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The Death of Louis XIV

Play trailer Poster for The Death of Louis XIV 2017 1h 50m History Drama Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 54 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Upon returning from a hunting expedition, King Louis XIV feels a sharp pain in his leg. He begins to die, surrounded by loyal followers in the royal chambers.
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The Death of Louis XIV

The Death of Louis XIV

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Critics Consensus

The Death of Louis XIV will frustrate viewers out of sync with its deliberate pace, but those with the patience to settle in may be rewarded with a thoughtful, finely detailed drama.

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Critics Reviews

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Ela Bittencourt Frieze 08/08/2018
In the final scenes,... the painterly mise-en-scene and cinematography - golden and ochre hews, Venetian reds, soft camera focus and the glowing whiteness of doctors' caftans, illumined by multiple light sources a la Vermeer - turn death into a feast. Go to Full Review
Simon Crook Empire Magazine 07/17/2017
4/5
Serra's sad, stately, haunting addition to the slow-cinema genre doubles up as both an intimate study of the Sun King's death and a requiem for Europe's fading arthouse scene. Go to Full Review
Simran Hans Observer (UK) 07/16/2017
4/5
Flashes of comedy soon give way to an atmosphere of quiet, inevitable tragedy. Go to Full Review
Dustin Chang ScreenAnarchy 07/17/2020
The irony of the king's death is heightened by its straightforward presentation and procedural approach. The Death of Louis XIV is a very singular formalist filmmaking in its highest order. Go to Full Review
Laura Davis One Room With A View 03/01/2019
4/5
Serra's representation of a king as prisoner within his own body neatly subverts the tropes of historical dramas about royalty. Go to Full Review
Tanner Tafelski Hyperallergic 10/25/2018
Set almost exclusively in Louis' bedchamber, the film is both boring and riveting, grand and minimal. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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12/14/2020 Anyone willing to stick through this movie should see a doctor and get your head checked just awful See more 01/23/2018 This was listed as one of the best movies 0f 2017 and was interesting. King Louis XIV is the longest ruling monarch in European history and even he had to die. This is about his last two weeks, mostly in bed, and, of course, all in French. (It was a rainy cold day!) See more 05/08/2017 Serra and Leaud collude to portray suffering as the unseen protagonist - the suffering of the King and the suffering of the audience. The dark scene, the plodding drawn out agony of the King, and the subtle but evocative performance of Leaud are at once boring and fascinating. Finally, in a film devoid of the background music that instructs the audience how it ought to feel, a dramatic up-swell of Mozart seems to herald the end we've all been waiting for. Leaud stares directly into the camera, panting, suffering, while Mozart demands that our hearts race, that tension builds... for no reason. The King isn't dead yet. Suffering will not even pay heed to Mozart. To be brief, this film was fantastic. If you adore sumptuous, over dramatic, corset rippers, you will probably hate it. It was the kind of organic, realistic, portrayal of European nobility that is so lacking in so many popular franchises (I'm looking at you Tudors and Versailles). I wish there was more. See more 03/31/2017 Painterly but completely claustrophobic as we inch our way through the agonizing death spiral of Louis XIV. Why? For a few kernels of period quackery. See more 03/14/2017 On the end of an absolute monarch and the advent of modern day medecine. On the gap between interpersonal human empathy and public, political interests. See more Read all reviews
The Death of Louis XIV

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Movie Info

Synopsis Upon returning from a hunting expedition, King Louis XIV feels a sharp pain in his leg. He begins to die, surrounded by loyal followers in the royal chambers.
Director
Albert Serra
Screenwriter
Albert Serra, Thierry Lounas
Distributor
Cinema Guild
Production Co
Doco Digital
Genre
History, Drama, Biography
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 31, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 22, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$43.6K
Runtime
1h 50m
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