King and Country (Vintage Classics)

KING AND COUNTRY is a 1964 uncompromising WW1 drama, directed by Joseph Losey, featuring outstanding performances from Tom Courtenay (who won the 1964 Venice Film Festival Award for Best Actor) and Dirk Bogarde. During World War I, a young soldier, Hamp (Tom Courtenay) deserts his post, attempting to escape the ever-present sound of guns and walk back home. Captain Hargreaves (Dirk Bogarde) an aristocratic and British Army lawyer must defend Hamp before the army tribunal, for whom the crime of desertion carries a nasty stigma and the penalty of execution. Initially, Hargreaves approaches Hamp's case with disdain; however, upon learning that Hamp volunteered for duty on a dare, that he is the sole survivor of his unit and that his wife has been unfaithful in his absence, his efforts on Hamp's behalf become more impassioned and earnest.