His first official act is a lavish support for the inspired but indebted composer Richard Wagner, who settled in Munich after Ludwig's request.

Ludwig wants Bavaria to stay neutral in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, but his cabinet has another opinion and they eventually support the Austrian's loser's side.

Ludwig ignores the war and stays in his castle, much to the irritation of his younger brother Otto and his close confidant Count Dürckheim.

Luchino Visconti, who was a distant relative of Ludwig II through Margarete von Bayern and Federico I Gonzaga, was fascinated by the story of the loner and esthete monarch and saw him as "the last absolutist ruler who preferred to rule with art rather than politics".

While most of the German-speaking cast dubbed their own lines for the German release, Helmut Berger was replaced by a different actor due to his Austrian accent.

In the documentary The Life and Times of Count Luchino Visconti, screenwriter Enrico Medioli claimed the illness was caused by the sudden transition from the cold of the Austrian countryside to the heat of the Cinecittà soundstages.

Rather than an original score, the film uses pre-existing orchestral pieces by Richard Wagner (excerpts from Lohengrin, Tristan und Isolde, and Tannhäuser), Jacques Offenbach, and Robert Schumann.

The film had the distinction of featuring a performance by Franco Mannino[3] of the previously unpublished original piano composition by Wagner, Elegie in A Flat Major.

[5] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote "Perhaps only Visconti, who seems obsessed with the gloomy side of decadence, could have made Ludwig II of Bavaria seem boring.

"[6] Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote "Visconti has been such an intelligent film maker in the past that it's difficult to believe that Ludwig could be quite as bereft of ideas as it is.

Jonathan Romney for Film Comment wrote that "this full-length Ludwig... feels today like a painting whose images and forms can be at least freshly recognized.

"[8] Bilge Ebiri wrote that "Built mostly around medium close-ups and dark interiors, the film creates a sense of isolation that matches the lead character's own state of mind.

The distributors feared controversy and, without consent by Visconti and without consulting him, cut another 55 minutes from the premiere version, reducing the film to two hours.

Elements that had been censored from some earlier releases, such as allusions to Ludwig's homoerotic longing and occasional glimpses of male nudity, are included in Arrow's home video restoration.

In addition to the Italian language soundtrack, the Arrow release optionally includes the film's English audio for the first time on home video.