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Date: 6/14/2018
What I’m watching: the new Blu-ray release of a midnight movie classic and a collection every animation fan should have.
On Blu-ray: King of Hearts
It’s little difficult today to describe the cult movie phenomena, as it existed in the 1970s and ‘80s.
For those who did not live through the era, certain movies became so embraced by fans they were willing to troop to theaters and see them week by week over and over.
During that time, before the dominance of VHS and home video, that was the only way to have that repeat viewing experience.
These films, often shown at midnight, included titles such as “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Eraserhead,” “Pink Floyd: The Wall,” and others.
“King of Hearts” was also one of these films and it built up a huge fan base during this time. It played in one theater in Cambridge for five years.
That’s a heck of a run.
The film is now released on Blu-ray in a 4K restoration with a number of extras.
Directed by Philippe de Broca, the film is set in World War I France. A Scottish soldier named Plumpkin (Alan Bates) is assigned to go into a village to diffuse a bomb. When several German soldiers chase him into an insane asylum, Plumpkin starts a chain reaction. With the town’s residents gone, the patients leave the asylum and take on the roles in society they wish to play.
At first, Plumpkin is aghast by what has happened, but then the patients declare him king. He must still try to find the bomb and render it inoperable. What makes matters worse is he begins to enjoy living in the surreal world the patients have created, especially when the patients dubbed him their king. His views also change as he falls in love with a character played by Geneviève Bujold.
The anti-war tone of the film – “normal” people engage in war, while “insane” people want to live in peace – was well received by college students and others during the time of its run in the 1970s.
At the time of its initial release in 1966, the film was not a commercial success, but an enterprising American distributor acquired the rights and in the mid-1970s it became an art house hit here.
The film is romantic with a capital “R.” Its ending is both a commentary about war and a declaration of love.
The acceptance of films is frequently about the time of their release. Some movies are ahead of their times and are celebrated years after, while others that have been huge hits in the past leave contemporary audiences scratching their heads.
If you are willing to suspend your disbelief and embrace the romanticism of De Broca’s vision, “King of Hearts” may be worth your discovery or re-discovery.
Fleischer Rarities
This Blu-ray collection of cartoons either made by the Fleischer Studios or involving Fleischer staffers is simply essential for any serious animation fan.
If you’ve not heard of the Fleischer brothers – Max and Dave – and their groundbreaking studio, you may have heard of their accomplishments. They brought Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman to the screen, along with two feature films. They developed the famous bouncing ball to cue people to sing along with the cartoon – a device still seen today.
Their animated cartoons could be wild and unpredictable. They sought ways to stretch the boundaries of a seven-minute short by incorporating other kinds of animation and live action. They influence even animators today.
This collection from Thunderbean Studios includes some difficult to see silent cartoons as well as the brothers’ first sound cartoon – predating Disney’s “Steamboat Willie” by several years. There are two Betty Boop cartoons, one of which is her last appearance on screen, and a difficult to see commercial cartoon for Texaco that is none-the-less quite funny.
The bonus materials are pretty amazing with live action appearances by Fleischer personnel in various films, production art, music and much more.
If you’re a fan of old school hand-drawn full animation, this collection is a must.