A string of masterpieces behind him – including Ossessione, Senso, The Leopard and Death in Venice – the great Italian director Luchino Visconti turned his attentions to the life and death of King Ludwig II of Bavaria in 1972, resulting in an epic of 19th century decadence. Dominated by Helmut Berger (The Damned, The Bloodstained Butterfly) in the title role, Ludwig nevertheless manages to find room for an impressive cast list: Romy Schneider (reprising her Elisabeth of Austria characterization from the Sissi trilogy), Silvana Mangano (Bitter Rice), Gert Fröbe (Goldfinger), John Moulder-Brown (Deep End) and Trevor Howard (Brief Encounter) as Richard Wagner. As opulent as any of Visconti’s epics – Piero Tosi’s costume design was nominated for an Academy Award – Ludwig is presented here in its complete form in accordance with the director’s wishes.
Bonus Materials
- 2K restoration from the original film negative
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Two viewing options: the full-length theatrical cut or as five individual parts
- Original Italian soundtrack with optional English subtitles
- Original English soundtrack with optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Interview with actor Helmut Berger
- Interview with producer Dieter Geissler
- Luchino Visconti, an hour-long documentary portrait of the director by Carlo Lizzani (Wake Up and Kill, Requiescant) containing interviews with Burt Lancaster, Vittorio Gassman, Francesco Rosi, Claudia Cardinale and others
- Speaking with Suso Cecchi d’Amico, an interview with the screenwriter
- Silvana Mangano: The Scent of a Primrose, a half-hour portrait of the actress
- Theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring two choices of original poster artwork
