King and Country (1964) on Netflix
In the British trenches at Passchendaele in 1917, Private Arthur Hamp is charged with desertion. Captain Hargreaves is assigned to defend him at the court-martial.
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Trailer
Plot summary
In 1917, on the Western Front, Private Arthur Hamp is brought back to his unit by the Military Police and charged with desertion. He had volunteered at the start of the war and was the only man left alive in his company; he set off walking, thinking of his home in London, and was picked up after more than a day on the road. Captain Hargreaves is appointed to defend him at the court-martial, and his early impatience with the soldier gives way as he comes to identify with his plight. The doctor called to testify has little sympathy for him and prescribes the same remedy for every complaint.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about King and Country (1964)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film's story rests on a real First World War court-martial: James Lansdale Hodson, who wrote the account it comes from, had been the defense attorney for army deserter Private Arthur Hemp.
- The war the film is set in killed 750,000 British soldiers alone, while tens of thousands of misconduct allegations produced 3,000 death sentences, of which over 300 were actually carried out.
