Luchino Visconti¿s Complete Four Hour Masterpiece Digitally Restored and Re-Mastered! Director Luchino Visconti (The Leopard, Death in Venice) brings his famed majestic style to this lavish and operatic portrait of Ludwig II (Helmut Berger), the 19th century ¿mad king¿ of Bavaria. Tormented by his unrequited love for his cousin, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Romy Schneider), coupled with his obsession with the music of Wagner (Trevor Howard), Ludwig retreats into a fantasy world ¿ building fairytale castles and ultimately losing his already-fragile grip on his sanity. Featuring Over 2 Hours of Bonus Features: Luchino Visconti ¿Life as in a Romance¿, Documentary - Silvana Mangano ¿The Scent of Primroses¿ Documentary , Piero Tosi Interview with Carlo Lizzani