Für König und Vaterland (1964)
52KFür König und Vaterland: Directed by Joseph Losey. With Dirk Bogarde, Tom Courtenay, Leo McKern, Barry Foster. During World War I, Army Private Arthur James Hamp is accused of desertion during battle. The officer assigned to defend him at his court-martial, Captain Hargreaves, finds out there is more to the case than meets the eye.
“On a World War I battleground, British soldier Tom Courtenay (as Arthur Hamp) is arrested for desertion, after serving three years in combat. If convicted, the shell-shocked young man will be shot dead. He is assigned a military defense attorney Dirk Bogarde (as Hargreaves) who seems convinced Mr. Courtenay is guilty. However, as the trenches trial proceeds, Mr. Bogarde becomes more sympathetic regarding his clientu0026#39;s extenuating circumstances. u0026quot;King and Countryu0026quot; will either spare Courtenay, or kill him…u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eProducer/director Joseph Losey does a convincing job with this drama, though it moves somewhat slowly until the end. Courtenay comes across as a shell-shocked man who volunteered for the war, and could no longer do battle after seeing his entire unit wasted away. Heu0026#39;s commendable and understandable, and this shows in Bogardeu0026#39;s astute performance. The filmu0026#39;s point is easily made, with Bogardeu0026#39;s character effectively leading doubters toward a shattering conclusion. The film, and both men, won award recognition.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e******* King u0026amp; Country (9/5/64) Joseph Losey ~ Dirk Bogarde, Tom Courtenay, Leo McKern, Barry Foster”
