Death in Venice

 

 

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The word masterpiece in my opinion has been so much overused these days to describe any film which does not bore us to death after ten minutes,and in the process it has lost its true meaning. For we have to go back in time, to the golden age of artistic and creative cinema, 60s to late 70s to re-appreciate what Masterpiece really means.It is directors and artists like Fellini, Kurosawa, Truffaut, Fassbinder,and others that have defined the term with their vision, style and sheer poetry to the eyes and mind,that no other director has come close in our time, the age of finances and lawyers over essence.
Artists like Visconti, with classics to his name (Rocco and his Brothers,The Leopard,),have enriched the cinema as an art form of the most sophisticated kind, an accessible intellectual platform to entertain and stimulate at the same time, which Death In Venice (1971) is an excellent example of.
Adapted from Thomas Mann's novel, and starring Dirk Bogarde in top form, Death In Venice is a film that is very much the product of its time.(I would find it impossible with today's jittery sensitivities and more skeptical studios that it can be re-adapted).It is a film that is very intense in its philosophical questions, yet captivating in its simplicity and serene and gorgeous cinematography.
An artist,composer/conductor,Gustav von Aschenbach, goes on a much needed vacation to Venice to recuperate after physical illness and mental exhaustion. There, his life will forever change when he sees a beautiful boy Tadzio (Bjorn Andresen).He admires the beauty of the young lad,at first with curiosity that soon turn into obsession, fueled by the boy's returned gazes, sometimes shyly, at others boldly and even indirectly intimidating. Tadzio intrigues Aschenbach, as he watches with increased interest the obvious and natural contradictions in the boy's youth between the 'virginal' innocence and the playful mischief.
Yet there is more..
Through flashbacks we know more about the artist's life: his deep grief after the death of his young daughter, the decline of his professional life and the public humiliation he endured, as well as his agony over the philosophical nature of beauty that he could not find an answer to.
Amidst all this, Tadzio's beauty triggered in him all these demons, failures and doubts and pushed him to the depth of despair.In a way the artist needed this beauty/fantasy to restore his mental physical and creative health.
We can also feel the artist's confusion when he says : What kind of road I have chosen? this illustrates the inevitable path to destruction he has taken, which deep down he knows is doomed from the start.
Fate plays a dirty hand with Aschenbach when a mixed up in luggage forces the artist to return to the hotel after finally deciding to leave. After initial anger, and in one of the most powerful scenes in the movie, we see him returning to Venice with a smile on his face, for destiny has pushed him back in the arms of the 'idealism' he found in the boy.
In another equally powerful scene, he sits on a bench at night, and say loudly : 'I Love You' ..this is a defining moment in the film , as we see all his defenses floundering and we feel that his end is nigh.
Tadzio remains an object of 'platonic' obsession for the musician, for in my opinion he sees in him, the image of his lost daughter (there are some resemblance), the answer to the age old riddle of beauty's meaning,(Perfection vs Mediocrity) and at the end, the power of life itself..When Aschenbach is dying on the beach from cholera and reaches out for the boy who walks away into the sea and only looks back when is far away, it is also a confirmation that indeed Tadzio is like life, cold, unresponsive,and finally giving up on the artist: Tadzio was the hope that Aschenbach clung to till the very last moment without success.
This makes Death in Venice a film that will force the viewer to think, yet soothes his eyes with breathtaking images, and with very serene scenes of family life at the beach side that in its domesticity and normalcy contradicts Aschenbach's own condition.
I will think twice before using the word Masterpiece from now on, and reserve it to the very few films that truly deserve it, and Death in Venice is certainly one of them.

In this age of putrid mediocrity this film sparkles like the timeless true bijou masterpiece it is. Yes it is slow but that is one of its chief virtues . Watch it and savour every superb frame, every delicate nuance,the astonishing painstaking art direction ,the exquisite lighting of a Venice that no longer exists and especially the flawless and tragically visceral performance by Dirk Bogarde, a master actor who was the equal of De Niro,Hoffman and Pacino put together in terms of subtlety and spareness. His conviction in the role permeates every frame and squeezes the heart long after the film has finished. Silvana Mangano need do nothing but allow the camera to caress her to make us gasp and the boy who plays Tadzio is the most arresting vision of androgynous beauty imaginable. Visconti the master created a true masterpiece with this film.
A rare experience and a very beautiful one.

"Death in Venice" (1971) is Visconti's version of the short story of the same name written by Thomas Mann. There are a few changes, but I think that the film is true to the spirit of the story. Did I love this movie? No, but I'd watch it again, because I was impressed by it.

The main character is Gustav von Aschenbach (Dirk Bogarde), an old and famous composer that visits Venice in order to rest, and stays at a splendid hotel. There he sees Tadzio (Bjorn Andresen), a young boy he cannot help but admire. Gustav slowly becomes obsessed with Tadzio, and starts to follow him and his family around the city, admiring him from afar. Has Gustav fallen in love with the boy, or with the fact that he is the personification of beauty and youth, things he doesn't have anymore?

At the same time Gustav discovers his fascination with Tadzio, something is happening in Venice, a beautiful city where decay and illness start to intrude. What is going to transpire? Visconti, with the help of an impressive soundtrack, builds a climate of tension. We know something is going to happen, but we don't know what.

On the whole, I believe that "Death in Venice" is a classic you should watch at least once, but not the kind of movie most of you would like to see much more than that. Provided that you take that observation into account, recommended...

Belen Alcat

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5.0 out of 5 stars MASTERPIECE!
Luchino Visconti's 1971 film adaptation of Thomas Mann's novel "Death in Venice" is nothing short of a masterpiece in every sense of the word. Read more

Published on May 17 2004 by E. Dolnack

5.0 out of 5 stars Obsession in the Time of Cholera
Based on Thomas Mann's famous novella, Luchino Visconti's DEATH IN VENICE is the account of a middle-aged man and his obsession with a teenage boy. Read more

Published on May 14 2004 by H. F. Corbin

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you for the DVD
This had been one of my favorite movies when I had seen it years ago in the theatre, but I was only able to get a VHS tape 6 months ago. Read more

Published on May 6 2004 by Edward R. Strelow

3.0 out of 5 stars Beware: English spoken
This is Luchino Visconti at the peak of his power as a reggiseur. This film is like a beautiful simphony, with a superb cinematography. Read more

Published on April 24 2004 by Bocio

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare gem, this is cinema as Art
Thomas Mann's novella "Death in Venice" is rightly considered one of the greatest books of European literature and this screen adaptation by the Italian maestro is... Read more

Published on April 20 2004 by Mr. A. Jehangir

5.0 out of 5 stars Great 2.35:1 image!
The transfer of Death in Venice is a glorious 2.35:1 which really shows the beauty of the camera work and sightings. You will rediscover this masterpiece. Read more

Published on April 8 2004 by Martin C.

5.0 out of 5 stars a forgotten masterpiece
If you want to see what cinema as an art can do, then rent or buy this materpiece. Visconti, an opera director himself who directed the likes of Maria Callas and known for works... Read more

Published on Feb 23 2004 by C. Santas

3.0 out of 5 stars Question on aspect ratio
The original film was shot in 2.35:1 aspect ratio but the DVD information I have seen just says widescreen. This implies the DVD is 1.75:1. Read more

Published on Feb 20 2004 by anorak man

3.0 out of 5 stars How long Warners before the W/S DVD?
Accepting that this thirty year old movie may not be to everyone's taste, I'd just like to add my voice to those who clamour for this movie to be available in restored form on... Read more

Published on Oct 1 2003 by Telletubby

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite visual treat
This movie is not for everyone. I took a friend to my second viewing of the film, and he shouted out midway thru the movie, "i know who dies in this movie... Read more

Published on Jun 13 2003 by Yumi

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