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Ludwig

Ludwig

Drama · History · 1973

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.

Movie details

Ludwig

“Ludwig. He loved women. He loved men. He lived as controversially as he ruled. But he did not care what the world thought. He was the world.”

1973 Drama · History 3h 59m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.4 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Ludwig?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Luchino Visconti

Written by

Enrico Medioli · Luchino Visconti · Suso Cecchi d'Amico

Helmut Berger

Helmut Berger

Ludwig

Romy Schneider

Romy Schneider

Elisabeth of Austria

Trevor Howard

Trevor Howard

Richard Wagner

Silvana Mangano

Silvana Mangano

Cosima von Bülow

Gert Fröbe

Gert Fröbe

Father Hoffmann

Helmut Griem

Helmut Griem

Dürckheim

I

Izabella Telezynska

Queen Mother

Court is in session

Put Ludwig on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.