Historical evocation of Ludwig, king of Bavaria, from his crowning in 1864 until his death in 1886, as a romantic hero. Fan of Richard Wagner, betrayed by him, in love with his cousin Elisabeth of Austria, abandoned by her, tormented by his homosexuality, he will little by little slip towards madness.
Helmut Berger
as Ludwig
Romy Schneider
as Elisabeth of Austria
Trevor Howard
as Richard Wagner
Silvana Mangano
as Cosima von Bülow
Gert Fröbe
as Father Hoffmann
Helmut Griem
as Dürckheim
Izabella Telezynska
as Queen Mother
Umberto Orsini
as Count von Holnstein
John Moulder-Brown
as Prince Otto
Sonia Petrovna
as Sophie
Folker Bohnet
as Joseph Kainz
Heinz Moog
as Professor von Gudden
