1/10
King of Hearts meets Dancer in the Dark meets Fellini ... but why?
5 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
A soldier chased by the enemy while on a military mission finds himself in an insane asylum, meets a slightly insane but charming girl and by the end of the film decides to join the ranks of the asylum patients, to escape the insane world at war. I am not describing the plot of House of Fools, but of a 1966 French film Le Roi de Coeur (King of Hearts).

A kind and loving and slightly crazy girl falls in love with someone who deceives her, but despite the bitter disappointment, smiles at people through her tears. I am not describing House of Fools", but Nights of Cabiria.

A kind and loving girl lives in terrible conditions, but music and singing help her to escape from reality. During her escape sessions from the most tragic moments of her life she imagines people around her singing and smiling. And yet again, I am not talking about House of Fools, I am talking about Dancer in the Dark.

A colorful gang of crazy characters of every possible kind, of which the most colorful one is a Rubenesque lady with a strong personality was not invented by A. Konchalovsky, either. (I am sorry, but this idea belongs to the late Maestro Fellini.)

Even the song that is used to make a statement throughout the film was borrowed from Don Juan de Marco. The Spanish dancers just had to come along with the song, too.

One is surprised at the amount of allusions. In fact there are so many "allusions" (or shall we call them "borrowings"?) that nothing original is left when you peel this "onion". It is a bad film despite strong cinematography and acting.
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