Historical evocation of Ludwig, king of Bavaria, from his crowning in 1864 until his death in 1886, as a romantic hero. Fan of Richard Wagner, betrayed by him, in love with his cousin Elisabeth of Austria, abandoned by her, tormented by his homosexuality, he will little by little slip towards madness.
Production
Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee—Visconti got the real castles.
Cinematography
Every frame looks like a dying Pre-Raphaelite painting.
Costume
Pierò Tosi's 19th-century fashion porn is unmatched.
Director
Luchino Visconti
Helmut Berger
Ludwig
Romy Schneider
Elisabeth of Austria
Trevor Howard
Richard Wagner
Silvana Mangano
Cosima von Bülow
Gert Fröbe
Father Hoffmann
Helmut Griem
Dürckheim
Umberto Orsini
Count von Holnstein
John Moulder-Brown
Prince Otto
Sonia Petrovna
Sophie
Folker Bohnet
Joseph Kainz
Heinz Moog
Professor von Gudden
Adriana Asti
Lila von Buliowski
Marc Porel
Richard Hornig
Nora Ricci
Countess Ida Ferenczy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Visconti was literally dying while filming—diabetes, strokes, the works. He couldn't even attend the premiere. The film's decay mirrors his own body failing.
This was Romy Schneider's fourth time playing Elisabeth of Austria. She was so over it, but Visconti made her do it anyway. Her exhaustion reads as Elisabeth's boredom with Ludwig—accidental genius.
IT
