Louis XIV of France, known as the Sun King, symbolizes the zenith of monarchy. He centralized governing authority under his rule and turned his court at Versailles into a spectacle of power, a staggeringly extravagant display intended to convince a cowed populace that he was divinely appointed to rule over them, or, as he wrote in his diary in 1668, that "we are the head of the body of which they are the members." Nice work if you can get it.
Now, British artists Jason White and Richard Wright have produced Heliocentrum, an unusual short film about le roi soleil. Made on desktop PCs, this is not the sort of documentary you might find on PBS, but more a piece of history for the MTV generation.
Using trippy computer graphics, blended with news footage and clips from silent movies, the result is both fun and an amazingly effective way of showing how a sovereign manipulated power. Accompanied by an electronic soundtrack that starts as a synthetic minuet, then ramps up into thumping techno, it's also the only history documentary I've ever seen that you could dance to in a nightclub.
Heliocentrum (meaning "sun centered") opens on a shot of the Sun King's head, surrounded by swirling flames, towering over the French countryside. This sets the tone for a whistle-stop tour of Versailles, whose baroque interiors come alive, filigree decorations twirling around in a complicated meshwork, reminiscent (if you're a baroque groupie) of Leibniz's description of a clockwork universe. We get a peek at the bored, bitchy court, and are treated to a few choice thoughts from the Grand Monarch about how to hold onto power. Louis saw himself as an omniscient eye, imperiously seeing into the hearts and minds of his subjects. This thought is eerily updated with the use of surveillance camera footage. As a subject warns the king of civil unrest, we see the London poll tax riots of 1990. With its peculiar blend of rave graphics and historical insight, Heliocentrum reminds the viewer that the outlook of the Sun King was not so different from that of today's presidents and prime ministers. Plus ça change, plus ça reste la même chose, as the French say.
##### Richard Wright: +44 (171) 320 1809, email sfp@dig-lgu.demon.co.uk.
STREET CRED
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