The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II
2013 · 59 MIN · IMDB 7.9 · 86 VOTES · DIR. Alexander Leith
Overview
Ludwig II of Bavaria, more commonly known by his nicknames the Swan King or the Dream King, is a legendary figure - the handsome boy-king, loved by his people, betrayed by his cabinet and found dead in tragic and mysterious circumstances. He spent his life in pursuit of the ideal of beauty, an ideal that found expression in three of the most extraordinary, ornate architectural schemes imaginable - the castle of Neuschwanstein and the palaces of Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. Today, these three buildings are among Germany's biggest tourist attractions. Dan Cruickshank explores the rich aesthetic of Ludwig II - from the mock-medievalism of Neuschwanstein, the iconic fairytale castle that became the inspiration for the one in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty, to the rich Baroque splendour of Herrenchiemsee, Ludwig's answer to Versailles. Dan argues that Ludwig's castles are more than flamboyant kitsch and are, in fact, the key to unravelling the eternal enigma of Ludwig II.
Dialogue Timeline — 702 lines
A SAMPLE ACROSS THE RUNTIME — EVERY LINE IS SEARCHABLE
00:00:03 Bavaria.
00:03:26 on the site of a medieval ruin.
00:06:12 so Maximilian saw it this way, the Bavarians saw it this way.
00:08:54 The scale and imagery of Hohenschwangau is extraordinary.
00:11:27 Wagner was 50 years old. Ludwig was 18.
00:14:23 And when he needed detailed drawings
00:17:14 part of Germanic myth, the story, the legend
00:19:47 animals, the world we inhabit.
00:21:40 So, an incredible world, isn't it? Below, ancient beauty.
00:25:26 After Neuschwanstein, this palatial villa
00:27:42 the world of Louis XIV.
00:30:16 there was a blossoming of the arts in Bavaria.
00:32:29 Here is the lake and there, on the back wall
00:35:27 on which Ludwig would have sat.
00:37:48 The dream of German unification would happen
00:40:09 What's amazing about this, of course, is that
00:42:06 dispensing power, giving audiences
00:44:06 which at 98 metres is somewhat larger than the original.
00:46:33 And here the dining table is small. Just seats four people, really.
00:48:38 but as the Moon King, a dark reflection of his hero.
00:51:47 in public appearances or matters of state.
00:54:32 Did Ludwig attempt suicide, killing his psychiatrist
00:56:57 "He's spending so much money on art or architecture."
10:18:06 Ludwig became King of Bavaria.