Ludwig

Luchino Visconti's Ludwig traces the life of Bavaria's King Ludwig II from his coronation in 1864 to his death in 1886. Young and romantic, Ludwig takes the throne intending to rule as an enlightened patron of the arts, and his first acts include bringing Richard Wagner to Munich with generous support. The composer's presence ends badly, and Ludwig comes to feel betrayed by the man he championed. His attachment to his cousin Elisabeth, Empress of Austria, remains unfulfilled, and his position within a constitutional monarchy and a ceremonial court leaves him increasingly isolated as his inner life and his grip on reality come apart.

Visconti directed and co-wrote the film with Enrico Medioli and Suso Cecchi d'Amico, working with producer Ugo Santalucia and a credited cast of thirty-eight. It was the thirteenth of the fifteen films he directed, following Death in Venice and preceding Conversation Piece. Helmut Berger plays Ludwig, Romy Schneider appears as Elisabeth, and Trevor Howard, Silvana Mangano, Gert Fröbe and Helmut Griem fill out the principal roles.

The production, a German, Italian, Monegasque and French co-production, cost about 12 million dollars and runs over four hours. On IMDb it holds 7.5 from around 6,500 votes, and on TMDB 7.5 from 194 votes. A critics' rating of 3.9 from twelve reviews places it well below those audience scores.