| The Conscript | |
| Director: | Roland Verhavert |
| Producer: | Jan van Raemdonck |
| Starring: | Jan Decleir |
| Cinematography: | Ralf Boumans |
| Runtime: | 93 minutes |
| Country: | Belgium |
| Language: | Dutch |
The Conscript (Dutch; Flemish: '''De loteling''') is a 1974 Belgian drama film directed by Roland Verhavert, based on the eponymous 1850 novel by Hendrik Conscience. It was entered into the 24th Berlin International Film Festival.[1] It was also selected as the Belgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 47th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[2]
The Conscript is set in rural Flanders in Belgium in the early 19th century. After the son of a local notable is conscripted into the Belgian Army, he pays Jan Braems, a poor farmer's boy, to volunteer for military service in his place under the system of remplacement. Braems serves in the Army. He visits a prostitute and contracts venereal disease which he attempts to cure by washing his eyes with own urine causing him to go blind. His girlfriend refuses to part from him, however, in spite of the circumstances.