Le Roi De Coeur (aka King Of Hearts) (1966)

Set in 1918 WWI, a Scottish soldier (Alan Bates) is sent on a solo mission to disarm a bomb in a small French village. He finds that the villagers have all deserted it and the inmates of an asylum have escaped and are living out their fantasies and greet him as their King Of Hearts. Directed by Philipe De Broca, this winsome layered comedy is a real charmer. Surprisingly, it wasn't a success in France but when it opened in the U.S., it became an art house hit and eventually grew into a cult film (it played for three years in one cinema). It's anti-war message is still relevant today (when will an anti-war film ever be irrelevant?) but luckily, it's done ever so delicately and it's not heavy handed at all. I've always disliked movies where either children or the mentally impaired possess wisdom that eludes "normal" people but there exceptions to every rule and I adore this film. The cast is the cream of French actors and there's a lovely underscore by Georges Delerue. With Genevieve Bujold, Pierre Brasseur, Micheline Presle, Jean Claude Brialy, Michel Serrault, Francoise Christophe, Adolfo Celi, Daniel Boulanger and Julien Guiomar.