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The Death of Louis XIV
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Wikipedia article
'The Death of Louis XIV' is a 2016 historical drama film directed by Albert Serra and starring Jean-Pierre Laud. Set in 1715, it depicts the final days of Louis XIV of France. The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2016. It was released in France on 2 November 2016.
Plot
Louis XIV lies in his bed. Because of the gangrene, his foot becomes blackened.
Cast
Production
Director Albert Serra and producer Thierry Lounas wrote the screenplay for the film. Jean-Pierre Laud played the lead role. For the film, Albert Serra did not have any rehearsals. Filming took place in the surroundings of the Chteau de Hautefort in 2015. It took 15 days to shoot the film in total.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2016. It was released in France on 2 November 2016.
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 56 reviews, and an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "'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." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".Boyd van Hoeij of 'The Hollywood Reporter' called the film "[Albert Serra's] most accessible work to date." Glenn Kenny of 'The New York Times' wrote, "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." Ben Kenigsberg of 'Variety' wrote, "As minimalist as Serra's films can be, they are rarely boring, and often given to wry wit."
Peter Bradshaw of 'The Guardian' gave the film 5 out of 5 stars, writing, "At 73, Jean-Pierre Laud gives what could be the performance of his career as Louis XIV." Allan Hunter of 'Screen International' also commented that "It is easily the actor's best role and most noteworthy performance in some time."
Accolades
References
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