Director: Albert Serra ● Starring: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Patrick d’Assumçao and Marc Susini.
Confined to his sumptuous chambers, Louis XIV – the “Sun King” – is fussed over by courtiers and valets. But there’s a worrying mark developing on his foot. To make matters worse, the finest minds in 18th-century medicine are at his service.
Léaud poignantly portrays the aged monarch’s world-weariness, with flashes of his old charisma and lust for life, and the sets, costumes and supporting cast are impeccably convincing.
A rich vein of dark humour complements the otherwise sombre tone of this fine account of Louis’s last days.
With one showing at 7.30pm ONLY.