Ludwig - Movie Clip - Tannhauser

Director Luchino Visconti brings his famed majestic style to this lavish and operatic portrait of Ludwig II (Helmut Berger), the 19th century ‘mad king’ of Bavaria.

DVD Info:http://www.kochlorberfilms.com/product.asp?ID=KLF-3087

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• bavaria
• berger
• helmut
• howard
• king
• luchino
• ludwig
• mad
• romy
• schneider
• trevor
• visconti

[KronprinzAdam]

He was not mad. In the 19th century, there was a movement called romanticism, in which art and literature played a great role. I will call Ludwig a romantic, because he identified with the heros of ancient tales of Central Europe (Lohengrin, for example), and Wagner was doing music for these tales. As far as I know, Ludwig was not the typical militaristic Kaiser, and people from Bavaria loved him. In comparison, Federick the Great, Bismark and Wilhem II were mad.

[vigwig]

This film was magic.

[windstorm1000]

@tnecklover R you a psychiatrist? I'm not either, But Aspergers APPEARS the wrong diagnosis. Ludwig had good non-verbal skills--(the lack of is one sign of A.'s). He was anti social, went on nocturnal rides, but these r not 'tight enough' 2 be strictly A.'s. His obsession w Wagner? There's millions of obsessed people, but that doe not mean they have A.'s. I was obsessed w James Dean--had more to do with my bi-polor--now THAT is something L. may have had . Or not. He was unusual.

[tnecklover]

@windstorm1000 The diagnosis did not exist in Ludwig's time. It explains why Ludwig was so obsessed with Wagner's operas and building those castles. I have read several biographies of Ludwig and know a thing or two about Asperger's and he showed too many of the signs of it for it to be a co-incidence.

[windstorm1000]

@tnecklover you don't know a lot. I've read 10 bios on Wagner and the King. You do some reading for a year, then come up with an educated statement,and I'll give you a little credit--till then....

[windstorm1000]

@mirandatruth And how do YOU know? Do you read his bio's, documents, films???

[windstorm1000]

@Rotebuehl1 Ludwig was gay--its well documented--so what--I agree!!! It partially made him the unique, creative person that he was. you can't blacken a person's memory by calling them gay--its who they are. Being cruel, a murderer, sure. There's always been gay people in the world since the cave man.

[windstorm1000]

@mirandatruth No, he was gay (but not mad)----there is much documentation for this. Gays are often creative and those castles are rare works of art.

[windstorm1000]

@KronprinzAdam You're right--Ludwig was far from mad--maybe eccentric. Yes, he was anti-military & democratic. He was a mystic in a dull world--his castles& his saving Wagner were genius. Those castles, by the way, r the top visitor attr's in Germany--bringing in 1000's of euros each year. The public can't get enough of their romantic aura--or of Ludwig. His imprisonment & death certainly will always be a stain on the Baverian gov.'t. But his legacy will forwever be with us.

[windstorm1000]

@vigwig No, it wasn't--except for Ms. Schneider and the production values--it really is a big bomb of a movie...wonders all over the place and Berger--though looking much like Ludwig--was really boring in the title role. Also the movie, curiously enough, did not cover enough of Ludwig's sexual life which would have given it more dramatic truth (strange considering Visconti was gay). 'Boring' film--I fell sleep watching it--and I LOVE Ludwig.

[melissa13699]

Well, regardless of the romantic relationship to madness, history has generally regarded Ludwig as mad. I think the point is also that it was considered "madness" to still be a romantic when the aristocracy was on the decline. He is viewed as clinging desperately to the past.

[KronprinzAdam]

@snothepro According to my information, he used his own family funds to build his castles. I think he was somewhat eccentric, but not dangerous at all. The dangerous ones ruled Berlin at that time.