All language subtitles for Ludwig (1973) Part3 EN

My dear.

- Sophie, are you happy?
- Yes, indeed.

Sophie is really very beautiful, no?

Yes.

These family reunions, Dürckheim,
are very, very tiring.

All my best wishes.

I... Well, I...
I'm very, very pleased.

Oh, thank you, Otto.

Bravo, Otto.
You are always so sweet.

- Elizabeth.
- Sophie.

- Nenè, Matilde, ma tante...
- Elisabeth!

- My dear child.
- Maman.

I am very pleased too.

Congratulations, mon beau-frère.

My dear, dear Otto,
you are always so sweet.

Everybody is pleased.

And the station looked beautiful,
all decked with flags.

Father.

You didn't believe I would come?
I didn't think I would either.

Everything is always so complicated.

I've been told ma tante,
that a great deal of work

will be done here in the residence.

So the old residence
will become new too.

Who will see to it all?
Sophie, assert yourself.

But Sophie isn't like me.

I can only say whether I like something
or whether I dislike it.

I really must drink something hot,
excuse me.

(Chattering begins)

Thank you. I'll do it.

Forgive me, but I'm terribly thirsty.

We are not going to live
in the residence.

- You aren't?
- I mean, only for a short while.

As little as possible.
Until the new house is ready.

(Brief silence)

(Chattering resumes)

What is all that?

Something I have been thinking about
for a long time

I would like to build a castle.

Remember the Graswang
and Ettal?

Above Oberammergau.

And there is another place
I like almost as much.

Perhaps even more.

Herrenchiemsee.
I haven't decided yet.

We could go there tomorrow,
on horseback.

You remember Bad Ischl?

It's not a tiring ride.
Not at all.

And you could give me your advice.

Tomorrow, I will not be here,
unfortunately. I'm going on to Zurich

I only stopped to see Sophie

and to give both of you
Franz's congratulations.

And my own, of course.

(♪ Sings in German)

(Singing off key)

(Straining for a high note)

With the wedding approaching,
His Majesty gave the go ahead

to the building works
for his damned castles.

I was in charge of making the King
experience certain things

that he was thought to be
totally new to.

It was all so complicated.

They told me so many things
about you.

They recommended you.

Who did?

Your Majesty sent his aide-de-camp
to the theater

to invite me for dinner

and I suddenly found myself at the
center of a grand State affair.

Closed carriage, curtains down.

I was taken to a place full of offices.

And then?

Do you want to know?
Are you curious?

Thank you.

There were some gentlemen.

I think one of them
was sent by the Archbishop.

A very indiscreet person.

And another one was sent

by Her Majesty the Queen Mother.

Oh, my God, Your Majesty!

Are things always so complicated
when a king wants to make love?

For us actors it is much simpler.
A gaze is all we need.

A sign like this.

They told me this too -

that you are very shy.

(Laughs gently)

Then they asked me
all sorts of questions.

- Even about my health.
- They did?

It was indecent.
Really!

And they warned me
to be... discrete.

Except with them, of course.

(Laughs)

They want to know what happened.

Will you tell them?

With Your Majesty's permission,

I'd love to lie to them.

They're too curious.

Too nosey!

We... could make love

and say we didn't. Hm?

Or we could not make love,

and say we did.

Hmm?

Yes, we mustn't disappoint
their curiosity.

We must tell them things
that will horrify them.

That you beat me, for example.

- Will they believe you?
- Your Majesty, I am a great actress.

The funny thing is
that you will go to them anyway

and tell them everything
that hasn't happened between us.

No, no!

No.

- That's what they pay you.
- No.

- And that's what you'll do.
- No! No!

- No, Your Majesty. No!
- Yes.

No, no, no...

I am certain.

And why shouldn't you?

After all, if you don't today,
others will tomorrow.

(Sobs)

Do you think I do not know
what's going on around me?

I know.

I am surrounded by people
who observe everything I do.

Not to protect me, but to ruin me.

I don't understand
how they will achieve their aim.

But I know

this is their aim.

All I can do is watch

fascinated,

while they move,
silent and cautious.

It is as if I were watching them

set up their gallows
on which they will hang me.

No. No, Your Majesty.

It's not true.
Please, Your Majesty...

Go now.

And make them pay you.

Make them pay you handsomely.

Go, madame.

(Screams)

- Ha ha, prostitute!
- Your Majesty! Please!

(Bell rings)

Help me! Help me!
Help me, please. Please.

Please...

(Sobbing)

Your Majesty...

(Sobbing continues)

Help Madame von Buliowski out
and send her home.

(Wails) Your Majesty!

The jewels that the queens of Bavaria
have been wearing for 700 years.

But I will give you a better present.

It is a secret,
you cannot tell anybody.

I will introduce you
to Richard Wagner.

Our engagement is more exhausting
than a military campaign.

It's a real torment

which Sophie undergoes
without making any complaint.

She is the perfect fiancée.

And she loves your music
very much.

Do you know what she is afraid of
at the moment?

She is afraid that I will ask her
to sing for you.

Oh...

She is afraid of your criticism,

not only as a singer,
but also as a fiancée.

She has the notion that
by asking you to meet her,

I was submitting her
for your approval.

- When will you come back?
- Soon, Sire, soon.

And not at night in secret.

I shall return with my wife and my
new opera for the new theater.

It will repay me
for so much bitterness.

So much loneliness.

Sophie is sweet.

She's pretty and docile.

For the first time

I have seen true love
for Your Majesty in someone's eyes.

I have decided
to postpone the wedding

a month,

perhaps two.

I wish the wedding day were past.

I can already hear the crowds yelling,

the banquets, the ceremonies,

here and in the church.

It is a nightmare.

It keeps me awake at night.

My aunts, uncles,

my cousins from all over Europe

the kisses, the hand-shakes,

congratulations.

And embraces.

You can open your heart
to me, Sire.

My affection for you is just the same
as the day you called me to Munich,

rescuing me from poverty,

and welcoming me with open arms -
I have not forgotten that.

I came here at once now

because I realized
Your Majesty needed me.

Forget all the things
that have happened.

One can betray friends,
even lie to them,

but still love them.

Be magnanimous, try to forgive.

I know that no one will give you
the advice I could, because...

whatever I say comes from
a very deep, very sincere feeling.

What is depressing you, my friend?

I understand many things,

but I cannot
help if you don't ask me to.

Bon voyage.

Adieu.

My name is Richard Hornig.

I have been in His Majesty's service
for 10 years.

I entered the King's household
very suddenly,

when His Majesty
in one of his moments of anger,

chased his footman Volk away

and I was ordered
to take his place.

In all my years of serving the King,
I have never betrayed his trust.

And I have no intention
of doing so today.

Besides,

nothing in the King's behaviour

differs from what everyone
used to consider

behaviour worthy
of a sovereign's dignity.

(Bell clangs repeatedly)

Wait here.

Take this!

- Can you hoist this flag?
- Yes, Your Majesty.

- Good. Very good
- I used to do this in the Army.

This is the first time
I have seen you.

I have only been in service
a few days, Your Majesty.

- What did you do before?
- I worked on a farm, sire.

Taking care of the horses.

Light the fire.

At once, Your Majesty.

Take off your gloves!

- What are you waiting for?
- Has Your Majesty any orders for me?

You can sleep here tonight,
if you want.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Elsa?

What "Elsa" are you talking about?
Who is this "Elsa"?

I am Elsa.

Ludwig doesn't even
like my name.

He has never called me Sophie.

It's been Elsa
from the very beginning.

Like the heroine of Lohengrin.

But all lovers change the names
of their fiancées.

Lovers?

We've always know that Ludwig
is a bit extravagant.

Yes, I know.

But I am in love with him.

And it makes me suffer

when he leaves me all alone
at the ball they gave in our honor.

Never asking me to go out with him.

Coming to see me less and less often.

So I spend all day shut up in the house
for fear of missing one of his visits.

Then, when he does come,
he hardly speaks to me.

Sometimes he comes
and spends the night outside the gate

and leaves a bunch of flowers for me

without a note or anything,

as if he were putting them
on a grave.

And I do feel dead.
Dead and buried.

I felt dead when he insisted
on introducing me to Wagner.

Everyone looks at me with pity.
Just pity.

Well, it's your fault too.

Why do you stay
shut up in the house

waiting till he condescends
to visit you? Go out!

Go on with your normal life.

Go to the theater if you feel like
it. Travel and enjoy yourself!

Show him that you are
an independent person

with many interests of your own.

That will attract him.
Make him want you!

He doesn't want me.

He doesn't care a thing about me.

And you know that very well.

Why, why didn't you tell me
he was in love with you?

No!

No.

What makes you say such things?
It's not true. It's not true!

It is true. People have told me.

But I had already realized it
by myself.

Too late, unfortunately.

And if you want the truth,
they told me that you knew.

Who? Who told you that?
Don't ever say that, you silly child!

(Sobbing)

Come...

Come, look at me.

Don't believe the nonsense
people tell you.

I'm not the one you must fear.
Not I.

Nor any other woman.

Ludwig...

The danger with Ludwig,
if anything...

It happens to many young men,
didn't you know that?

To all, I think, when they are
so young and so sensitive.

Most of the time,
they get over these things with help.

I am very fond of Ludwig.

Perhaps, because we are
very much alike, not only physically.

He has many faults,
many qualities.

He is very vulnerable.

You can save him, Sophie.
You must!

But you have to be very strong.

Be close to him.

Don't allow any further delays
of the wedding.

If he doesn't speak,
then you must speak.

If he neglects you,

then give him the impression
that you neglected him first.

I shall tell our father to write
to Ludwig and set the date immediately.

No more postponements.

I do not want to marry Sophie.

- It is too late
- No, it is not too late!

And it wouldn't be the first time
an engagement was broken.

A king cannot give scandal.

He cannot expose himself
to horrible and justified criticism.

They will be merciless!

And this is the reason why I should
be merciless towards Sophie?

The Lord will be merciful to her.
Leave it to Him.

I am deceiving her.

You knew that from the beginning.

She isn't marrying me out
of sheer ambition.

- I hadn't realized that...
- If Sophie loves you,

you can only rejoice.

She loves me now,

but she will come to hate me,
as I will hate her!

What entitles you
to such presumption?

How can you claim to know
what the Lord has in store for you?

You are asked only to marry her

and to have children.

Listen to me, Ludwig.

When the devil sends temptations,

they must be turned back
against him.

They must be used to honor God.

In the darkness of a room,

aided by the image of sin itself,

you will realize

that the warmth of one body
is the same as another's.

Father, you are teaching me
something new.

Your people want you
to be one of themselves.

More powerful, more privileged,
touched by divine providence,

but still one of them.

If you insist on being different,
they will never forgive you.

Never!

Wagner... was driven from Munich

because he is a genius.

That was what made him
a foreigner.

He was different.

Ludwig, you are one of
the Lord's favored because

you are more exposed to sin
than others.

And so you can prove
more than the others can

your love of God.

I know from your own lips
that until now

you have always had the strength
to resist temptation,

to reject sin.

Yes.

I want you to tell me
if this is still true.

(Ludwig) Yes.

I ask you this as if in
the holy sacrament of confession.

Yes.

(Absolution spoken in Latin)

(Priest) 'Amen.'

(Ludwig) 'Amen.'

I daresay that calling off
the engagement with Princess Sophie

marked the beginning
of our misfortunes.

From that inauspicious day,
our King lost his interest in State affairs.

Despite everything that was going on
in the world, His Majesty

seemed interested only
in building all of those castles

in which nobody would ever live.

To make matters worse, Prince Otto
was getting more and more ill

and the Queen Mother sought comfort
in the Catholic religion.

(Priest speaks in Latin)

(Continue speaking in Latin)

Our heart is filled with joy,
Your Majesty.

How painful for a mother -
he did not want to be caressed.

On behalf of
our Provincial Father too,

I would like to express
my contentment

for Your Majesty's decision
to attend this ceremony

compensating partly
for the King's absence

and the deepest sorrow
that is caused by

seeing him living
more and more in seclusion.

Lately, I have been
visiting him frequently

to ask him about his health.

Very often His Majesty
refuses to see me.

Remember His Majesty
in your prayers.

I never forget our beloved King
in my prayers.

But I must say that it's a source
of great embarrassment to me

and profound dismay,

having to explain the King's position
to his Catholic subjects.

Sadly, we are on the verge
of a war that, at best,

will result in Prussian forces
becoming triumphant in Europe.

And we may hope that the course
of these earthly events which,

as the Lord knows,
are totally alien to us,

will encourage us
to keep on strengthening

the sacred bonds
with the mother church

and the Holy Pope.

But our King is not helping matters.

If God, in his eternal mercy

accepted me
as His humble servant,

I am sure that He will help us.

I have faith.

It's useless for you to wait, Father.
His Majesty will not receive you.

Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother
sent me here.

Prince Otto is very ill.

His Majesty is ill too.
His teeth are troubling him.

No, believe me, Father,
it's a waste of time waiting.

Count Holnstein is with His Majesty now.

He arrived early this morning
from Versailles,

where His Majesty sent him
on an important mission.

He had to wait six hours.

Forgive me,
tell His Majesty I was here.

And tell him the reason.

I cannot wait any longer.

I must see His Majesty the King.

I will take sole responsibility for this.

(Silence)

(Silence continues)

When did you get here?

At eight o'clock this morning,

and I have been waiting
out there since,

as Your Majesty knows very well.

I am ill.

Chloroform is the only thing
that helps me get any sleep.

- Does the smell bother you?
- Not at all.

Shall I ask someone
to open the window?

I am so cold.

Take a seat.

Thank you,
but I must go tonight.

- Really? Where to?
- To Versailles

I have spoken to Chancellor Bismarck

and I must give him
an immediate answer.

What is this?

Who wrote it?

I... I don't understand.

It is the letter
you should write immediately

to the King of Prussia.

I ought not to say this,

but the Chancellor himself
dictated it to me himself.

I am expected to write this?

You copy it and sign it,

then I will deliver it
as quickly as possible.

What?

What?

I am to ask Wilhelm
to do me the favour

of accepting my kingdom as a gift?

No.

You are asking
the future Emperor

of the great, new Germany,

to admit Bavaria as part of
the Federation of Allied States.

This is not an alliance.

It means handing the country
over to them.

Becoming slaves.

Worse than slaves!

We'd be putting ourselves in the most
humiliating position imaginable.

No! No!

I can do anything,
but not this!

Slavery?

Humiliation?

I don't understand.

People become slaves when
they are defeated, taken prisoner.

Defeat is humiliation -
the inevitable fate of Bavaria,

if the country
doesn't join the Alliance.

With one sneeze
the great, new Germany

could blow the kingdom of Bavaria
off the map.

We must face facts, Sire.

Bismarck's advice is sound.

It would have been wiser if you
had written the letter even before.

Your uncle, King Wilhelm,
would certainly have valued it more.

But write it now,

before he is proclaimed Emperor
in spite of us.

This is the psychological moment.

And...

there would be
financial advantages too.

Yes,

Bismarck led me to believe
that you can count on that.

No.

Not now at least.

I won't.

I couldn't.

I can't!

No, I can't!
I can't! I can't!

I can't!

No, I can't... I can't...

It's almost five o'clock.

If I can leave Munich
by nine?

We all know
that there is no other solution.

We can at least spare ourselves
the effort of talking about it.

If it is true that
there is no other solution,

if my government feels
there is no other solution,

let the government take this step.

If I were to tell Your Majesty

what the government
would like to do at this moment,

Your Majesty would not hesitate
to write this letter.

But I won't use such methods.

All I say is this.

Your Majesty needs
a personal alliance.

An alliance among people
of the same blood, the same nobility.

An alliance that would bring
many advantages,

some of them immediately.

(Shouting and bawling)

(Frenzied cries continue)

Let go of him!

But, Your Majesty...

(Bawling stops abruptly)

(Whispers) Otto... Otto.

Otto.

Don't you recognize me?

It's me, Ludwig.

(♪ WAGNER: Elegy for Piano
in A Flat Major)

(♪ Discordant piano chords echo...)