| Ludwig | |
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 French film poster | |
| Directed by | Luchino Visconti |
| Written by | Luchino Visconti Enrico Medioli Suso Cecchi d'Amico |
| Produced by | Dieter Geissler Ugo Santalucia Robert Gordon Edwards |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Armando Nannuzzi |
| Edited by | Ruggero Mastroianni |
| Music by | |
Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 238 minutes 177 minutes(U.S. cut) |
| Countries | Italy West Germany France |
| Language | English |
| Budget | DM12 million |
Ludwig (German:Ludwig II.) is a 1973epicbiographical drama film co-written and directed byLuchino Visconti. The film starsHelmut Berger as KingLudwig II of Bavaria andRomy Schneider asEmpress Elisabeth of Austria, along withTrevor Howard,Silvana Mangano,Helmut Griem, andGert Fröbe. It is the third and final part of Visconti's "German Trilogy", followingThe Damned (1969) andDeath in Venice (1971).
Aninternational co-production by Italian producer Ugo Santalucia and West German producer Dieter Giessler,Ludwig was one of the most expensive European films at the time, and was a moderate success in its home territories, but was more lukewarmly received in the United States, where a heavily truncated 177-minute version was released.[1] It was filmed inMunich and surrounding parts of Bavaria, and atCinecittà Studios.
Ludwig won twoDavid di Donatello Awards, forBest Film andBest Director, and was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Costume Design. Berger and Schneider both receivedGerman Film Award nominations for their acting, and Berger won a "Special David di Donatello" for his portrayal of the King.
Munich, 1864. The 18-year-old, idealisticLudwig II is crowned as theKing of Bavaria. His first official act is a lavish support for the inspired but indebted composerRichard Wagner, who settled in Munich after Ludwig's request. Ludwig's cabinet cannot understand his support for the arts and is furious about Wagner's expensive lifestyle. Ludwig tries to find a faithful friend in Wagner, whose music he loves, but these hopes are shattered: behind the King's back, Wagner has an affair withCosima von Bülow, the wife of Wagner's opportunistic conductorHans von Bülow. In order to avoid a scandal, Wagner has to leave Munich. Ludwig continues to support Wagner and his projects, but he still mistrusts him.
Another important person for Ludwig isEmpress Elisabeth of Austria, his independent and charismatic cousin. During a meeting with other aristocratic families inBad Ischl, Elisabeth and Ludwig get close to each other and they share a kiss. However, Elisabeth is more interested in bringing up a marriage between her beautiful, cultivated sisterSophie and Ludwig, but the king ignores Sophie. Disappointed by Wagner and Elisabeth, Ludwig starts to withdraw from public into dream worlds. Ludwig wants Bavaria to stay neutral in theAustro-Prussian War of 1866, but his cabinet has another opinion and they eventually support the Austrian's loser's side. Ludwig ignores the war and stays in his castle, much to the irritation of his younger brotherOtto and his close confidant Count Dürckheim. Dürckheim advises him to a marriage in order to prevent loneliness.
Shortly after Ludwig becomes aware of his homosexuality, he suddenly announces his engagement with Sophie in January 1867. His mother and the cabinet send an actress into his apartments, who is instructed to give him sexual experience. Ludwig feels angry about the actress and throws her into his bathtub. Ludwig has doubts if he can be a good husband to Sophie who loves him, and he postpones and eventually cancels the marriage. Instead, he starts having relationships with his servants, although the devoutCatholic feels guilt about his homosexuality. Bavaria supports the Prussian army in theFranco-Prussian War of 1871, but during the followingUnification of Germany, he loses much of his sovereignty to the Prussian emperorWilhelm I and ChancellorOtto von Bismarck. Shortly after the Franco-Prussian War, the mental health of Ludwig's younger brotherOtto declines and doctors have to take care of him. Ludwig is shocked by his brother's illness.
Ludwig does not care about politics anymore, instead, he spends his money buildingNeuschwanstein Castle,Linderhof Palace andHerrenchiemsee. The cabinet feels increasingly frustrated by the eccentric and secluded king's debts. In 1881, the king has a short but fierce friendship with actorJosef Kainz, whoseRomeo performance he adores, but Kainz is mostly interested in the king's money. Ludwig also hosts some orgies with his servants. When his cousin Elisabeth wants to visit him after a long time, he refuses to see her.
In 1886, the psychiatristBernhard von Gudden declares that Ludwig is insane, following the advice of his scheming Cabinet. With the help of his faithful servants, Ludwig can arrest his cabinet for a few hours. His friends advise him to fight against the accusation that he is insane, but he only feels world-weary and depressed. Eventually, his uncleLuitpold is declared Prince Regent of Bavaria. Ludwig is brought toBerg Castle nearLake Starnberg, where he has to stay under arrest and gets psychological treatment. Two days later, Ludwig and Von Gudden leave the castle for a walk. A few hours later, their corpses are found in the Lake Starnberg, dead byunknown causes.
Ludwig was filmed atCinecitta Studios inRome, and on-location inBavaria, West Germany. Filming took place atRoseninsel,Berg Castle,Lake Starnberg,Castle Herrenchiemsee,Castle Hohenschwangau,Linderhof Palace,Cuvilliés Theatre,Nymphenburg Palace,Ettal,Kaiservilla andNeuschwanstein Castle. Shooting began in late January 1972 and lasted six months.
Luchino Visconti, who was a distant relative of Ludwig II throughMargarete von Bayern andFederico I Gonzaga, was fascinated by the story of the loner and esthete monarch and saw him as "the last absolutist ruler who preferred to rule with art rather than politics".[2]
Much likeThe Damned andDeath in Venice, Visconti shotLudwig in English to account for the different nationalities in the cast (a mix of German, English, and Italian speakers). Scenes were shot silent (MOS) and then the actorslooped their lines in post-production. While most of the German-speaking cast dubbed their own lines for the German release, Helmut Berger was replaced by a different actor due to his Austrian accent. In the Italian version, he was dubbed byGiancarlo Giannini.
During the last stages of production, on July 27, 1972, Visconti suffered astroke. In the documentaryThe Life and Times of Count Luchino Visconti, screenwriterEnrico Medioli claimed the illness was caused by the sudden transition from the cold of the Austrian countryside to the heat of the Cinecittà soundstages.
Rather than an original score, the film uses pre-existing orchestral pieces byRichard Wagner (excerpts fromLohengrin,Tristan und Isolde, andTannhäuser),Jacques Offenbach, andRobert Schumann. The film had the distinction of featuring a performance byFranco Mannino[3] of the previously unpublished original piano composition by Wagner,Elegie in A Flat Major.[4]
In America, where a heavily cut version was released, the film received mixed-to-negative reviews.[5]Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times wrote "Perhaps only Visconti, who seems obsessed with the gloomy side of decadence, could have made Ludwig II of Bavaria seem boring."[6]Vincent Canby ofThe New York Times wrote "Visconti has been such an intelligent film maker in the past that it's difficult to believe that Ludwig could be quite as bereft of ideas as it is."[7] Robert Mazzocco ofThe New York Review of Books wrote "An unconscious parody of Visconti's own embattled romanticism, a diatribe against "privileged liberty," an old morality play in which the free soul is the damned soul-a dyspeptic Visconti, as it were, lecturing himself."
Retrospective reviews of the film's full director's cut have been more positive. Jonathan Romney forFilm Comment wrote that "this full-lengthLudwig... feels today like a painting whose images and forms can be at least freshly recognized."[8]Bilge Ebiri wrote that "Built mostly around medium close-ups and dark interiors, the film creates a sense of isolation that matches the lead character's own state of mind."[9]
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award | 1974 | Best Costume Design | Piero Tosi | Nominated |
| David di Donatello | 1973 | Best Film | Won (tied withAlfredo, Alfredo) | |
| Best Director | Luchino Visconti | Won | ||
| Special David | Helmut Berger | Won | ||
| German Film Award | 1973 | Best Actor | Nominated | |
| Best Actress | Romy Schneider | Nominated | ||
| Nastro d'Argento | 1974 | Best Director | Luchino Visconti | Nominated |
| Best Producer | Ugo Santalucia | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Luchino Visconti,Enrico Medioli,Suso Cecchi d'Amico | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Silvana Mangano | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Armando Nannuzzi | Won | ||
| Best Production Design | Mario Chiari | Won | ||
| Best Costume Design | Piero Tosi | Won | ||
| Valladolid International Film Festival | 1973 | Golden Spike | Luchino Visconti | Won |
Thedirector's cut by Visconti was over four hours long, which the film's distributors deemed as too long.Ludwig was then shortened to three hours at the premiere in Bonn on 18 January 1973. The cutback was without Visconti's consent, but the director, who was in bad health after a stroke during filming, was not able to stop it. The depiction of Ludwig's homosexuality caused a controversy, particularly in Bavaria, where King Ludwig was admired by many Conservatives. Among the critics wasFranz Josef Strauß, then chairman of theCSU and later Minister President of Bavaria, who also attended the film's premiere. The distributors feared controversy and, without consent by Visconti and without consulting him, cut another 55 minutes from the premiere version, reducing the film to two hours. Scenes with homosexual hints and some of the more philosophical dialogues in the film were cut in order to make the film more popular with mainstream audiences.[10]
There are at least four different versions of the film, which according to theAll Movie Guide "suffers greatly when shortened, as every moment is essential to the story".[11] German film critic Wolfram Schütte wrote that those who saw the shortened version "haven't seen the film". The film was restored to its four-hour length byLudwig-film editorRuggero Mastroianni andLudwig-screenwriterSuso Cecchi d'Amico in 1980, four years after Visconti's death, and had its premiere at theVenice Film Festival.
In April 2017, Arrow Video released a blu-ray/DVD "limited edition" restoration, including both the full-length theatrical edition at 238 minutes, and a five-part "television version" of the film. The blu-ray edition was restored in 2K resolution from the original 35mm camera negative. Elements that had been censored from some earlier releases, such as allusions to Ludwig's homoerotic longing and occasional glimpses of male nudity, are included in Arrow's home video restoration. In addition to the Italian language soundtrack, the Arrow release optionally includes the film's English audio for the first time on home video. The soundtrack was originally created for the 173-minute U.S. version and, as such, portions of the full-length presentation intermittently revert to the Italian dialogue to the extent an English version was either not recorded or not preserved. It appears that some of the principal actors, including Helmut Berger in the lead role, spoke English during the shoot.[12] The limited edition disk set also included a booklet insert about the film and a number of featurettes about the film and its creative team.
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