简介：ThelasttimeBritainwasamajorforceinworldcinemawasinthe1960s;adocumentaryofafewyearsbackonthesubjectwasentitled’HollywoodUK’.ThiswastheeraoftheKitchenSink,socialrealism,angryyoungmen;aboveall,thetheatrical.Andyet,ironically,thebestBritishfilmsofthedecadeweremadebytwoAmericans,RichardLesterandJosephLosey,wholargelystayedclearoftheperiod’smoretypicalsubjectmatter,which,likeallattemptsatgreaterrealism,nowseemscuriouslyarchaic.’KingandCountry’,though,seemstobetheLoseyfilmthattriestobelongtoitsera.Like’LookBackinAnger’and’ATasteofHoney’,itisbasedonaplay,andoftenseemscumbersomelytheatrical.Like’Lonelinessofthelongdistancerunner’,itsheroisanexploited,reluctantlytransgressiveworkingclassladplayedbyTomCourtenay.Like(theadmittedlybrilliant)’ChargeoftheLightBrigade’,itisahorrified,near-farcical(thoughhumourless)lookatthehorrorsofwar,mostparticularlyitsgapingclassinjustices.PrivateHampisayoungvolunteersoldieratPachendaele,havingservedthreeyearsatthefront,whoiscourt-martialledfordesertion.Increasinglyterrorisedbytheinhumanpointlessnessoftrenchwarfare,thespeedy,grisly,violentdeathsofhiscomradesandthemedieval,rat-infestedconditionsofhistrench,heclaimstohaveemergeddazedfromonegruesomeattackanddecidedtowalkhome,toEngland.HeisdefendedbythearchetypalBritishofficer,CaptainHargreaves,whoprofessesdisdainfortheman’scowardice,butmustdohisduty.Heattemptstospinadefenceonthegroundsofmadness,buttheupper-crustofficershavehearditallbefore.Thisisaverynice,dulyhorrifying,liberal-handwringing,middle-classplay.ItpanderstoalltheclichesoftheGreatWar-thedisgracefulworking-classmassacre,whiletheofficerssupwhiskey(Haig!)-figuredinsomecharminglyobvioussymbolism:Hargreavesthrowingadyingcigaretteinthemud;Hamphystericallyplayingblindman’sbuff.Thesetsarepicturesquelygrim,medieval,amoderninferno,asthesemenlietrappedinanever-ending,subterraneanlabyrinth,litbyhellishfires,withratsforcompanyandtheconstantsoundofshellsandgunfireremindingthemoftheoutsideworld.Theplay,inaverymiddle-classway,isnotreallyabouttheworkingclassatall-Hampismoreofasymbol,anessence,lyinginthedark,desolatelyplayinghisharmonica,anoteofhumanityinascoreofinhumanity.Hedoesn’tdevelopasacharacter.TheplayisreallyaboutHargreaves,hisrealisationoftheshabbyinadequacyofnotionslikeduty.Hedevelops.Thisrealisationsendshimtodrink(tastierthandying!).Likehisprolesubordinates,hefallsinthemud,justasHampissaidtohavedone;heevensaystohissuperior’Weareallmurderers’.Thisisallveryeffective,ifnotmuchofadevelopmentofRCSherriff’screaky’Journey’sEnd’,filmedbyJamesWhalein1930.Itsearnestnessandverbositymayseemalittlestiltedintheageof’PathsofGlory’and’Dr.Strangelove’;wemayfeelthat’Blackaddergoesforth’isatruerrepresentationoftheGreatWar.ButwhatIhavedescribedisnotthefilmLoseyhasmade.Heistoosophisticatedandcannyanintellectualforthat.ThefilmopenswithalingeringpanoveroneofthosemonumentalWarmemorialsyouseealloverBritain(andpresumablyEurope),asiftosayLoseyisgoingtoquestionthereceivedideasofthisstatue,thehumancost.Butwhathe’sreallyquestioningisthisplay,anditswoefulinadequacytorepresentthemanifoldcomplexitiesoftheWar.ThisisBrechtianfilmmakingatitsmostsubtle.Weareconstantlymadeawareoftheartificeofthefilm,thetheatrical-thestilteddialogueisspokenwithdeliberatestiffness;theatricalritualsareemphasised(theinitialinterrogation;thecourtscene,whereactorsliterallytreadtheboards,enunciatingthepredictablespeeches;themirror-playputonbythehystericalsoldiersandtherats;thereligiousceremony;thehorriblefarceoftheexecution).Prosceniumarchesaremadeprominent,audiencesobserveevents.Thisisaplaythatwouldseektocontain,humanise,explaintheGreatWar.Thisisahopelesstask,asLosey’sprovisionalapparatusexplains,’real’photographsofharrowingdetritusfadingfromthescreenasifeventhesearenotenoughtoconveytheWar,nevermindawell-made,bourgeoisplay.Losey’svisionmaybeapocalyptic-itquestionsthepossibilityofrepresentationatall-thevarioustagsofpoetryquotedmakenoimpactonhardmenmenwhorattledthemoffwhenyoung;theShakespeareandualityof’noble’dramacommentedonby’low’comedy,effectsnotranscendence,nogreaterinsight.Losey’scameraworkandcompositionrepeatedlybreaksourinvolvementwiththedrama,anywishwemighthaveformanlysentimentality;inoneremarkablesceneanofficertakesanAubreyBeardsleybookfromthecameraman!Thisideaofthetheatricalevidentlymirrorstherigidclass’roles’playedbythemaincharacters(Hamp’sfatherandgrandfatherwerecobblerstoo;presumablyHargreaves’werealwaysSandhurstcadets).Loseyalsotakesasideswipeatthekitchensinkproject,byusingitstools-historyhasbornehimout.

简介：大革命开始前的法国，人们在腐朽残暴的法国贵族统治下蓄势待发、风起云涌。此时，来自英国伦敦的年轻律师卡尔顿来到了多夫。一同抵达多夫的，还有伦敦银行的加维斯·劳瑞先生。在多夫，卡尔顿邂逅了随后也来自英国来的露茜·玛内特小姐。就在擦肩而过的一瞬间，卡尔顿为露茜小姐天使般的美丽所倾倒，从此深深地爱上露茜。从多夫随劳瑞先生一起来到巴黎，露茜找到了失散十八年的父亲玛内特医生，由此揭开了一段关于父亲的秘密。十八前，父亲在法国做医生。一次，父亲在埃佛蒙德贵族庄园发现了贵族残酷迫害法国民众致死的秘密。出于人道，玛内特医生答应为最后一个幸免的小姑娘寻找生的机会。然而，玛内特医生为此而遭牢狱之灾，一关就是十八年。十八年后的久别重逢，露茜起初不敢认自己的父亲。好在有露茜和女佣的精心照顾，玛内特医生很快就恢复过来。不久，一个叫查尔斯·达尔内的英俊青年走进了玛内特的生活，让玛内特决定将女儿露茜许配给他。露茜哪里知道，就是那个整天醉意熏熏的“酒鬼”卡尔顿，正如痴似迷地爱着她。此时，一个发生在查尔斯·达尔内身上的官司，把卡尔顿推了出来。埃佛蒙德贵族的巴萨侯爵以查尔斯·达尔内携带海军机密文件的罪名，把他告上了法庭。由于卡尔顿的睿智和机敏，查尔斯在法庭上被判无罪。巴萨的贪婪和残忍，也为自己招来了杀身之祸。一个夜黑风高的夜晚，巴萨在自己的庄园被杀身亡。不久，法国贵族的腐朽统治在法国革命民众风起云涌的抗争中被推翻。在人民掀起的一场声势浩大的与没落贵族清算的运动中，埃佛蒙德家族没能幸免。非但如此，查尔斯先生也被纠了出来。原来，查尔斯·达尔内是埃佛蒙德家族的后裔。人民法庭上，就在卡尔顿的极力辩护已经给查尔斯开脱掉罪名时，玛内特十八年前在埃佛蒙德庄园救下的那个女孩，却拿出了查尔斯就是埃佛蒙德家族后裔的确凿证据。埃佛蒙德即将被推上断头台，此时的露茜已经怀上了埃佛蒙德的孩子。为了自己心爱的女人，卡尔顿决定以牺牲自己的方式挽救情敌，成全露茜。埃佛蒙德被推上断头台的前夜，卡尔顿乔装成埃佛蒙德的朋友前来探监，用自己成功换出了埃佛蒙德。埃佛蒙德随露茜逃出巴黎城后，卡尔顿带着对露茜的爱，义无返顾地走上了断头台。

简介：同志电影史最重要的作品之一，它不只是第一部直接道出‘同性恋’字眼的英语片，更勇于碰触性取向成为被抹黑、勒索和恐惧的社会现实。在同志电影多如过江之鲫的今日，它的直陈无碍更显难得。英国红星狄鲍嘉也在突破形象后，日后毫无忌惮地演出维斯康堤、法斯宾达的电影。当年囿于英国电检而消失的十分钟，也将以全新数位修复拷贝，忠实重现。