All language subtitles for Ludwig (1973) Part2 EN

The staging of Richard Wagner's
Tristan

in June 1865

cost a fortune to the State.

To that unwise spending, we should add
the King's personal expenses

to receive in an adequate way
Empress Elisabeth

who instead decided not to attend.

And in doing so, she signaled
to everyone her disapproval.

(♪ WAGNER: "Tristan & Isolde",
Liebestod)

I hate having anyone wait for me.

And I hate to disappoint people,

arousing false hopes.

I had no hopes.
You didn't come to the theater

and I was sure
you wouldn't come here.

It was a triumph.

You should have seen it.

The audience applauded
for hours, it seemed.

When Wagner appeared on stage,
he said...

I wish I could remember
the exact words.

He said,
"Like Tristan and Isolde who drink..."

- How much did it all cost?
- What?

Everything - Wagner, the conductor,

the conductor's family,

a house for Wagner,
for the conductor, for his family.

Why do you ask me this?

What does it matter?
It was a triumph.

A triumph(!)
Triumphs are quickly forgotten.

Royals may have aroused
the fiercest criticism,

but here criticism started
even before the triumphs.

You, of all people,

worry about the malicious criticism
of the public?

Yes, when it is deserved.

What is your ambition?

To go down in history
thanks to Richard Wagner?

Like my mother-in-law
with her ridiculous painters?

If your Richard Wagner
is as great as you say,

then he doesn't need you.

Your pathetic friendship

only gives you the illusion
of having created something.

Just as I give you
the illusion of love.

You cannot stay alone.

You want me to be
your impossible love

to justify yourself somehow.

You need help I cannot give you.

Marry.

Marry Sophie.

But... I have never loved
another woman than you.

Love is a duty also.

And your duty is to face reality.

Forget your dreams.

Rulers like us
have nothing to do with history.

We are only a display.

History will forget us.

Unless someone makes us
seem important by assassinating us.

(♪ Plays delicate, lyrical waltz
from "La Périchole" by Jacques Offenbach)

That's the music
the German people like, not mine.

Not a day goes by now

without some attack on me
in the Munich papers.

Stop reading them.

I shall give orders to keep
the newspapers away from you.

You should forbid me
to leave the house as well.

People insult me in the street.

I really would like
to keep you prisoner,

because then I would know
you were working -

for yourself and for me.

Sometimes I wonder
if my strength will last.

I must, at least, have faith in you.

I think sometimes
it's life itself I fear.

Or life as it was
before I met Your Majesty.

Now, as Your Majesty can see,

we've done away with the boxes -
the house is like an amphitheater.

The audience is one ideal
community with no divisions or rank.

And the orchestra is
well below the stage.

But I can show you that more clearly
in another drawing.

And the lighting is entirely new.

The spectator will be able
to concentrate on the stage.

We must be able to plunge the house
into total darkness.

How many seats will there be?

1 ,500...
Yes, perhaps 1 ,700.

Semper will go into all that later.

I should like to have
at least 2,000,

but the cost...

No doubt they'll finally decide on
a much smaller theater,

or cancel the whole project.

Why do you say that?

Because that's the way it will end,
I feel sure.

Just think of the talk
the performance of Tristan caused.

I can imagine the comments

when the construction
of a new theater is announced.

They'll all behave
as if they're being robbed.

They will want to arrest me.

It's impossible to work
for such and ignorant public.

Great thinkers
have always acknowledged

the importance of music
to a nation.

But here,
they talk only of waste of money.

They count every pfennig.

This much for the tenor,
for the soprano, the orchestra.

Such criticism isn't censure.
They have another paramount.

It's bloody stupidity!

Forgive me, Sire, but
Tristan's success gave me such joy.

Such hope.

Now these vulgar attacks
are ruining everything.

They're affecting Your Majesty too.

You are troubled, sad,
without enthusiasm.

I? No, no, that's not it.

How can you think that?

If you weren't here with me,
I would be in despair.

You, my salvation.

My only comfort.

I am putting all my strength
into the building of this theater.

All of my love.

Forgive me for disturbing you,
but it is getting dark

and poor Fanny did not dare
come and light the lamps.

She asked my help.

Oh, no, you must forgive us.

- May I have the honor of serving tea?
- Yes, thank you.

How are you today, Maestro?

- Were you able to rest a bit?
- Mmm.

- Milk, Your Majesty?
- Thank you.

- Have you been unwell?
- No, no. Nothing.

Why wasn't I informed?

Thank you.

- I could have waited until tomorrow
- I am quite well.

That is not true.

Anyone with sensitive nerves like me
has their ups and downs.

I have had headaches
for years.

This was not just a headache.

I don't see why His Majesty
shouldn't know the state of your health.

Please,

I want you to tell me the truth
about the Maestro's illness.

I have told you the truth.

No!

No.

Well... I can speak as a someone
who has lived in daily communication

with the Maestro
only for a short time,

but my impressions are the same
as my husband's,

who is the Maestro's great friend
and collaborator.

It's true, the Maestro has always
suffered from nervous strain,

but recently it has got worse.

In addition to his headaches,
he has insomnia, and...

Well, I'm quite concerned.

But I think medicine
can do little in such cases.

The real reason for the anxiety
must be found and eradicated.

I've told him not to worry about those
scandal sheets. They're not worth it.

Forgive me, Sire, but it is not
that criticism which upsets Maestro.

It's not the uncertainty
of the theater project either.

He is worried about the future.

About his inability to settle
a painful situation

which has haunted him for too long.

Some debts made in the past...
Forgive me, dear Maestro.

His Majesty asked for my opinion,
I must give it to him honestly.

All those worries are past now.

- I am here.
- Of course, Your Majesty!

But... I must admit
that the Maestro is right.

When one is a guest,

one cannot enjoy absolute security.

But the Maestro is not a guest.

He receives a stipend
like any collaborator.

Like the most valued of collaborators.

Of course.
Why are we discussing such things?

Because they are things you mention
often and think of constantly.

- Why not explain them to His Majesty?
- Madame von Bülow!

One of these days I must meet
Madame von Bülow privately.

She will become my ally.

She will tell me how
I can set my friend's mind at rest.

Please, please stay.
I know the way.

Give me the pleasure of feeling
I'm at home here.

I will see His Majesty out.

I can tell you now
what the Maestro needs.

The request he means to send
to Your Majesty in a letter, I believe,

so my husband told me.

The Maestro would like to have
at his disposal a sum

that would allow him
to settle his old debts

and feel confident about the future.

Otherwise,
he would prefer to leave Munich.

Oh, no! No... no.

He would require 200,000 gulden.

- 200,000?
- Gulden.

Part of the amount could be given him
in cash

and the rest in the form of interest
in monthly payments.

I would have to ask for a loan
from the State Treasury

And it would have to be approved
by Pfistermeister and Von der Pfordten.

I will send the Maestro an answer.

(Large door closes)

They promise you heaven and earth,

swear eternal friendship and love,
and then what?

Are these the great patrons of art?

This half-witted boy, the latest lunatic
in a family of lunatics.

He will give you everything you want,
I know he will.

Oh, my darling. My darling.

Darling, Cosima.

(Papers rustle)

(Ludwig)
What sort of a country is this?

A nation of policemen?

Pfistermeister used the police

to invite my guests
who are then followed -

spied on by the police.

And the letters
my guests write and receive,

are brought to me like trophies.

It's outrageous. It's outrageous!

These are normal precautions, Sire.

In this instance, they're all the more
excusable since Wagner is a foreigner.

With a record as a revolutionary.

If Richard Wagner weren't an artist

he would be a saint.

His genius has a moral,
purifying quality.

His art enlightens.

It is an antidote to the evils
and corruptions of our society!

Richard Wagner's name
will go down through centuries.

Because art is truth.

What remains of an artist

is not his weaknesses, which may
shock you, but his work.

Your Majesty is right, of course.

But, if I may say so,
it would be very dangerous

to allow the guardians of law and order
to make exceptions.

Their point of view
is different from ours.

For them,
Richard Wagner is simply a man

who squanders the taxpayers' money

Madame von Bülow is not a muse,

but an adulteress.

And her husband
is a contemptible opportunist

who pretends not to know
about the relationship

between his own wife and Wagner

in order to keep his position.

Oh slander!
Slander! Slander!

No, it's the truth.

As these letters clearly show.

And Your Majesty must realize this.

Wagner's detractors are perhaps
insensitive to questions of art,

but they are not liars.

Mr Wagner and the Bülows

are in Your Majesty's antechamber.

They would like to be received
with the greatest urgency.

(Faintly) No.

No.

(Scrunches paper)

Show them in.

(Door opens)

His Majesty the King
will receive you at once.

Thank you.

Your Majesty advised me

to ignore what the newspapers
wrote about me.

The criticisms, attacks, insinuations,
the daily insults of the local press...

I have followed
Your Majesty's advice.

I have borne everything
and I have remained silent.

I would continue this silence
if it concerned only me.

But now it is something
that does not only concern me.

Your Majesty, an article has appeared
in the Volksbote

clearly stating that my wife
is the mistress of Richard Wagner.

I have challenged the editor to a duel.

All this is very serious, Sire.

Yes, it is.

It is indeed.

But we are all in this plot together.

Maestro von Bülow
knows everything about his wife,

but pretends not to
for fear of having to give up

the profitable
and distinguished position

of conducting her lover's operas.

And I,
who also knows everything,

because my friend Wagner
hides nothing from me.

I...

his adviser, his friend.

Especially such an important fact

which affects not only his private life,

but also public opinion.

I...

a friend, admirer and confidant,

naturally want to help
my beloved artist.

It is a hateful slander, Your Majesty.
It's unforgivable. Unforgivable!

Only Your Majesty can help us
and wipe it away.

If Your Majesty were to write a letter
to Mr von Bülow,

a simple letter expressing esteem
and friendship.

Once that letter was published
in the newspapers...

Lohengrin does battle to defend Elsa,

but it is easier to fight a duel
than to write a letter.

If it pleases Your Majesty,
I have prepared a draft.

"My dear Mr von Bülow,

"having had occasion
to appreciate fully

"the noble and generous gifts
of your most esteemed wife..."

All right. All right.

I understand.

I will copy it
and have it delivered tomorrow.

Doesn't Your Majesty wish me
to read the rest?

No, that's not necessary

I am sure it will do very well.

Sire, my gratitude.

It is no more than my duty.

Wagner knows how highly I value
true friendship.

(♪ Discordant piano)

His Majesty the King
has instructed me

to order you to leave Munich
as quickly as possible.

Here is His Majesty's message.

"My dear friend,

"much as it grieves me,
I must ask you to carry out

"the request made by Minister Lutz.

"My love for you
will endure forever.

"And I beg you to keep forever
your friendship for me.

"I could not act otherwise.

"Until death, yours faithfully,
Ludwig."

Do not say anything.

I can state that His Majesty,
the King of Bavaria

has been afflicted by a certain
mental instability

since 1866,

on the eve of our unfortunate
participation in the war of that year.

The position taken by our sovereign
against the government,

which proposed to maintain
our alliance with Austria,

gave rise to much discontent
among the people.

His Majesty is not here.

His Majesty is waiting,
Your Highness.

(♪ Music box plays)

(Knocks on door)

(Ludwig) Come in.

Your Majesty, His Royal Highness
Prince Otto is here.

Are they angry?

They are waiting for me.
They think you aren't here.

Let them wait.

We have to go back
to Munich tonight.

And then tomorrow...

Tomorrow I leave for the front again.

Do you mind it very much?

Yes, yes, I mind.

I mind the filth and the smell.

And the screams of the soldiers
in the hospitals

when they operate without chloroform
because the supplies have run out.

What should they want me to do
this time?

Come back to Munich.

You are the King.

Ludwig...

We are losing the war.

Look!

The four quarters of the moon.

Remember when we were children
we went fishing at night.

Yes. And you were furious
because I caught more than you did.

Because I was the King

I did not want this war.

I want everybody to know!
They must realize that.

Yes.

(♪ Music box continues to play)

What is wrong?

Oh, I don't know.

My eyes sting.

It must be because
I can't sleep anymore.

When I sleep,
I dream that I can't sleep,

that I can't close my eyes,

and I lie there asleep,

but it's as if I were awake.

My eyes are wide open
and they sting.

You are not well.

Why don't you stay
here with me at Berg?

I can't.

You know that.

I have to go back.

It would be dishonorable
towards our allies too.

They are our relatives, after all.

Our Prussian enemies
are relatives also!

(Stops music box)

We do everything in the family -

fight wars,

marry,

begat children.

And it's all incestuous and fratricidal.

- And we never know why.
- You are the King,

if you didn't want the war,
you should have forbidden it.

I did.

I'm doing everything possible
to make my view clear.

As far as I am concerned,
the war doesn't exist.

Tell the generals

the King does not know
the war exists.

(Door opens)

(Door closes)

(Ducks begin to quack
in the distance)

Who is there? Who is it?

It's me, Sire, Volk!

Why aren't you at the castle?

Who gave you permission
to come out?

I thought Your Majesty
wouldn't require me, so I...

A groom on duty is forbidden
to leave the Royal apartment.

Don't you know that?

Yes, Your Majesty.

Nevertheless, you came here.
And you left your post.

I couldn't sleep.

(Guard shouting commands)

Aren't you afraid
that the sentries will catch you?

I can hear them coming.

I hide in the bushes.

- Can you swim?
- A little, Sire.

But I never go
where I can't touch the bottom.

I come from the mountains.

- Are you cold?
- Yes, a little, Sire.

Here... Take this.

Help me.

Help me, help me.

I beseech you.

Help me.

(Footsteps approach)

(Man) A matter of the greatest urgency
and importance!

(Knocks on door)

Captain Dürckheim asks
to be received by His Majesty.

Come in!

We have been defeated, Sire.

We have surrendered.

- Did you suffer many losses?
- No.

We did not have many casualties.

The enemy outnumbered us
and our troops became demoralised.

Continuing to fight would have led
to a useless massacre.

I am glad it's over, and that
it lasted such a short time.

Seven weeks, Your Majesty.

And they seemed an eternity
to those who lived through them.

Do you have any news
of my brother, Otto?

He Prince has come back to Munich.
He is very depressed.

You are very fond of my brother,
aren't you, Dürckheim?

Yes, Sire.

Very fond.

Otto will be your king one day.

Very soon.

Because I...

His Highness Prince Otto
is terribly unhappy.

He is so young.

And yet he seems to have burned
his youth away without having lived it.

His ambitions
were stifled by disappointments.

And he is filled
with a sadness and fear.

He lives in a state
of lonely anguish.

He never sleeps more
than two hours a night.

He never rests.

He has looked for happiness...

...in what is impossible.

He wants security

in what is outside the rules.

Why shouldn't he?

The world around us
is intolerably petty.

Men dream only of material security,

and are prepared
to give their lives to achieve it.

I want to be free.

Free to seek happiness
in the impossible.

But unlike my brother,

I try to suit my actions
to my ideas.

That's why I abandoned this stupid war
I was unable to prevent

I am not a coward!

I hate falsehood.

I want to live in truth.

Forgive me, Sire.

Allow a very ordinary man
to express an opinion.

Your Majesty says
you want to live in truth.

But I think what you mean is

you want to live as a free man

following only
your own tastes and instincts.

Without hypocrisy or lies.

Am I right?

In my opinion, the truth
doesn't have anything to do

with this search for the impossible.

When freedom is a privilege
of the few,

it does not have anything to do
with real freedom,

the same freedom that belongs
to every man

and that each of us
has the right to hold on to.

We live in a world

where there are no innocents,

where nobody has the right
to judge anybody.

I am speaking as a friend.

The generosity
that Your Majesty showed me

when we were both younger
emboldens me now

to speak frankly,

from one man to another.

I am a soldier who was left alone
on the battlefield

at a time of danger and bitterness.

But I feel neither contempt
nor rancour

for the king who abandoned me.

Instead, I feel great pity.

My king thinks he has made
a brave decision,

but he is mistaken if he thinks
he can find happiness

outside the rules
and the duties of men.

Those who love life cannot afford
to search for the impossible.

Instead,
they have to tread cautiously.

This is true even for a sovereign.

Even for a sovereign,

because the great power
that a monarch has

is limited by the boundaries
of the society of which he is part.

What man could follow him
beyond those boundaries?

Who?

Certainly not the poor and weak

whose overriding concern
is to find security.

Not just material well-being,
but also moral.

The same security Your Majesty
was talking about with such contempt.

The only people following him

will be the ones who see freedom

as a quest for pleasure
without any moral boundaries.

No.

No, you surely do not want this.

Being followed only
by low-down servants

opportunists and con artists.

No, I do not believe it. Your Majesty
cannot like such creatures.

Who would take advantage of his
generosity and would try to deceive him.

Why would a young person,
with his whole life ahead of him,

not be tempted to find
a different reason to live?

Even if it is difficult because it is
the one of common people

who accept mediocrity.

It takes a great deal of courage
to accept mediocrity

when you are someone who strives
for ideals beyond this world, I know.

But it is the only way to be saved
from a terrible loneliness.

- I must speak to my mother.
- Her Majesty is still asleep.

Wake her! Go on.

Go! Quickly.

Her Majesty the Queen
is awaiting Your Majesty.

I beg your pardon
for waking you up at this hour,

but there was something
I had to tell you immediately.

I have decided to marry.

Oh, Ludwig.

I was sure this would be
good news for you.

Aren't you even going to ask me
who the woman of my choice is?

I was waiting for Your Majesty
to inform me.

I have complete faith
in Your Majesty's judgment.

I want you to go at once

to Possenhofen

and ask Duchess Ludovica
for the hand of Princess Sophie.

Sophie will be
the ideal wife for you.

I have invited Father Hoffman
to come here.

Please, receive him at once.

And I want you to communicate
my decision to him.

And I want him to accompany you
to Possenhofen,

since Princess Sophie is a Catholic.

- Er, Ludwig...
- Goodbye, Helen.

(Bell rings)

- Oh, Your Majesty.
- My dressing gown, quickly! Quickly!

Yes, Ma'am.

Quickly!

As soon as Father Hoffman arrives,
he's to be shown into my room.

Yes, Your Majesty.

But Father Hoffman is here!

Your Majesty.

- What has happened?
- Have you seen my son?

Yes, just now as he was leaving.

But he didn't say a word to me.
He seemed very...

Happy.

He is beside himself with joy.

Ludwig is going to marry.

He wished me to tell you.

And he wants you
to come with me

to ask for the girl's hand.

Now, this is correct
because the princess is Catholic

and the request of a Protestant
mother would not be enough.

He means to marry?

Princess Sophie,
the sister of Elisabeth.

Isn't this wonderful news?

Father, I feel like I am waking up
from a nightmare.

A nightmare you have not helped me
much with, truth be known.

- Please, take a seat.
- Thank you.

It must be a great relief.

I hope...

that His Majesty has found
a stable balance.

It's just that...

a lot of young men struggle
to find balance within themselves.

- An inner harmony.
- He has found it.

What matters is that he's found it
and is getting married.

I'm surprised that His Majesty has never
mentioned his intentions to me.

I was saying that I hope
that he has weighed this up carefully

before arriving at his decision.

Because...

this choice
does not only involve him,

but also his spouse who,
with the blessing of the Lord...

Enough, Father Hoffman!

What matters is that
they get married,

and that the wedding is celebrated
as soon as possible.

This is exactly what
we all hoped for.

- Am I right?
- Of course. It is a relief for all of us.

And for the country.

We will probably need
a papal dispensation,

given the close relationship
between the two.

Of course.

I am sure there will not be
any problems.

- Their parents are cousins too.
- Exactly.

Some believe that's why

the Wittelsbach
and Hohenzollers families

have had so many cases
of anomalies.

But as far as I know,
young Sophie enjoys good health.

And His Majesty the King has never
given us any reasons to worry.

We should mention certain timidities
and indispositions of His Majesty

so that Sophie can help him
and be understanding.

Like her sisters,

Sophie will quickly learn
that a woman in her position

does not only have rights
and privileges, but also duties.

Many duties.