Synopsis
August 1715. After going for a walk, Louis XIV feels a pain in his leg. The next days, the king keeps fulfilling his duties and obligations, but his sleep is troubled and he has a serious fever. He barely eats and weakens increasingly. This is the start of the slow agony of the greatest king of France, surrounded by his relatives and doctors.
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Cast
- Jean-Pierre LéaudLouis XIV
- Patrick d'AssumçaoFagon, le médecin
- Marc SusiniBlouin, le valet de chambre
- Bernard BelinMareschal, le chirurgien
- Irène SilvagniMadame de Maintenon
- Vicenç AltaióLe Brun
- Jacques HenricPère Le Tellier
- Alain LajoinieLe Pelletier
- Olivier CadiotMédecin 1
- Philippe CrespeauMédecin 2
Recommendations
- 88
RogerEbert.com
The small but wonderfully rich details of the film invite us in: the trembling of a wrinkled cheek, the arch of an eyebrow, the flicker of a candle, and especially the superbly evocative sound design. - 83
The Film Stage
The Death of Louis XIV may be Serra’s clearest film in terms of formal patterns and his most mysterious in actual meaning. It depends on who you ask; to this writer, that’s a good thing. - 80
Screen Daily
It is the attention to detail and the refusal to compromise that allows Serra to create such a compelling, coherent vision. - 80
The New York Times
[Mr. Léaud's] riveting, and a little alarming. As for Mr. Serra, while he often enjoys playing the foppish provocateur in his interviews, his film is sober, meticulous and entirely convincing in its depiction of period and mortality. - 75
Slant Magazine
Catalan prankster Albert Serra's film ultimately emerges as a compact, improbably riveting viewing experience. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
By cataloging every spoon of food not eaten, every sip of water not swallowed and every sigh and every groan uttered, the myth becomes a man and the inherent paradox of being a divine ruler is revealed. - 70
Variety
The vividness of the realization — with a sound design that emphasizes every chew and tick of the clock — makes the movie continually engrossing. - 70
Village Voice
Delicately balanced between grandeur and absurdity, Serra's film maintains this tricky equilibrium largely thanks to the icon whose face fills the screen.
