Roberto Rossellini’s La Prise de Pourvoir par Louis XIV (The Rise of Louis XIV), produced in 1966, stands as likely the most realistic portrayal of court life in renaissance Europe ever filmed. It is education, obviously, but highly entertaining as well. With gorgeous cinematography in magnificent settings, this film will hold your interest straight through.

Historical Background: Roberto Rossellini was a trend setter as a filmmaker but never felt compelled to stand by his own trends indefinitely. His films date from the beginning of the 1940’s but he first made his mark on the industry with Open City, a film about the Italian resistance using footage of actual actions undertaken by resistance fighters in Rome. Open City is often cited as the film that inaugurated the Italian film movement that became known as Neorealism. Rossellini followed that remarkable success with another in 1946, Paisan, that portrayed the allied liberation of Sicily through a series of vignettes. The Rise of Louis XIV, by contrast, was from the last phase of Rossellini’s career, when he had turned to making epic films for television. This is perhaps the best of the films from this late phase of Rosselini’s work. He died in 1977.

The importance of Louis XIV (1638-1715) as an historic figure can hardly be overstated. He succeeded to the throne at age five but during his minority, France was effectively governed by Cardinal Jules Mazarin, who served as prime minister from 1643 until his death in 1661. Louis married in 1660 to Marie Thérèse, the daughter of Philip IV of Spain, but pursued affairs for years with a number of women of his court. After Mazarin’s death, Louis surprised the nobility by declaring his intention to act thereafter as his own prime minister. The principal theme of his reign and the present film parallels that explored in Eisenstein’s biographical film Ivan the Terrible (see my review at Eisenstein: The Sound Years), namely, consolidation of power in the central monarchy at the expense of the aristocracy. Interestingly, the results were similar in each case. Centralization of power benefited the masses of each country initially and brought Russia (in Ivan’s case) and France (in Louis’s instance) into international prominence and a modernized standing. The arts were benefited in each country by the power vested in the central court. With full consolidation of power, however, both Ivan and Louis engaged in reckless international adventurism, involving their respective countries in destructive conflicts and losing war efforts that resulted in slaughter of countless soldiers and, ultimately, national impoverishment.

As a personality, however, there is no denying that Louis personified royal brilliance. He became known as the “Sun King” because of the majestic glamour of his court. He used image and fashion in a way that is today more characteristic of film stars and rock idols to become the focal point of all activities within France. Louis became The State in a way few rulers have ever been. Over the course of his 72 year reign, he took a country that was in shambles, created a golden era of financial reform, modernization, and artistic expression, and then, finally, left his country in shambles once again at the end of the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714). He reigned for so long a period of time that is was his great-grandson, Louis XV (1710-1774) who ultimately succeeded him followed by his triple-great-grandson, Louis XVI (1754-1793), who married Marie Antoinette. The inability of these successors to restore the finances or power of France or to improve the lot of the peasants led directly to the French Revolution in which Louis XVI lost his head to the guillotine.

The Story: In contrast to most film biographies, The Rise of Louis XIV covers the early years of the subject’s life rather than either the height of his power and accomplishments or the end-phase of his life. In fact, Louis does not appear in the film until perhaps 20 minutes into it. The opening centers on the death of Louis’s prime minister, Mazarin, and the posturing and positioning of the most powerful noblemen, who presume that the young King will be relatively easy to manipulate.

Instead, Louis assumes the reigns of State himself, out-maneuvering his competitors for power and consolidating all authority to himself. He even resists pressuring from his own mother. He has his chief rival, Fouque, arrested and imprisoned. Yet his most decision action is to redesign the court so as to keep the nobility at hand, looking to himself in all matters. “Every faction should look to me as all nature looks to the sun,” he says. By the time he has completed his masterpiece of illusion, he has a court that bows obsequiously as he alone works his way through a fourteen course dinner or stands quietly waiting while he takes his mistress into the woods for a quickie. Louis learned how to keep them all so fully occupied in watching his extravagant lifestyle that they had no time to meddle in the affairs of State. Ritual became the foundation of his power. Louis literally choreographed an empire.

Themes: As befits a consummate documentarian, Rossellini takes no position on the events that he portrays. We observe how artfully Louis XIV achieves his great consolidation of power through manipulation of the fashion of the day, but we are left to decide for ourselves whether this concentration of power was for better or for worse. Both sides of the argument are there for the discerning viewer. We see the power of the aristocracy reigned in and, with that, their abuses of the peasantry. We also see Louis gradually become an egomaniac and abuser of power, as the final vestiges of any countervailing power disappear.

Production Values: Rossellini set a standard for film biographies and epic period pieces with The Rise of Louis XIV that has seldom been equaled. Drawing on his experience with documentary and realism in filmmaking, he produced a film that has the feel of utter authenticity. The lovely color cinematography is superb as well. Rossellini spared no expense to achieve authenticity, integrating the actual edifice at Versailles through trick photography. All of the performers were amateurs with minimal acting experience in films. The lines are delivered matter-of-factly as they might have been spoken by the original characters of the 17th century. Jean-Marie Patte is completely convincing in his depiction of the great King.

One of the most ingenious devices of this film is the way in which the film stylistically recapitulates its subject matter. When the film begins, with Cardinal Mazarin on his deathbed, we see nothing of Louis – as did France. He played no role in public affairs while Mazarin was alive. As he works to consolidate power, we observe his various activities. The final segment of the film, however, concerns itself almost entirely with the pomp and ceremony of Louis’s court. Which is precisely as Louis wanted it. He implemented his system of style, elegance, and extravagance precisely so that the eyes of all of France would remained glued on him, so that he would become the focal point of all power. It is entirely appropriate that we, as viewers, should be similarly mesmerized by the outward trappings of his regal attire and manners and forget all about what he was simultaneously promulgating in the way of political decisions. In the end, we have become the courtiers, watching in rapt awe as Louis dresses and undresses or devours a fourteen course meal in which every movement is perfectly orchestrated to place Louis in the center as the sole object of attention.

Bottom-Line: This is one of the best non-English language biographies ever produced. I recommend it highly to those with an interest in authentic portrayal of history. The Rise of Louis XIV is in French with English subtitles. It has a running time of 100 minutes and is rated “G.”

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12