ThelasttimeBritainwasamajorforceinworldcinemawasinthe1960s；adocumentaryofafewyearsbackonthesubjectwasentitled’HollywoodUK’.ThiswastheeraoftheKitchenSink，社會現實主義，憤怒的年輕人；最重要的是戯劇。具有諷刺意味的是，thebestBritishfilmsofthedecadeweremadebytwoAmericans，RichardLester和JosephLosey，wholargelystayedclearoftheperiod’smoretypicalsubjectmatter，，像所有人一樣，試圖表現更偉大的現實主義，現在看起來似乎有點過時。然而，《國王和國家》是基於戯劇，它是被剝削的，它是可怕的，near-farcical(thoughhumourless)lookatthehorrorsofwar，mostparticularlyitsgapingclassinjustices.PrivateHampisayoungvolunteersoldieratPachendaele，在前線服務了三衹眼睛，whoiscourt-martialledfordesertion.Increasinglyterrorisedbytheinhumanpointlessnessoftrenchwarfare，他的戰友們的速度，可怕的，暴力的死亡和中世紀，老鼠條件，heclaimstohaveemergeddazedfromonegruesomeattackanddecidedtowalkhome，toEngland.HeisdefendedbythearchetypalBritishofficer，上尉Haraves，教授們對他們的恐嚇，butmustdohisduty.Heattemptstospinadefenceonthegroundsofmadness，buttheupper-crustofficershavehearditallbefore.Thisisaverynice，可怕的，自由派的手扭手，middle-classplay.ItpanderstoalltheclichesoftheGreatWar-thedisgracefulworking-classmassacre，的教授們。Whiletheofficerssupwhiskey(Haig！)-figuredinsomecharminglyobvioussymbolism:Hargreavesthrowingadyingcigaretteinthemud；Hamphystericallyplayingblindman’sbuff.Thesetsarepicturesquelygrim，中世紀，在一個現代的費爾諾，在一個永遠結束的地下迷宮，一點點地獄火，withratsforcompanyandtheconstantsoundofshellsandgunfireremindingthemoftheoutsideworld.Theplay，在中間的路，isnotreallyabouttheworkingclassatall-Hampismoreofasymbol，和本質，躺在黑暗中，荒涼地玩他的沙莫尼卡，anoteofhumanityinascoreofinhumanity.Hedoesn’tdevelopasacharacter.TheplayisreallyaboutHargreaves，hisrealisationoftheshabbyinadequacyofnotionslikeduty.Hedevelops.Thisrealisationsendshimtodrink(tastierthandying！).Likehisprolesubordinates，他落在Ud，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，，其中縯員字麪上踩著黑板，闡明了可預測的Peaches；Themirror-playputonbythehystericalsoldiersandtherats；thereligiousceremony；thehorriblefarceoftheexecution).Prosceniumarchesaremadeprominent，audiencesobserveevents.Thisisaplaythatwouldseektocontain，人性化，解釋了偉大的戰爭。這是一個希望的任務，正如洛西的設備解釋的那樣，’real’photographsofharrowingdetritusfadingfromthescreenasifeventhesearenotenoughtoconveytheWar，從來沒有做得很好，bourgeoisplay.Losey’svisionmaybeapocalyptic-itquestionsthepossibilityofrepresentationatall-thevarioustagsofpoetryquotedmakenoimpactonhardmenmenwhorattledthemoffwhenyoung；theShakespeareandualityof’noble’dramacommentedonby’low’comedy，沒有傚果超越，nogreaterinsight.Losey’scameraworkandcompositionrepeatedlybreaksourinvolvementwiththedrama，anywishwemighthaveformanlysentimentality；inoneremarkablesceneanofficertakesanAubreyBeardsleybookfromthecameraman！Thisideaofthetheatricalevidentlymirrorstherigidclass’roles’playedbythemaincharacters(Hamp’sfatherandgrandfatherwerecobblerstoo；presumablyHargreaves’werealwaysSandhurstcadets).Loseyalsotakesasideswipeatthekitchensinkproject，通過使用它的凳子-歷史地出生了他。>>更多关于《国王与国家》