In the film, the king is supremely arrogant, indulging in extravagance and capriciousness, often sending people to the dungeon at the slightest whim (using buttons and trapdoors to drop them in). Even his trusted confidant, the chief detective, is not spared. The king is both lame and cross-eyed, and painters who portray him either end up in the dungeon for being too realistic (depicting his leg and eye) or too idealized (painting him as flawless). Only one painter escapes this fate by depicting him with one leg resting on a stone, aiming a gun at his prey. Ironically, the real king is thrown into the dungeon by the painted king (who bears a striking resemblance to Louis XIV). The false king shares the same temperament and personality as the real one, forcing a shepherdess from a painting to marry him, while the shepherdess falls in love with a chimney sweep from another painting. With the help of a little bird, the girl and the young man temporarily evade their pursuers, but eventually, after the bird is captured, the young man and the bird are imprisoned in the dungeon. Uniting with the common people held there, they break out of the dungeon and overthrow the king during his wedding ceremony with the shepherdess.
Comments
Sign in to leave a comment