Morte a Venezia (1971)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Writers:

Thomas Mann (novel)
Luchino Visconti (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 June 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

In this adaptation of the Thomas Mann novel, avant-garde composer Gustave Aschenbach (loosely based...

Plot Keywords:

Beauty | Boy | Composer | Vacation | Corruption

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 17 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Dirk Bogarde	...	Gustav von Aschenbach
Romolo Valli	...	Hotel manager
Mark Burns	...	Alfred
Nora Ricci	...	Governess
Marisa Berenson	...	Frau von Aschenbach
Carole André	...	Esmeralda (as Carole Andre)
Björn Andrésen	...	Tadzio (as Björn Andresen)
Silvana Mangano	...	Tadzio's mother
Leslie French	...	Travel Agent
Franco Fabrizi	...	Barber
Antonio Appicella	...	Vagrant
Sergio Garfagnoli	...	Jaschu, Polish youth
Ciro Cristofoletti	...	Hotel clerk
Luigi Battaglia	...	Scapegrace
Dominique Darel	...	English tourist

Also Known As:

Death in Venice (Canada: English title) (UK) (USA)
Mort à Venise (France)

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

English | Italian | Polish | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:13 | France:Unrated | West Germany:12 (f) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Finland:S | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:12A (re-rating) (2002) | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2004) | UK:15 (video rating) (1988) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG | Ireland:15

Filming Locations:

Banca Commerciale Italiana, St. Mark's Square, Venice, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Alfa Cinematografica

Trivia:

Tom Courtenay said at the premiere that he felt Alec Guinness should have played Aschenbach, because then the audience would have believed that he was the great composer - "with Dirk, you never felt he was."

Goofs:

Continuity: When Aschenbach first asks the hotel manager about the situation in Venice, the manager finishes by saying, "There's nothing to worry about." His glasses are on his face. The scene cuts to a different angle, and the manager repeats, "Nothing to worry about", but he's holding his glasses in his hands.

Quotes:

Gustav von Aschenbach: I remember we had one of these in my father's house. The aperture through which the sand runs is so tiny that... that first it seems as if the level in the upper glass never changes. To our eyes it appears that the sand runs out only... only at the end... and until it does, it's not worth thinking about... 'til the last moment... when there's no more time left to think about it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kamyu nante shiranai (2005)

Soundtrack:

Sehr Langsam Misterioso From Symphony No.3

" That smile. You must never smile like that at anyone but me "

Thomas Mann's controversial novel is the basis for the film "A Death in Venice. " Although in the book, the hero is an author, in the film the director Luchino Visconti who also wrote the screenplay, transforms him into a Composer. As such, the Author/Composer, Gustav Von Aschebach (Dirk Bogarde) on the verge of mental exhaustion is a burned-out artisan. After a long and successful career now seeks the peace and tranquility of a less hectic life. He decides to go on vacation to Venice where he hopes to rejuvenate his dwindling ambition. However, while staying at the picturesque seaside resort, he captures the attention of a beautiful young teenage boy, Tadzio (Björn Andrésen) who eyes him with curious interest and is immediately smitten by him. Although Gustav is captivated by the wondrous youth, he nevertheless must find some private time away from the boy's governess (Nora Ricci), while having to cope with a invading plague which seems to have infested the city. The movie dialog, like the novel remains subtle as are the few brief encounters between the boy and the artist. In the end. the audience unlike the book is hampered with innuendos and imaginative flights of fancy. Their affair is never given wing, substance or opportunity and were it not for the brief resolution in the book, the film allows only the possibility of 'what if.' Nevertheless, one can sympathize with the hero and wish him a moment's peace to obtain that which is forbidden, elusive but definitely criticized by prying eyes. Great story and a Bogarde Classic. ****