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)
Morte em Veneza (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Döden i Venedig (Sweden) [sv]
Døden i Venedig (Denmark) [da]
Halál Velencében (Hungary) [hu]
Kuolema Venetsiassa (Finland) [fi]
Muerte en Venecia (Spain) [es]
Smierc w Wenecji (Poland) [pl]
Thanatos sti Venetia (Greece) [el]
Tod in Venedig (West Germany) [de]
Venedik'te ölüm (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

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:

In the dining room, Aschenbach orders "soup and fish" which is also a slang term for his formal evening suit.

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: You know sometimes I think that artists are rather like hunters aiming in the dark. They don't know what their target is, and they don't know if they've hit it. But you can't expect life to illuminate the target and steady your aim. The creation of beauty and purity is a spiritual act.
Alfred: Non Gustav, no. Beauty belongs to the senses. Only to the senses.

Movie Connections:

Featured in L'emprise du carnavalesque (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Adagietto From Symphony No.5

One of the greatest foreign films ever

Death in Venice is a must see for all of those interested in "great" film-making. I regard the film as essential watching. The final scene, in which the lovesick middle aged man watching a beautiful boy as his absurd makeup runs and he dies of the plague is one of the most horrific and sad in film history. Featuring the music of Gustav Mahler, we are visited by the dark, amber strains of his Fourth Symphony as we visit Venice, which has been beset with the plague. A middle aged man falls in love with a teenage boy, and is heartsick from afar. This is sumptuous, heartbreaking film-making. A must see.