A Movie “Death in Venice” by Luchino Visconti/Thomas Mann 4/22/20

April 22, 2020

I saw this movie when I was young too. Based on a novel by Thomas Mann, this movie is often known as one of the best movies of Visconti. The story is not complicated. A terrified composer, Gustav Von Aschenbach (Dirk Bogarde), visits Venice to recover from his illness, both mentally and physically. He is lonely. He stays at a nice hotel near a beach, and one day he spotted a beautiful young Polish boy, Tadzio (Björn Andrésen). Tadzio was vacationing with his family. Aschenbach fell in love with Tadzio, and became obsessive. He follows him. He can’t stop thinking of him. Then, he looks at himself, and he can’t accept who he is.. One day he went a beauty parlor and got a make-up and hair dye. It is very sad how he looks.. The ending scene is unforgettable. The movie captures the beauty of Venice and the scenes of vacationers. It is a psychological movie and some scenes are very long without much motions. I may not rate this movie as Visconti’s best film, but the acting is excellent.