1955 or this version?

Ludwig might be my favorite film by Visconti, with Death in Venice following closely behind.

No point in comparing Helmut Kautner's 1955 film Ludwig II to this one. They're linked by subject matter, but only in the barest terms. Kauntner's cinematography is immaculate, but the story treatment is more abbreviated and often merely historical; it is to the King's sexuality and sensibility what Cabaret's was to that of I Am a Camera. Still, I like the sweep given Bavaria, the presentation of royal formality and the artifices of the film's structure, which is itself part of an earlier time.

Visconti's film is suffused with decadence, loss of context, alienated sexuality and the moribund, self-demolishing aspects of late Romantic style. The pacing can be difficult for modern audiences, but the depiction of helplessly fecund eccentricity and tragic intoxication are worth it. Visconti also finds ways to epitomize Ludwig's identification with Louis XIV, and the devastating disconnection from appearances and responsibilities which ultimately harmed both men and marks their most affecting parallel (beyond the obvious).

There is nothing better than visiting Hohenschwangau (imagine growing up there!) and being introduced to the Neuschwanstein from that vantage. The castle is an ode to neo-medieval romanticism, a dithyramb of fairy-tale spires and Swan-Knight-inflected convolutions. Likewise, it is an unforgettable experience to ascend the steps of the Herrenchiemsee, with its rococo whorls only accessible -- like Ludwig's personality -- if you choose to cross opaque waters. But it is the Linderhof, with its hall of endless mirrors, and, particularly, Ludwig's beloved swan-boat and the impossible Venus Grotto, which Visconti uses most memorably to convey the Mad King's descent into a maze of tortured beauty.

Can you tell which of the two films I liked best? Well, now you know.