Ludwig (1972)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Writers:

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

Release Date:

8 March 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History

Plot:

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

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins

Cast

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

Also Known As:

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

Runtime:

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

Country:

Italy | France | West Germany

Language:

Italian | German | French

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Mega Film

Trivia:

Director Luchino Visconti suffered a stroke during filming.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Costumes from the Films of Visconti (1978)

Soundtrack:

La Périchole

John Moulder-Brown as Prince Otto

"Ludwig" follows the story of the last king of Bavaria, from the early splendor of his reign to the final decadence that leads him to his downfall. The plot is full of overly dramatic, if not downright operatic elements that would fall flat if they were not handled by a superb cast. Yet, Visconti was famous for getting absolutely magical performances from his actors. As usual it happened because of his enormous affection for the actor's work. It becomes obvious in his biographies, in memoirs and interviews by actors who worked with him, and especially in documentaries like the making of "Death in Venice," that he saw actors as a major element of his work, not as an unfortunately necessary nuisance. He was known to give actors great liberty to create, which never fails to be the way truly great directors work. Ingmar Bergman is known to work the same way, both in films and in the theater. And so was François Truffaut.

There are some amazing performances in "Ludwig," both by well known actors like Silvana Mangano, who was capable of turning what was ultimately a bit part into solid gold, and by a number of extraordinary actors whose faces are not immediately recognizable to the audience, like the Ministers of State discussing the political future of Bavaria early in the film.

But even someone who has seen many great performances by film actors, past and present, is met with something new while watching John Moulder-Brown as Prince Otto, the king's younger brother, a breathtaking, deeply disturbing performance that ended up being one of the film's biggest assets. I would like to comment his big scene towards the middle of the film. But since it involves a sudden, somewhat unexpected change in the plot, I would be creating a spoiler.

If, like me, you think that in "Ludwig" John Moulder-Brown (who was only 19 when it was made) comes up with one of the greatest performances by an actor in film history, I would like to share this with you: http://waitsfortherain.livejournal.com/2003/06/03/