The Death of Louis XIV

The Death of Louis XIV (La Mort de Louis XIV) is a 2016 historical drama film directed by Albert Serra and starring Jean-Pierre Léaud. Set in 1715, it depicts the final days of Louis XIV of France. The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2016. It was released in France on 2 November 2016 and received positive reviews from critics.

Plot
After returning from the hunt on August 9, 1715, Louis XIV lies in his bed. Due to his deteriorating cardiovascular health, an embolism in his leg becomes gangrenous. From that point on, he becomes increasingly frail and unable to perform his royal duties. Although he temporarily rallies, he relapses rapidly and acquires a fever due to the infection. Word of the King's worsening medical condition spreads through the Court at Versailles, from which his chief physician forbids further travel. The Royal Family tries to censor the flow of information about the King's deterioration. Four doctors from the University of Paris medical faculty are then summoned to provide diagnosis and care for the ailing monarch, but gangrene is only diagnosed when his chief doctor, Georges Mareschal, makes an incision in his diseased leg and diagnoses it from his subsequent analysis of the wound site. Although Mareschal advises amputation, the King refuses to contemplate it and starts preparation for his imminent death instead. He receives the sacraments of confession and the rite of final unction, while he also organises a subsequent regency for his young great-grandson, the future King Louis XV with the assistance of his mistress Madame Maintenon and Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine, one of his older illegitimate children, who is appointed regent until the  five year old  Louis XV reaches maturity. Francois de Neufville, duc de Villeroy is appointed Louis XV's legal guardian until his maturity, after which the dying monarch provides his successor with advice about how to rule wisely after his death. Several quacks attempt to 'heal' the King, but he is now succumbing rapidly as his gangrene worsens. On August 30, he lapses into a coma, before his eventual death on September 1, 1715, at 8.15 am. After a post-mortem medical examination, his heart and intestines are separated from the rest of his body as his earlier wishes dictated. On September 9, 1715, after lying in state, his body is interred within the Basilica of Saint-Denis

Production
Director Albert Serra and producer Thierry Lounas wrote the screenplay for the film. Jean-Pierre Léaud played the lead role. For the film, Albert Serra did not have any rehearsals. Filming took place in the surroundings of the Château de Hautefort in 2015. It took 15 days to shoot the film in total.

Release
The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2016. It was released in France on 2 November 2016.

Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 56 reviews, and an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Death of Louis XIV will frustrate viewers out of sync with its deliberate pace, but those with the patience to settle in may be rewarded with a thoughtful, finely detailed drama." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Boyd van Hoeij of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "[Albert Serra's] most accessible work to date." Glenn Kenny of The New York Times wrote, "As for Mr. Serra, while he often enjoys playing the foppish provocateur in his interviews, his film is sober, meticulous and entirely convincing in its depiction of period and mortality." Ben Kenigsberg of Variety wrote, "As minimalist as Serra's films can be, they are rarely boring, and often given to wry wit."

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 5 out of 5 stars, writing, "At 73, Jean-Pierre Léaud gives what could be the performance of his career as Louis XIV." Allan Hunter of Screen International also commented that "It is easily the actor's best role and most noteworthy performance in some time."