This film follows the "mad" king Ludwig's arc from the naive belief that everyone can understand the beauty of art, to his withdrawal from what he perceives as lowly politics, to his efforts to surround himself with people who will indulge his desires. This last effort is not just Ludwig's effort to satisfy himself, but to be free from people he believes want to humiliate him. It's not clear how much this behavior actually matters for the sound governance of Bavaria. At some point, Otto von Bismarck's name is mentioned, and while he never appears in the film, it's clear that his authority is far more relevant than Ludwig's. Many besides Ludwig are trying to govern while he withdraws. Different events of the story are introduced in flash-forwards to a government inquest into whether the king is mentally fit to rule, with officials, doctors, and other witnesses providing their opinions about what we are about to see. Ludwig's chara...
"We are in the world, not against it." - Ursula K. Le Guin