故事发生在第二次世界大战期间,情报科军官格劳少校(奥马尔·沙里夫OmarSharif饰)奉命调查一宗手段极为残忍的谋杀案,冯塞德里茨将军(查尔斯·格雷CharlesGray饰)、卡伦博格少将(唐纳德·普利森斯DonaldPleasence饰)和坦兹将军(彼德·奥图PeterO’Toole饰)均为案件的嫌疑人,但他们都拒绝配合调查。冯塞德里茨将军的妻子娜塔莎想为两人的女儿于丽克(乔安娜·佩蒂JoannaPettet饰)在众多年轻有为的军官之中觅得一位金龟婿,她看上了坦兹将军,但于丽克却并不喜欢这位在战场上杀人如麻的恶魔。当着坦兹将军的面,于丽克邀请军官雷蒙德共舞,两人却因此坠入爱河,与此同时,格劳少校的直觉告诉他,坦兹就是那位邪恶的凶手。 故事发生在一间专门面向歌剧退休演员开放的养老院里,维尔福(比利·康诺利 Billy Connolly 饰)、雷吉(汤姆·康特奈 Tom Courtenay 饰)和茜茜(宝林·科林斯 Pauline Collins 饰)是那里的明星居民。每一年,这三个出色的演唱者都会通过他们的三重唱向社会募集资金,用以维持养老院的运作。虽然养老院的规模不大,但每一个老人都能在那里找到快乐和安宁。 简(玛吉·史密斯 Maggie Smith 饰)的出现打破了众人宁静的生活,这个高傲又好斗的女人是歌剧界名声大噪的歌唱家,同时,她还是雷吉的前妻。受生活所迫,简不得已住进了这间养老院,前夫雷吉的存在更是让她心中愤愤不平。由于简的加入,三重唱变成了四重唱,但排练的效果并没有因为一个得力唱匠的加入而有所提高,麻烦和争执接踵而至。 雷克斯作为女王的皇家首席狗狗,是一只在白金汉宫过着奢靡生活、备受宠爱的小柯基犬。一次意外让它流落伦敦街头,闯入流浪狗中心,他将如何自我救赎并重返皇宫?一场民间和皇家萌犬的冒险即将上演...... 一帮退休的罪犯在伦敦的珠宝区实施了一起重大抢劫案。 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. 故事发生在第二次世界大战期间,爱丽丝(杰玛·阿特登GemmaArterton饰)是一名个性非常古怪孤僻的作家,她远离尘嚣,独自在位于英国南方海边的一处悬崖隐居,在那里潜心学习科学。一天,一个名叫弗兰克(卢卡斯·邦德LucasBond饰)的男孩意外的闯入了爱丽丝封闭的世界中,弗兰克来自伦敦战区,残酷的战争夺走了他的一切,令他沦落成为孤儿。对于爱丽丝来说,弗兰克的出现很显然是一种冒犯和打扰,但她亦不忍心将这个孩子赶走,就这样,两人开始了共处同一屋檐下的生活。弗兰克的出现还唤起了爱丽丝埋藏已久的回忆,令她回忆起曾经与情人维拉(古古·姆巴塔-劳GuguMbatha-Raw饰)在一起的点点滴滴。