Heinrich von Kleist’s German play from 1811 is on the surface a tragedy about the conflict between freedom and law: the title character mistakes his orders on the battlefield yet, in so doing, carries the day. Nevertheless he must be punished for insubordination. But the play’s greatness stems from Kleist’s decision to complicate this conflict by making his prince prey to confusion between dream and waking life. The juxtaposition of these two conflicts—the individual versus authority, reality versus fantasy—makes the play prime material for Bellocchio. The film’s long takes serve to communicate the protagonist’s confusion, as dreamlike events unfold in real time. Bellocchio described his admiration for the title character thus: “The hero is above all he who seeks and finds the dimension of the unconscious.”