Accessibility Links
Skip to Main Content
Skip to Main Navigation
Skip to Footer
Magazine subscription offer
Holidays
Money
Newsletters
RT shop
RT Puzzles
Sign In
Register
Sign In
Register
Settings
Sign out
My account
On TV
On TV
Now
On TV
Tonight
Search
On TV
On TV
Now
On TV
Tonight
TV Guide
News
News
View all News
Drama
Entertainment
Sci-Fi
Fantasy
Sport
Documentary
Film
On Demand
On Demand
View all On Demand
Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
Soaps
Soaps
View all Soaps
Coronation Street
EastEnders
Emmerdale
Hollyoaks
Streaming
Streaming
View all Streaming
Disney+
Apple TV+
UKTV Play
Britbox
Netflix
Amazon
NOW TV
Sky Box Sets
Film
Film
View all Film
Film news
Film picks
Sport
Radio
Mag Offer
Magazine subscription offer
Holidays
Money
Newsletters
RT shop
RT Puzzles
The Death of Louis XIV
Albert Serra
(2016)
115min
12A Certificate
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Pinterest
Share on Reddit
Email to a friend
Review
Our Score
by
David Parkinson
Presenting the poster boy of the nouvelle vague, Jean-Pierre Léaud, as the ailing Sun King, this is less a re-creation of an historical event than a lament for the passing of traditional forms of cinema. Originally conceived as a Pompidou Centre installation, Albert Serra's grimly droll treatise on human frailty, superstition, Reason and the nature of power centres on a supine Louis XIV (Jean-Pierre Léaud), as his 72-year reign creeps towards its close while his senior doctor, Fagon (Patrick d'Assumçao), tries to reassure the monarch and his fawning courtiers that his condition is not terminal and will not be improved by imbibing the elixir containing frog fat and bull's sperm that has been concocted by Marseilles quack Le Brun (Vicenç Altaió). Working with three digital cameras and limited lighting, Jonathan Ricquebourg exquisitely captures the textures and colours in Sebastian Vogler's opulent sets. But the emphasis is firmly on the corporeal, as Serra dwells upon Léaud's pained expressions and the gangrenous black spots on his leg, as he strives to retain his regal dignity to the bitter end.
Cast & Crew
Louis XIV
Jean-Pierre Léaud
Dr Fagon
Patrick D'Assumçao
Blouin
Marc Susini
Maréchal, surgeon
Bernard Belin
Madame de Maintenon
Irène Silvagni
Le Brun
Vicenc Altaió
Director
Albert Serra
see more
Other Information
Language:
French +subtitles
Colour
Theatrical distributor:
New Wave Films
Released on:
14 Jul 2017
Full Episode Guide
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest News
Meet the cast of All Creatures Great and Small
3h ago
Where is All Creatures Great and Small filmed?
3h ago
Here's how the new All Creatures Great and Small builds on the original books and TV series
3h ago
Exclusive – Watch the first trailer for Temple season 2 starring Mark Strong
4h ago