The Taking of Power by Louis XIV (French: La prise de pouvoir par Louis XIV), also called The Rise of Louis XIV, is a 1966 French television film by Italian film director Roberto Rossellini.
The film revolves around the French king Louis XIV's rise to power after the death of his powerful advisor, Cardinal Mazarin. To achieve this political autonomy, Louis deals with his mother and the court nobles, all of whom make the assumption that Mazarin's death will give them more power.
This film contains examples of:
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Many nobles rebel during the Fronde.
- Deadly Decadent Court: Louis XIV's court in Versailles.
- Divine Right of Kings: Louis XIV believed in this.
- Food as Characterization: Louis XIV's doctor tells the server to take away the suckling pig.
- Freudian Excuse: Louis XIV was a child when the nobles rebelled against his mother during the Fronde. This contributed to his view for a strong, centralized monarchy.
