Grim and effectively claustrophobic, a young soldier is accused of desertion from the Passchendaele trenches of World War I and faces a court martial for cowardice.
As Private Arthur James Hamp (Tom Courtenay) awaits the trial that will determine his immediate future, so Captain Hargreaves (Dirk Bogarde) is assigned to defend him. Initially believing a guilty verdict and execution would be forthcoming, Hargreaves unearths mitigating circumstances of a brave soldier worn down by the horrors of three unrelenting years in the trenches.
Adapted from the play by John Wilson, King and Country is a quiet, reflective drama highlighting the psychological impact of trench warfare. Filmed exclusively within the wet, mud laden battlefield in muted black and white by director Joseph Losey, the result is a powerful and thoughtful musing.
Rating: 66%
Director: Joseph Losey (The Servant, The Go-Between)
Writer: Evan Jones (Funeral in Berlin, Victory) – adapted from the television play by John Wilson
Main cast: Dirk Bogarde (The Servant, Death in Venice), Tom Courtenay (45 Years, The Dresser)
An Opinion or Two 