Ludwig

Italy / France 1972, 230 minutes
Dir. Luchino Visconti
In Italian with English subtitles
Rating: [M]
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Drama

Topics: Mental Health, Period - 1800s.

Feat. Helmut Berger, Romy Schneider, Trevor Howard, Silvana Mangano

Aroview: A sumptuous biopic of 'mad' Prince Ludwig II of Bavaria (Berger) who reigned in the mid-1800s, creating and inhabiting his own bizarre world of Germanic mythology, living in a self-designed 'fairytale' castle (subsequently copied for Disneyland), collaborating with composer Richard Wagner (Howard), but ultimately falling prey to a creeping mental condition.

Extremely long and langourous, dir. Visconti's epic is not for the faint-hearted, but lovers of THE LEOPARD and THE DAMNED will revel in its detailed portrait of the dotty Austro-Hungaria aristocracy and exquisite period production. This DVD version restores the full almost-four hour original cut (which was cut for theatrical release to 170 minutes).