Your Account   Help   |   Your Basket: Empty   Checkout

 

Coming Soon      Bestsellers      Recommended      Special Offers      MovieMail Latest

MovieMailMovieMail HomeSingin
Home > World Cinema > Italy > Ludwig

Recommended Ludwig

Luchino Visconti, 1972

Star Review

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

Pasquale Iannone on 9th June 2006

View all 50 of Pasquale Iannone’s reviews

[ Show Film Description ]

Reviews

Share your thoughts - write a review

Film Stills - click to view in full

Image 3 Image 4

View all 4 film stills in full size

Related Genres

£12.99

Free Delivery on UK Orders!

Availability
This product should be despatched within 2 working days. Delivery times

Ratings for this DVD

Average Rating

4/5

Log in to place your vote!

DVD Extras
  • The Perfume of a Primrose: Silvana Mangano
  • Italian portraits: Suso Cecchi d'Amic
  • Documentary on Visconti (Carlos Lizzani).
Film Details

Director

Luchino Visconti

Year

1972

Country

Europe, Germany, Italy

Cast

Romy Schneider, Trevor Howard, Silvana Mangano, Helmut Berger

Technical Details

Certificate

PG

Length

245 mins

Label

INFART

Format

DVD Colour

Region

2

Aspect

2.35:1

Cat No

INF213

Main Language

ITALIAN

Subtitles

English

Customers who liked this also liked...

1963, Luchino Visconti, DVD

 

£15.99

RRP: £19.99
Save £4.00

Recommended The Leopard

A sumptuous masterpiece and a true epic based around an aristocratic Sicilian family threatened by political ...

More Details

 

See Alsos -
Handpicked recommendations of related films

MovieMail Latest

 

 

 

Monthly Film Catalogue

December Mini Film Catalogue The Digital Edition of our December Mini Film Catalogue is out now!

 

 

Films by Luchino Visconti

 

Films starring Romy Schneider

 

Films starring Trevor Howard

 

Films starring Silvana Mangano

 

 

 

 

 RSS Feeds | MovieMail Podcasts | December Mini Film Catalogue | Subscribe to our email newsletter!

Browse our Film catalogue: DVDs by Genre | DVDs by Country | DVDs by Director | DVDs by Actor

New Releases | Bestsellers | Recommended | Special Offers | MovieMail Latest

 

 

MovieMail use a Thawte certificate to ensure secure transmission of your information. Click here for for information HACKER SAFE certified sites prevent over 99.9% of hacker crime.

 

 

For questions or assistance email us at info@moviemail-online.co.uk or call us on 0844 776 0900 (UK residents) / +44 208 099 7084 (International)

© 1996-2008 MovieMail Ltd., All Rights Reserved. Find out more about MovieMail