King and Country Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

King and Country Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 13, 2025

Joseph Losey's "King & Country" (1964) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by author and critic Simon Abrams; recent program with Tom Courtenay; archival interview with Dirk Bogarde; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "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 comrades is 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 realizes 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 shellshocked? Or was he a coward who tried to run away and got caught? Losey 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.

The most crucial segment, where Courtenay’s fate is determined, is transformed into a piece of parody due to 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 who 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 and 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 Kino Lorber.

A couple of years ago, we reviewed this Region-B release of King & Country, produced by StudioCanal. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from the same master that StudioCanal worked with to produce the Region-B release.

I think that the master is excellent. (When StudioCanal promoted the Region-B release, press materials indicated that it was struck from the original camera negative, held at the British Film Institute). It produces sharp, wonderfully detailed, very stable visuals. The grayscale is managed very well, too. Blacks are lush but do not crush, and there are wonderful ranges of grays and whites, all balanced very nicely. Some sections of the film utilize bits of stock footage with obvious density fluctuations. However, all of these fluctuations are part of the original cinematography. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The surface of the visuals is very healthy. In summary, I still think that King & Country looks fantastic, the best it ever has, so if it is a film you enjoy, do not miss this release. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

King and Country Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

The lossless track is very healthy. In a few places, small unevenness and thinning can be noticed, but I am convinced that they are inherited limitations because King & Country was shot with a modest budget and quickly. Also, King & Country does not have an elaborate and active soundtrack with music that routinely creates a great deal of excitement. While revisiting it, I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report.

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

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

• Dirk Bogarde - in this archival program, Dirk Bogarde discusses his contribution to King & Country and the futility of war. The program was produced in 1964. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered trailer for King & Country. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author and critic Simon Abrams.

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for King & Country.

King and 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.

Kino Lorber's release brings to America StudioCanal's recent 4K restoration of King & Country, which made its high-definition debut on the other side of the Atlantic a couple of years ago. If you are a fan of King & Country, you should acquire the release because the restoration is very good. RECOMMENDED to the fans.