Spine 456: The Taking of Power by Louis XIV
Lost in Criterion
English - June 11, 2021 14:13 - 1 hour - 71.9 MB - ★★★ - 42 ratingsTV & Film Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
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Is Roberto Rossellini's French television biopic of Louis XIV an attack on the aristocracy or a treatise of the loneliness of being king? Is it an examination of the excesses that led to the Revolution or a celebration of the founding of modern France? It's a little complicated, possibly because Rossellini came to the project late into pre-production and did what he could with material he didn't really agree with. Of course whatever its intended message, applying the techniques of Italian neorealism to a period piece makes for a fascinating and interesting film.