Ludwig (1973)
Genre: Drama / History
Duration: 235 minuten / 186 minuten (VS) / 185 minuten (Italië) / 144 minuten (West-Duitsland)
Alternative titles: Ludwig II / Ludwig: The Mad King of Bavaria / Ludwig of Schaduw over de Goden
Country:
Italy / France / West Germany
Directed by: Luchino Visconti
Stars: Helmut Berger, Romy Schneider and Trevor Howard
IMDb score:
7,5 (6.487)
Releasedate: 7 March 1973
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Ludwig plot
"Ludwig. He loved women. He loved men. He lived as controversially as he ruled. But he did not care what the world thought. He was the world."
Ludwig (Helmut Berger) is 18 when his father dies. Completely unprepared, he is crowned King of Bavaria. Ludwig, a loner by nature, takes kingship seriously, but sees his task primarily as fulfilling a role. Tormented by his love for his cousin, Empress Elisabeth "Sissi" of Austria (Romy Schneider), his homosexual feelings and his fear of losing his grip on reality, Ludwig becomes obsessed with the music of Richard Wagner (Trevor Howard).
Actors and actresses
Ludwig
Elisabeth of Austria
Richard Wagner
Cosima von Bülow
Father Hoffmann
Dürckheim
Queen Mother
Count von Holnstein
Prince Otto
Sophie
Reviews & comments
Spetie
-
- 38871 messages
- 8145 votes
Ludwig isn't a film you're just going to watch. A slow, almost four-hour costume drama, it's something you have to work up an appetite for. Despite being a Visconti film, my expectations weren't very high, as costume dramas aren't always my cup of tea. That's evident here, as unfortunately, my low expectations were somewhat justified.
Let me start with the positives. The set design is particularly good. Beautiful costumes and well-designed sets alone ensure that the period piece is more than successful. Visually, it's also more than fine, and Visconti always knows how to present things effectively and, above all, beautifully. The main character himself took some getting used to. Initially, I found him a bit annoying and irritating, but as the film progressed, I found myself developing more sympathy for him and his enormous fascination with Wagner's music. Visconti often takes his time with each scene, which is sometimes a bit annoying. This makes Ludwig rather tedious and not always captivating. I also found the story to lose some of its appeal in the second half. Because of this, Ludwig, especially in the last hour, felt rather tedious.
It's also interesting to read that Ludwig is part of an unofficial trilogy. I happened to see the three films in order. I have to say, though, that the other two films are considerably better than this one. Visconti should have kept Ludwig a bit shorter and more concise, because I undoubtedly would have liked that much better. He remains a talented filmmaker, but with Ludwig, he oversteps the mark a bit.
2.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
kissyfur
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- 325 messages
- 499 votes
Beautiful visuals, great music, sets, costumes—it's all amazing. But also directionless. I can handle slow movies, but this one was a real watch. And that's mainly because there's little story. There are quite a few long scenes that are beautiful to watch... but don't really add much.
It might be blasphemy, but I found it a difficult film to fathom. I have, however, resolved to listen to more Wagner.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mjk87 (moderator films)
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- 14514 messages
- 4510 votes
Visually stunning. Rich, especially, and that world of nobility comes to life beautifully. The static shots also contribute to this. And you get a pretty good sense of Ludwig himself and the world he inhabits.
But this thing is 240 minutes long, and that's quite a lot. There are definitely unnecessary scenes, the film lacks a certain suspense, and not everything is equally interesting. The dub doesn't really help either. I saw the Italian version (because that was only available on DVD) and would have preferred it to the German version, but I doubt that matters much. The voice acting was a bit flat for my taste. I wouldn't call it bad, but I did watch it in two evenings, and that says enough that I still found it long-winded. 2.5 stars.
Translated from Dutch · View originalLatest News
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