The extraordinary life of King Ludwig II of Bavaria has over the decades provided inspiration for artists as diverse as Apollinaire, Montesquieu, Cocteau, Georges Kahn - and Luchino Visconti. In 1972, with his plans for an adaptation of Proust's ‘A la recherche du temps perdu’ definitively shelved, he embarked on an ambitious biopic of the castle-loving monarch starring his then partner Helmut Berger. Coming after The Damned and Death in Venice, it would be the final part of what has been called the director's 'German Trilogy'. During this period, Visconti was forced to defend himself against accusations that he had somehow betrayed the realism and social commitment of films such as Ossessione, La Terra Trema and Rocco and his Brothers. The 66 year-old director admitted he felt too old to confront the socio-political realities of contemporary Italy and was now exploring his own personal preoccupations.
In its full four-hour version, Ludwig is a highly accomplished, baroque epic, showcasing Visconti's meticulous eye for historical detail honed on films such as The Leopard and Death in Venice. Berger's central performance (moulded to perfection by Visconti) is undoubtedly the highlight of the actor's short, and otherwise unremarkable career. Romy Schneider, Trevor Howard and Silvana Mangano also provide excellent support. The film is pervaded by a sense of moral and intellectual decay characteristic of late-period Visconti with the figure of Ludwig standing undoubtedly as a reflection of the director's own distance from contemporary reality, and of Visconti's own unashamed aestheticism. Pasquale Iannone
From his glittering coronation in 1864 as King of Bavaria to his mysterious death, Ludwig II epitomised the doomed 19th century romantic hero. Tormented by an unrequited love for his cousin, obsessed with the music of Richard Wagner, Ludwig retreated more and more into a fantasy world as his neglect of state affairs increased.
The Leopard 
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Ludwig
