Fiction

The King is Dancing

Film informations

Gérard Corbiau

Benoît Magimel, Boris Terral, Tcheky Karyo, Colette Emmanuelle, Cécile Bois, Claire Keim, Johan Leysen, Idwig Stéphane, Emil Tarding

At the age of 14, Louis XIV of France knows he will reign one day, but is also aware that he will have to contend with those who seek to prevent him from governing. He is full of complexes about this. Through the art of dancing, in which the young king excels, and thanks to the music he composes for him, Lully helps to make the king aware of his talents and then to reveal them to the world. The music written for him and the dances designed to show him in the best possible light help Louis emerge from his shell to become transformed into the Sun King. The royal personage escapes his humanity when dancing. He becomes ideal, a God on earth... In him and through him, the State takes on a timeless quality, reflecting sacred attributes that are beyond dispute. Lully and his companion Molière are the great magicians behind this court ballet. Lully is its voice and a great deal of its soul. He is madly, but platonically in love with the King. This adoration forms the basis of his principles and laws until the very day he dies. Lully believes the King would be lost without him. He is blind to the truth, and this blindness will precipitate his ruin. After Molière, Lully too falls over into the night...

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Filmography