Great film but... of it's time?

Reviewing a film 36 years after its release cries out for caution. I watched this film yesterday afternoon and although enjoyed the performances and of course, subject matter, felt quite a few nags - mostly based on this person's 2008 perspective on movie viewing.

Firstly the film is quite 'stagey'. Characters will stand, mostly two at a time, in drawing rooms and have long conversations with each other. The origin of their being there is soon second to the conversations - which are of course devices to extend character and motive. Thus we are in effect watching the film making itself - the wheels are grinding in front of us. One can often get lost in some of the great acting, costumes and sets, and so not notice this so much. But often the dialogue is far too obviously written to set scenes, so one begins to watch the film rather than the story.

The music. Visconti has rather a curious reputation as a director who has used music as a main part of his films, but seems unsympathetic to it's touches. 'Death in Venice' is a good example, Mahler's wonderfully emotive music is cut and pasted into scenes. Here in Ludwig the sweeps of Wagner will pipe into parts of the film like someone pressing play on a cd player. Then suddenly pressing stop. Wonderfully chosen music appears from nowhere, swamps whatever it is being played over, then abruptly stops. In a few cases it terminates abruptly and is replaced by another piece - so hideously jarring any mood that has been achieved.

The sets. The sets are wonderful - inside the castles and rooms. But outside the atmosphere is of parkland that could be anywhere. Ludwig II built castles on mountain tops in loveliest Bavaria! But the sweeps of the camera let it be felt that the locations could be in Pinewood! It takes some gross mis-use of ones own skill to allow the filming of actual scenes to feel as if it WASN'T being filmed on location!

And so... after reading my carping above, most would believe I didn't enjoy the film. I did! It felt long, but not over-long. And the complexities of the time, the protocols and politics were dealt with very well. And the acting was first class. I simply add and point out what I acknowledge at the beginning of my review - a 'fair' review of a film from a different era is difficult. So I seek not to be patronising in not highlighting these differences, or sweeping thenm under some carpet in pretending that in the early 1970s Visconti could not have achieved more. He could, but in the event - and certainly in this case, the film is still highly recommended and a valued historical aid to understanding, if anyone can, the minds and troubles of Ludwig II. And a great addition - as it is to mine, of one's film library.