Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

King & Country Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 28, 2023

Joseph Losey's "King & Country" (1964) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include new program with Tom Courtenay; archival interview with Dirk Bogarde; and production stills. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region "locked".

During a time of war, if you want to win, you must follow the rules of war. Your feelings and emotions are meaningless. They can only make you vulnerable, which is exactly what your enemy wants you to be -- an easy target.

Joseph Losey’s King & Country is set during World War I and tells the story of Private Hamp (Tom Courtenay), who has been arrested and charged with desertion. Hamp is placed in an underground ‘cell’ somewhere in the trenches, where a motley crew of his fellow comrades are awaiting orders. It is freezing cold, and the heavy rain only occasionally stops, so at least initially it looks like Hamp is getting a break.

Captain Hargreaves (Dirk Bogarde) is assigned to represent Hamp. Hargreaves does not doubt that Hamp is guilty as charged, what he wants to find out is why Hamp attempted to run away. If it can be established that Hamp was shellshocked, or even temporarily insane, then he could potentially avoid a death sentence. It is a long shot, but as far as Hargreaves is concerned, it is the only rational defense in a crystal-clear case like Hamp’s.

But shortly after Hamp begins explaining what was going through his mind when he was caught, Hargreaves begins to realize that he is just an exhausted, emotionally drained young man who has made a terrible mistake without grasping its consequences. Hargreaves then concludes that the real shock that must have reset Hamp’s mind most likely occurred when he was arrested.

The original material for King & Country came from a story by James Lansdale Hodson, which was also used by John Wilson for a popular theater production. However, given the many obvious similarities, it seems fair to speculate that Losey’s primary motivation was not his affection for the original material from Hodson’s story, but admiration for Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory, which was released several years earlier. Unfortunately, there is a sea of difference between King & Country and Paths of Glory.

Virtually all troubles in King & Country emerge from Losey’s inability to provide a rational excuse for the viewer to sympathize with Courtenay’s character. Indeed, excluding a casual revelation that Courtenay volunteered to join the army to prove relatives wrong, there isn’t anything else that helps to see him in a positive light. Predictably, a lot is done to manipulate the images of the people that will determine Courtenay’s fate, as well as the army’s code of conduct and ultimately the purpose of war. This is the only way in which the viewer can begin to see the traitor as a victim.

But Courtenay’s reshaping into a victim is very underwhelming. There are a couple of reasons for this. For example, after it is revealed that he is charged with desertion, no one produces a good counterargument, not even Courtenay. In a single moment, Courtenay felt an inexorable urge to return home, so he turned around and abandoned his comrades. Was he shell-shocked? Or was he a coward who tried to run away and got caught? Bogarde spends a lot of time attempting to get to the truth, but in the end, all he offers the viewer is the simple truth that Courtenay should have followed orders, regardless of how difficult or scary they might have been.

Also, the most crucial segment where Courtenay’s fate is determined is transformed into a piece of parody because of the utterly atrocious testimony of a pompous doctor with zero credibility. This segment looks exceptionally bad because it attempts to strengthen Courtenay’s image only by further degrading the doctor’s image, and because he is deemed a crucial witness, the images of the men that give him orders.

Instead of providing some food for thought, the final twenty minutes are impossible to take seriously by anyone who knows how real soldiers view deserters. (Consider this: After Courtenay’s sentence is delivered, his comrades sneak into his ‘cell’ and get drunk with him to boost his morale). During a time of war, soldiers become brothers, and they readily risk their lives to protect each other. If one of them commits an act of betrayal, either by walking away or joining the enemy, which is what desertion is, they do not think of him as a hero.

King & Country Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, King & Country arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The release introduces a very beautiful new 4K restoration of King & Country. Indeed, the quality of the visuals is so strong that I do not think that this film can look any better in 1080p. Delineation, clarity, and depth are either excellent or outstanding, though I must mention that there are a few segments with stock footage where noticeable density fluctuation can be observed. But these are inherited fluctuations that are part of the original cinematography. The grayscale is very convincing, too. Blacks are solid but do not crush, and there are very nice ranges of grays and whites. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks very healthy, too. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

King & Country Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is very healthy. In a few areas it can sound a tad thin, but this is almost certainly an inherited limitation. (The film was shot with a very modest budget and quite quickly, so it quickly becomes obvious that the soundtrack was not a top priority for the filmmakers). Dynamic intensity is very modest. While viewing the film, I did not encounter any audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.

King & Country Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Tom Courtenay on King & Country - in this new program, Tom Courtenay recalls his initial encounter with Joseph Losey and their collaboration on King & Courtney. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Archival Interview with Dirk Bogarde - in this archival program, Dirk Bogarde discusses his contribution to King & Country and the futility of war. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of behind the scenes stills. (1 min).

King & Country Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Real soldiers do not like deserters. During a time of war, soldiers become brothers, and they readily risk their lives to protect each other. If one of them commits an act of betrayal, either by walking away or joining the enemy, which is what desertion is, they do not think of him as a hero. This is hardly news, and to argue the opposite is a waste of time. Many real soldiers detest war too, but this is an entirely different subject. King & Country attempts to convince that a soldier who has abandoned his brothers can be a sympathetic character, and fails to convincingly explain why he should not be tried as a deserter. Its message about the futility of war is not particularly convincing, either. Joseph Losey most likely directed King & Country because of his admiration for Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory, but aside from some small thematic similarities, these films do not have much in common. If your take on King & Country is drastically different, this release from StudioCanal should be on your radar because it introduces a fabulous new 4K restoration of the film. RECOMMENDED to the fans.