
Despite his best efforts, Hargreaves is unable to convince the judges that Hamp wasn’t responsible for his actions. Arguing indignantly against Hamp is the unit’s loud, officious doctor, Capt. O’Sullivan (Leo McKern). In his opinion, Hamp wasn’t suffering from shell shock and deserves the death penalty. The doctor seems self-defensively irate that his judgment should be questioned.
Courtenay turns in a touching performance as Hamp. His face, resonating boyish innocence, has a look of surprise and he seems more an observer at his trial than a participant. His sensitivity is expressed in how he talks about his upbringing and the event that led to his current plight. As he talks to his lawyer, we see an honesty that belies the charges brought against him.
Bogarde, when we first see his Hargreaves, is arrogant and supercilious. He speaks with authority in a curt manner, partly due to his class and rank. To him, Hamp isn’t worth his energy. He’s a cowardly deserter. But as Hamp speaks, we see Bogarde’s dismissiveness change to empathy and eventually to compassion. These changes in his attitude are registered mostly through facial expression and more relaxed body language. Bogarde’s eyes are especially revealing, with close-ups shown as Hamp talks about his childhood and private life.
McKern literally bellows as the unit physician. With a combination of impatience, indignity, and superciliousness appearing to mask considerable self-defensiveness, he lambasts Hamp as a coward who failed to do his duty. He practically shouts his annoyance at having been called to testify at the court-martial, feeling the outcome shouldn’t even be open to question. McKern’s big scene is memorable.
King and Country was adapted from a novel and a later play. Director Joseph Losey attempts to open the film up with the constant rain, muddy trenches, rampant rats, and the booming of heavy artillery in the distance. The tone of the film is grim, with little humor to balance the battlefield conditions. The terrible weather and the tents in which the men live give the film a claustrophobic feel. Life for soldiers is dreary and dull when they’re not in battle. They do their best to amuse themselves during the long hours until they’re called up.
The film’s straightforward manner and lack of battle scenes focus the drama on Hamp, who represents many who share his affliction. An underlying theme is about masculinity and bravery. Men are the stronger gender and should be able to rise above fear, gunfire, and even death. We feel sorry for Hamp when we get to know him. Hamp has little chance of escaping execution despite Hargreaves’ intelligent defense. King and Country was one of the first films to deal with what would come to be called post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It’s a strong indictment of failure to recognize how men in war can be shattered emotionally by their experiences.
King and Country was shot by director of photography Denys N. Coop on 35mm black & white film with spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.66:1. The Blu-ray presentation is sourced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative by the British Film Institute. Clarity is sharp and well detailed, especially in the muddy, rain-soaked trenches, insignia on Hargreaves uniform, fabric fibers of Hamp’s jacket, and the makeshift jail where Hamp is imprisoned. Blacks are deep and rich and never lose detail. There are no visible imperfections.
The soundtrack is English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio. English SDH subtitles are an available option. In this dialogue-heavy drama, voices are clear and distinct. Ongoing cannon fire is heard in the distance throughout the film. Relentless rain and boots sloshing through mud establish a somber mood. Soldiers joke and throw rocks at trapped rats to pass the time. Gunfire dominates a crucial scene. The simple, haunting score by Larry Adler features plaintive harmonica melodies.
Bonus materials on the Region A Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber Studio Classics include the following:
- Audio Commentary with Simon Abrams
- Interview with Tom Courtenay (11:15)
- Archival Interview with Dirk Bogarde (4:34)
- Trailer (2:49)
- Paths of Glory Trailer (3:03)
- Accident Trailer (3:12)
- Secret Ceremony Trailer (2:03)
- Aces High Trailer (4:12)
- The Cruel Sea Trailer (3:53)
Audio Commentary – Film critic and author Simon Abrams speaks at breakneck speed to include as much material as possible into his commentary, which is well researched but oversaturated with facts. He discusses the 1955 novel Return to the Wood by James Lansdale Hudson, the basis of King and Country. Often compared to Paths of Glory and All Quiet on the Western Front, King and Country was made on a far more modest budget. Cost of production was 86,000 pounds. Commentator Abrams talks about how the character of Hamp in the film differs from his portrayal in the novel. Hamp regards himself as unimportant, even insignificant. He feels the officers have more to be concerned about than him and doesn’t succumb to self-pity until he realizes he will be shot. Director Joseph Losey got his start in theater as a playwright, but his plays weren’t successful. His experiences in live theater, however, guided his work in film. He’s a master of depicting social conscience. King and Country—“a powerful drama of personal conflict”—is Losey’s most claustrophobic film. Hargreaves’ speech on Hamp’s behalf is melodramatic, reflecting repressed feelings that are being articulated for the first time. He senses his plea hasn’t gained empathy from the judges. Hargreaves sees a genuineness when Hamp says, “When I volunteered, we didn’t know the full implication of war.” A drunken game the soldiers engage in the night before Hamp’s execution is cruel. Abrams mentions Courtenay’s and Bogarde’s other films of note and reads excerpts of reviews of King and Country from several sources, including Time magazine, Variety, and The Guardian.
Interview with Tom Courtenay – Director Joseph Losey came to see Courtenay in a production at the Old Vic. A few years later, the two men collaborated on King and Country. With Dirk Bogarde on board, it was possible to raise the money. In Courtenay’s words, Losey thought he was “the bee’s knees.” Courtenay had just appeared in Operation Crossbow. He used a new type of tape recorder to learn his lines. Hamp’s speech is truthful, accurate, simple. Bogarde was very kind to Courtenay during production. Seeing the young actor playing football between takes, Bogarde cautioned that “you mustn’t use up your acting energy.” Losey deferred to Courtenay’s acting choices when he observed how effective they were. The more you know your lines, the more authentic they sound because they’re delivered with the actor’s personal rhythm. Courtenay concludes the interview by recalling that the film was easy to shoot. At the time, he was obsessed with getting on the stage. He found the long periods of waiting on film sets wearisome and unproductive.
Interview with Dirk Bogarde – In this black & white interview from 1964, the actor discusses how lives were destroyed by World War I. King and Country renewed interest in that war, which affected all of the United Kingdom. There was a tremendous feeling at the time to defend the country. It was the first war Britain had been in since the Boer War. Bogarde speaks highly of director Joseph Losey and notes that they’ve worked on a number of films together. King and Country was made in only eighteen days. The conditions of the shoot were uncomfortable, with pervasive rain, mud and dampness. Bogarde says he would like to produce one day but doesn’t feel he knows enough about acting to be an effective director.
King and Country deals with the collateral damage of war—the fighters who are expected to go home and resume their former lives as if memories of those terrible years should have no effect on their personalities, relationships, and futures. Though well acted, the film is quite talky with unrelieved dialogue-heavy scenes. The endless mud and rain, confined quarters, and lack of sunlight create an atmosphere of despair. Focusing on one young soldier, director Losey brings the human tragedy of war to the forefront.
- Dennis Seuling