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Ma mentre la guerra imperversava nel paese, l'unica ossessione di Ludovico rimaneva la musica visionaria di Richard Wagner, che lo spinse a ritirarsi sempre di piu' dentro a un mondo di fantasia.Nel cast del film troviamo Romy Schneider, diventata famosa negli anni '50 per aver interpretato il ruolo della giovane imperatrice austriaca soprannominata "Sissi", nei panni di una piu' matura imperatrice, quasi a voler concludere la saga.
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Visconti’s 1972 film is a lavish and operatic portrait of Ludwig II, the ‘Mad King’ of Bavaria. From his glittering coronation to his mysterious suicide, Ludwig II (1845-86) epitomised the doomed nineteenth-century Romantic hero. A loner by nature, he was tormented by his unrequited love for his cousin, Empress Elisabeth of Austria. But as war raged around him, Ludwig’s sole obsession remained the visionary music of Richard Wagner, and he retreated more and more into a fantasy world. Romy Schneider, who in the 1950s had gained international stardom by playing the young Austrian Empress nicknamed ‘Sissi’, is here cast by Visconti as the more mature Elisabeth as if to finally bring the Sissi chapter to a close. Though devoted to her cousing, she knows that Ludwig must not love her, and consequently she steers him towards her sister. Italy/France/FRG 1972. 220 mins. Directed by Luchino Visconti. With Romy Schneider, Helmut Berger, Trevor Howard, Silvana Mangano. Italian with English subtitles.The film is included in the film series Tribute to Romy Schneider, organized by Ciné lumière / Institut français, Club des Femmes, German Films and the Goethe-Institut London. For more information please visit http://www.germanfilmfestival.co.uk/romy.html
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