One man becomes so obsessed by the beauty of a young boy in Venice that he cannot bear to leave, even when the city is affected by a plague. Based on the novel by Thomas Mann.
I feel this film is exactly the way all films should be. Exiting, tragic,yet beautifully shot. I love Bjorn's character, I find him VERY good looking and don't blame ... more >
I feel this film is exactly the way all films should be. Exiting, tragic,yet beautifully shot. I love Bjorn's character, I find him VERY good looking and don't blame Dirk's character at all. Also I just want to know does anyone if Tadzio actually dies as well at the end????? < less
"Great Melodrama under thick Makeup" -
Shane Hyde on 25th January 2011
I watched this first when i was about 20 years old and as i saw the opening shot of the ship coming out of the mist, and i heard the Mahler music, i was convinced that... more >
I watched this first when i was about 20 years old and as i saw the opening shot of the ship coming out of the mist, and i heard the Mahler music, i was convinced that this was evidence that there was art in the movies! It turned out i was wrong, this was Art with a capital A, the real art of filmmaking lay elsewhere for me to discover later on. Death In Venice is one of those hugely overrated film.
On the outside it is all very shiny and pretty, it has the great moving music, the lens filters, the rich and lavish sets, and a fabulous city which all serve to make the film seem important. But this is all superfluous and decorative, hiding a hollow core, the cinematography actually a bit of a bore in its slowness and self-importance. In one scene at a restaurant the camera pans and moves around the set aimlessly again and again for seemingly no reason whatsoever apart from for its own sake, without saying anything or adding anything to the film. Which makes me think this is a director who hasn't a clue what to do. It's almost all establishing shots and very little emotional involvement.
The one reason to watch the film is Bogarde. He is a homosexual who seems to like young men. I'm not sure if the film celebrates that, to these eyes it seems to. But in Bogarde there is the promise of much more interesting things - how we cope with death, ageing, repressed sexuality, survival, yet these themes never get a chance, stifled under a thick layer of makeup.
Somewhere in here is a better film, 1/2 an hour shorter, possibly directed by someone like Douglas Sirk if he were still alive, because this has the makings of a great little melodrama. < less
