Ludwig (1972)

Réalisateur:

Luchino Visconti

Scénaristes:

Luchino Visconti (story) and
Enrico Medioli (story) ...

Date de sortie:

8 mars 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Biographie | Drame | Histoire

Intrigue:

Historical evocation of Ludwig, king of Bavaria, from his crowning in 1864 until his death in 1886, as a romantic hero...

Plot Keywords:

King | Madness | Bavaria | Wagner | Based On Supposedly True Story

Récompenses:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins

Avis des utilisateurs:

Eccentric, insane king of Bavaria

Ensemble

Helmut Berger	...	King Ludwig II of Bavaria
Trevor Howard	...	Richard Wagner
Silvana Mangano	...	Cosima Von Buelow
Gert Fröbe	...	Father Hoffmann
Helmut Griem	...	Count Duerckheim
Izabella Telezynska	...	Queen Mother
Umberto Orsini	...	Count Von Holstein
John Moulder-Brown	...	Prince Otto
Sonia Petrovna	...	Sophie
Folker Bohnet	...	Joseph Kainz
Heinz Moog	...	Professor Gudden
Adriana Asti	...	Lila Von Buliowski
Marc Porel	...	Richard Hornig
Nora Ricci	...	Countess Ida Ferenczy
Mark Burns	...	Hans Von Buelow

Autre(s) titre(s):

Ludwig - Le crépuscule des Dieux (France)
Ludwig II (West Germany)
Ludwig: The Mad King of Bavaria (USA) (long title)

Durée:

235 min | USA:186 min (original release) | West Germany:144 min (original release) | Italy:185 min (original release)

Pays:

Italy | France | Allemagne de l'ouest

Langue:

Italien | Allemand | Français

Couleur:

Couleur (Technicolor)

Rapport de forme:

2,35 : 1

Son:

Mono

Classification:

Italy:T (re-rated) | Italy:VM14 (original rating) | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:12 | Spain:13 | Netherlands:6 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Lieux de tournage:

Bavaria, Germany

Société:

Mega Film

Anecdotes:

After playing Elisabeth of Austria in the Sissi trilogy in the fifties, Romy Schneider made clear she didn't want to have anything to do with the Austrian empress anymore, claiming the character ruined her career as an actress because everyone subsequently wanted to see her in romantic roles. She only agreed to appear in Ludwig (1972) as a favor to Luchino Visconti who was a very good friend of hers.

Connexions De Film:

Référencé sur Costumes from the Films of Visconti (1978)

Bande son:

La Périchole

Eccentric, insane king of Bavaria

Unlike most people who have seen this movie, I have seen the director´s cut, which lasts for 4 hours. Everybody who has done the same has my full respect! The movie starts very engaging, but in the end you´re tired of it and only wish that it will end. It´s simply too long. Especially the last 60 mins of the movie are mostly unnecessary, the movie would have been more intriguing without it.

The movie tells the story of Ludwig of Bavaria, who was known for his eccentric character. The movie starts with the day of his coronation and trough out the next hours we see his love for Richard Wagner´s music, his devotion for his cousin Elisabeth of Austria, his eagerness to build as many castles as possible (His most famous castle, "Neuschwanstein", was the standard for the castle in Disney World)and ends with his insanity and death.

The cinematography is extraordinary, as are the sets and the costumes, everything as lavish and extravagant as it was very typical for this period. Visconti must have gone great lengths to achieve this. Sadly the film is not a throughout success, it´s like a beautiful picture you see. But it´s too sterile, you cannot connect with the characters.

Helmut Berger gives a powerful performance as the unhappy monarch, not playing but inhabiting his character. His Ludwig is melancholic and sad and extremely eccentric, but never over the top. There´s always the feeling, that there´s something wrong with him.

Romy Schneider, 17 years after her first appearance as Elisabeth, Empress of Austria, reprises her character once again in a small but important part. This time she has the possibility to show the Empress as she really has been (not in the corny way, she had to play it in 1955) which she does with visible enthusiasm, delivering a multilayered portrayal.