August
1715. After going for a walk, Louis XIV feels a pain in his leg. The
next days, the king keeps fulfilling his duties and obligations, but his
sleep is troubled and he has a serious fever. He barely eats and
weakens increasingly. This is the start of the slow agony of the
greatest King of France from gangrene, surrounded by his doctors and
closest advisors, speaking in frantic, whispered tones about their
options, in an era in which little is known of such illnesses. Albert
Serra's new film, The Death of Louis XIV, is an adaptation of the Duc de
Saint-Simon’s memoirs, starring Jean-Pierre Léaud as the Sun-King. The
cult actor, who worked with all major directors from the Nouvelle Vague
after being discovered in Truffaut's The 400 Blows, plays the dying king
who can barely move from his bed in the Château de Versailles. His
relatives and his closest counselors come in turns at his bedside, but
he attends only a few meetings and can barely rule his kingdom. His
secret wife Madame de Maintenon, and his doctor Fagon dread his last
breath and try to hide it from the public, to preserve the future of France.
Shot in rich colour with extraordinary lighting, Jean-Pierre Léaud, in
his costume, hair and poses, fully embodies the last few days of the
longest serving king of France, who, with his seventy two years in power, changed the face of the monarchy and of France.
Directed by: Albert Serra
Written by: Albert Serra & Thierry Lounas
Cast: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Patrick d’Assumçao, Marc Susini and Irène Silvagni
Technical Details:
115 mins
RUNNING TIME
15
CERTIFICATE
2
REGION
French (with english subtitles)
LANGUAGE
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