Considered Jean-Pierre Léaud’s “best role and most noteworthy performance in some time”, Cinema Guild have landed the rights to the out of comp Cannes selected The Death of Louis XIV. Albert Serra’s seventh feature film will likely be shown at other prestige fests (possibly NYFF) before being released theatrically in early 2017.
Gist: Based on extensive medical records and the memoirs of the Duke of Saint-Simon and other courtiers, this is set in Versailles, August 1715. After going for a walk, Louis XIV (Jean-Pierre Léaud) feels a pain in his leg. The next days, the Sun King fulfills his duties and obligations, but he has trouble sleeping. A serious fever erupts, which marks the start of the slow agony of the greatest King of France. Surrounded by doctors and family, he struggles to run the country from his bed.
Worth Noting: This was the first time that Serra worked with professional actors.
Do We Care?: Well received in Cannes (and considered his most accessible work to date) Serra is worth the investment.
