Henry IV Reviews

An adaptation of Luigi Pirandello's noted play, Marco Bellocchio's surprising follow-up to THE EYES, THE MOUTH stars Marcello Mastroianni as a wealthy gentleman who, following a fall from a horse some 20 years earlier, has seemingly become convinced that he is none other than 11th-century Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. Having spent the last two decades living in a castle, wearing a crown and decorative robes, this Henry IV romps merrily in his own delusions. When a group of family and friends visits, hoping to bring him back to reality, they play along with his game, wearing the appropriate robes and dresses and taking historical names. In time, however, they begin to realize that, perhaps, their Henry IV isn't crazy after all. Like previous Bellocchio characters--those played by Lou Castel in FISTS IN THE POCKET and THE EYES, THE MOUTH, and the role essayed by Maruschka Detmers in the X-rated remake of THE DEVIL IN THE FLESH--Mastroianni's Henry IV rebels against the privileged class he despises. He knows the rules of his class, but rather than oppose them openly, he circumvents them by pretending to be a madman. The film is admittedly "freely adapted" from Pirandello, which should warn the playwright's devotees that Bellocchio has not remained entirely faithful to the play. (In Italian; English subtitles.)