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Cast
Jean-Marie Patte
as Louis XIV
Raymond Jourdan
as Jean Baptiste Colbert
Silvagni
as Cardinal Mazarin
Katharina Renn
as Anne d'Autriche
Dominique Vincent
as Madame Du Plessis
Pierre Barrat
as Nicolas Fouquet
Fernand Fabre
as Michel Le Tellier
Françoise Ponty
as Louise de la Vallière
Joëlle Laugeois
as Marie-Thérèse
Maurice Barrier
as D'Artagnan
Movie Info & Details
Release Year1966
Runtime1h 35m
LanguageFrench
CertificationNR
GenresDrama, History
Votes52
DirectorRoberto Rossellini
WritersPhilippe Erlanger, Jean Gruault, Roberto Rossellini
TypeFeature Film
Rating7.1 out of 10
Cast10 credited
Also Known AsThe Taking of Power by Louis XIV
About The Taking of Power by Louis XIV
Cardinal Mazarin dies, leaving a power vacuum in which the young Louis asserts his intention to govern as well as rule. Mazarin's fiscal advisor, Colbert, warns against Fouquet, the Superintendant who has been systematically looting the treasury and wants to be prime minister. Fouquet believes Louis will soon tire of exercizing power and overplays his hand by offering a bribe to Louis' mistress to be his ally. She reports this to the king who arrests Fouquet. Louis and Colbert design a brilliant strategy to keep merchants making money, nobles in debt, the urban poor working and fed, and peasants untaxed.
Directed by Roberto Rossellini, The Taking of Power by Louis XIV leans on a strong ensemble — Jean-Marie Patte, Raymond Jourdan, Silvagni — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1966.
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