Ludwig II (1973)

Ludwig II: Directed by Luchino Visconti. With Helmut Berger, Romy Schneider, Trevor Howard, Silvana Mangano. The reign of the tormented Ludwig, king of Bavaria, from 1864 to 1886.

“Luchino Viscontiu0026#39;s masterpiece – beautifully restored to the full 4 hours+ length on dvd in Germany – is breathtaking due to the Maestrou0026#39;s imprints alone. We see lush castleu0026#39;s, gold glitter, men in black or silver talking morals, and persons fighting their destiny … and loose. Ludwig has something extra though: never seen the 110% Englishman Trevor Howard better as the very German Richard Wagner. And words will never be enough for yet another brilliant role of Romy Schneider, portraying Elisabeth rather than her renowned Sissy here.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe sheer brilliance of Visconti comes to light with the performance of Helmut Berger. Quite known as an actor in both Italy and the German speaking territories, he really goes above and beyond in his role as King Ludwig, the boy destined to drown in himself as a man.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePlease do not miss this superb film, even though the bilingual (Italian-German) DVD of Kinowelt/Arthaus silly enough doesnu0026#39;t give any English subtitles.”