Helmut Berger, Actor

A relentless, yet intimate portrait of the legendary actor and former Luchino Visconti "muse" Helmut Berger. At the height of his stardom and handsomeness Berger epitomized the exuberant jet set lifestyle of the 70s. In recent years he has settled for a more secluded and modest lifestyle. The man who embodied King Ludwig II so hauntingly in Visconti's same-titled film now reigns in a run down two-room apartment at the outskirts of his hometown Salzburg, Austria. In this small hideaway kingdom time seems to have stopped. Helmut Berger's mood swings and sudden outbursts of aggression are reminiscent of actor Klaus Kinski's tirades. But the film exposes the brusqueness of his character for what it really is: a cry for attention, closeness and intimacy.