The Rise of Louis XIV

G

1966

1h 40m

Biography

List

100%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

70%

Audience Score

250+ Ratings

This docudrama by Roberto Rossellini focuses on French king Louis XIV (Jean-Marie Patte). When the powerful de facto leader, Cardinal Mazarin (Silvagni), dies, youthful Louis seizes control of the country. Before long, the flamboyant ruler clashes with indulgent nobleman Nicolas Fouquet (Pierre Barrat) and lays out his plan to consolidate his power. Working closely with finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert (Raymond Jourdan), Louis XIV establishes a reign that continues for decades.

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Richard Brody

New Yorker

Rossellini deftly and briskly turns ideas into action...

Nov 21, 2020

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

Slant Magazine

Despite accusations of academic dryness, Louis XIV can be an almost overwhelmingly physical picture.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 12, 2009

Full Review

Paul Schrader

Los Angeles Free Press

Rossellini has created a monument to Louis in a film which stands as great as Versailles in architecture.

Jun 30, 2020

Full Review

A.S. Hamrah

n+1

Rossellini's moving camera keeps it lively even as he criticizes the kind of spectacle Louis uses to rule, the kind movies make of history.

Nov 29, 2018

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

The complex power study is a picture of clarity.

Rated: A

Jun 28, 2010

Full Review

Christopher Long

Movie Metropolis

... history writ small, a layering of subtle (and sometimes grueling) details that accumulate a mysterious gestalt power. The final product is a masterpiece, one of Rossellinis greatest achievements.

Rated: 9/10

Jul 25, 2009

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Audience Member

rossellini revolutionizes history

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

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Audience Member

It only really offers luscious set design and costume design, otherwise it's dull and frigid.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I get it, I get it... but can you make it NOT as boring? Well, I have something to compare it to and Russians do t better.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the most astounding films I've ever seen. Cinematic beauty

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Audience Member

One of Roberto Rossellini's made-for-TV dramas of the 1970's, a fascinating historical drama.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

A marvelous film by Rosselini that shows how a rightfully terrified young man went on the become the symbol for ABSOLUTE MONARCH. And of course France's bloated bureaucracy today is a legacy of Louis XIV. Rosselini should also have made a film about the British merchants who founded Hong Kong, which even under China seems to have no government at all.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

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Roberto Rossellini

Director

Jean-Marie Patte

King Louis XIV

Raymond Jourdan

Jean Baptiste Colbert

César Silvagni

Cardinal Mazarin

Katharina Renn

Anne d'Autriche

Dominique Vincent

Madame Du Plessis

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Synopsis

This docudrama by Roberto Rossellini focuses on French king Louis XIV (Jean-Marie Patte). When the powerful de facto leader, Cardinal Mazarin (Silvagni), dies, youthful Louis seizes control of the country. Before long, the flamboyant ruler clashes with indulgent nobleman Nicolas Fouquet (Pierre Barrat) and lays out his plan to consolidate his power. Working closely with finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert (Raymond Jourdan), Louis XIV establishes a reign that continues for decades.

Director: Roberto Rossellini
Rating: G
Genre: Biography
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 40m