San Francisco Public Library

Ludwig, Mega Film ; co-produced by Cinétel, Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion, and Divina-Film ; director, Luchino Visconti ; written by Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Enrico Medioli, and Luchino Visconti ; executive producer, Robert Gordon Edwards ; producers, Dieter Geissler and Ugo Santalucia

ita

videorecording

Ludwig

videorecording

1024082319

Mega Film ; co-produced by Cinétel, Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion, and Divina-Film ; director, Luchino Visconti ; written by Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Enrico Medioli, and Luchino Visconti ; executive producer, Robert Gordon Edwards ; producers, Dieter Geissler and Ugo Santalucia

497

Visconti's lavish portrait of Ludwig II, the 'Mad King' of Bavaria. From his glittering coronation to his mysterious suicide, Ludwig II (Helmut Berger) epitomised the doomed nineteenth-century Romantic hero. A loner by nature, he was tormented by his unrequited love for his cousin, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Romy Schneider), who sensed his true sexual nature and fragile grip on reality. But as war raged around him, Ludwig's sole obsession remained the visionary music of Richard Wagner (Trevor Howard), and he retreated more and more into a fantasy world, alarming his ministers through his irrational behaviour, neglect of state affairs and lavish expenditure on several fairytale castles. Judged unfit to rule, Ludwig was eventually declared insane

Disc 1. Theatrical version: Part one (126 minutes) ; Television version: Part one (48 minutes), part two (56 minutes), part three (53 minutes) -- Disc 2. Theatrical version: Part two (112 minutes); Television version: Part four (48 minutes, part five (54 minutes)

live action

Luchino Visconti's Ludwig