Heavy hangs the head of the repressed homosexual and opera fanboy that wears the crown in the final major work from director Luchino Visconti. Featuring an all-star international cast (who, following the usual practice, are all painstakingly dubbed into Italian), this 1973 biopic of the so-called “mad king of Bavaria” successfully mixes 19th century European history and perhaps more than a touch of autobiography from Visconti — himself an openly gay aristocrat with a lifelong attachment to opera. “Ludwig” stars the aging director’s final companion, 28 year-old Helmut Berger, as the sympathetic, self-involved king who winds up spending way too much of his time and his nation’s wealth on an unrequited fantasy female love object (Romy Schneider, “What’s New Pussycat?”), his passion for the music and poetry of Richard Wagner (Trevor Howard), and ridiculously opulent castles to house what may or may not be all-male orgies. Naturally, his reign doesn’t exactly end on a high note.
Considering that Visconti was considered the founder of the real-time loving neorealist movement, and that this director’s cut clocks in at just under four hours, it’s no surprise that “Ludwig” feels at least an hour too long, particularly in the opening and closing sections. Nevertheless, the middle portions amply reward our patience, once Ludwig’s problems begin in earnest as Berger gradually devolves from the perfection of youth to a sadly seedy monarch cursed with teeth that would frighten the most inbred of English nobility. This somber extravaganza requires some patience, but its tragedy, horror, and beauty makes it worth the investment.
