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
