Ludwig – Requiem for a Virgin King

Three norns introduce Ludwig as suffering from a curse, foretelling that he will be the last king of Bavaria. The curse casts a shadow over his reign from the outset, coloring how courtiers and rivals perceive him. It frames his life as a perpetual struggle between fate and a rapidly changing world.

Ludwig organises his court around personal infatuations and his own aesthetic preferences rather than traditional governance. He makes art and whimsy central to state life while opposing industrialization and the growth of mass society. His rule becomes a theatre of beauty more than a machine of politics.

He complains about painful teeth and behaves eccentrically at times. Yet he seeks contact with ordinary people to stay in touch with life beyond the court.

Early in his life he protects and finances Richard Wagner, providing crucial support. Wagner deeply appreciates the backing, even as others view the arrangement as scandalous and risky.

Elisabeth, Ludwig's cousin, sympathises with him and respects his temperament. She even compares him to Sitting Bull, highlighting his outsider status within court politics.

A group of ministers led by Luitpold plot to assassinate Ludwig in order to push through industrial reforms. They discuss how to remove him without triggering wider upheaval.

A Bavarian folk dance unfolds in the court as a cultural backdrop to political plans. Wagner discusses his future with the king, illustrating the composer-patron dynamic. In a jarring moment, Ernst Röhm and Adolf Hitler dance the rhumba, signaling the film's provocative juxtaposition of history.

Ludwig yields to Otto von Bismarck and agrees to Bavaria's incorporation into the German Empire. The move marks a dramatic shift away from Bavarian independence and the king’s anti-modern stance.

The conspirators discuss the mechanics of removing Ludwig and fear that the Bavarian monarchy itself could be jeopardized. Their dialogue reveals the tension between industrialization aims and traditional sovereignty.

A man of the people opposes the plan to kill Ludwig, challenging the moral and political premises of the coup. His stance complicates the conspirators' resolve and highlights concerns about legitimacy and public support.

Ludwig's financial debts are held against him and the press labels him insane. The narrative weaponizes his finances to undermine confidence in his leadership and justify opposition.

He admits that his struggle against the progressives has failed and concedes that change is coming. He hints that others will follow him, suggesting the futility of resisting a rising modern order.

The king is found drowned in an apparent suicide, ending his life under mysterious circumstances. The mysterious death fuels rumors and casts a pall over his legacy.

Ludwig's brother Otto becomes the new king, but Luitpold rules as Prince Regent due to Otto's mental illness. The discovery that Ludwig's debts were smaller than previously thought shifts the historical narrative around his governance.

Ludwig is taken to a guillotine and beheaded in the film's climactic finale. A peasant woman promises that he will return, while the scene closes with Ludwig standing on the guillotine surrounded by motorcyclists as he yodels.