Rating: 
Summary: not five, ten stars!
Review: If there is available to rate on 10 stars, I would give it! This is an excellent DVD...
As you know, in that film, the musics By Gustav Mahler, his Adagietto movement from 5th Symphony. And there is a metaphor between Gustav Mahler and Gustav vo Aschenbach, who the main character of the film. Their name are same, so the director Visconti was compare Aschenbach to Mahler. And Aschenbech is a composer in that film. Actually, their lifes are very different.
Still, in Thomas Mann's original novella, Aschenbach is a writer.
This is a masterpiece and the most touching, impressive film I've ever watch. Even so, I weeped in the finale scene... what an uncanny love! what a feeling...
It is a masterpiece and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: a forgotten masterpiece
Review: 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 like la terra trema and The Leopard, combines literature, music, and visual cinema like no other in rendering Thomas Mann's celebrated novella into film. All elements work in harmony, and Mahler's music, from Symphonies #3 and #5 fits into the tragic story of a composer (allusions are made to Mahler himself, whom Dick Bogarde astonishingly resembles)whose homosexual passion for a young boy (no actual sin committed aside from looking) leads him to his own destruction. Unberably tragic, visually stunning, alluring and damning, this is arguably the best adaptation of literature into film ever made. And the words of Nietzsche, O Mensch! Gib Acht! (Oh man, take heed!)are actually sung in the film. Not for every taste, but for those able to appreciate it a celestial treat.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless Death
Review: In light of Dirk Bogarde's death this year, this film resonates with greater power than ever before. A film can have the greatest photography, script, direction, and music...but without Mr. Bogarde's elegant and very detailed performance, this film would be just a pretty travelouge about Venice. It remains one of the ten great film performances of all time. Check it out for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: A great cinematic jewel now on DVD
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Death in Venice's slow death on VHS
Review: Just a quick note to add to the chorus of voices here: Death in Venice needs to be put on DVD - restored, widescreen, etc...
Rating:
Summary: DESIRE!!
Review: Like other Visconti films - this one is a visual treasure. It proves that Visconti is capable of adapting pretty much anything and making it his own.
Central to the film is Dirk Bogarde's performance - which is really stirring and unforgettable. We identify with his character because we all feel what he feels at times - desire, failure, reflection.
I am touched most of all by the scenes on the beach which also combine use of sound (like the man selling strawberries) in a hauntingly beautiful way.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Even Mahler Can Save This Film
Review: Luchino Visconti is one of my favorite directors of all time! I usually love to watch his movies. Films like "The Innocent", "Ludwig", "Senso" and "Conversation Piece" I think they are all great movies. Each one of them is very enjoyable to watch. So I want everyone to keep this in mind. It's not that I hate "Death In Venice", it does have it's good points. There are many things that standout about this movie, that I will never forget, and I mean that in the best way possible. Visconti's directing is as usual wonderful. I think from everything I've seen by him, this might be his best movie as a director. We can picture him directing this movie. The acting by Dirk Bogarde is very good too. I also enjoyed him in Visconti's "The Damned". The locations are wonderful. There are some real beautiful scenes here. I think the music by Mahler is very pleasant to listen to. I especially love the opening credits. I think it's one of the best I've ever seen ( no joke!). But even though I can say these positive things about the movie, it does have it's own faults as well. I've never read the novel from which this is based on, nor do I intend to ever read it. But, the character played by Bogarde remained, to me at least, such a mystery. There were times I didn't understand his character. And, I couldn't quite get his fascination with the young boy. Was this suppose to be a homosexual love story? He clearly found the boy appealing. That's in the tagline for the movie. " A man obsessed by ideal beauty". The boy represents "ideal beauty", but why? I know that may seem like a dumb question to some, but, I never quite got it. Why did HE have to represent it? And if you read the back of the cover it states "he abandons himself to a secret passion." Besides all of this, I didn't feel we got to know Bogarde's character very well. It's been some time since I watched the movie, but I don't remember hearing him ever talk about his family. I do remember a scene where he kisses a picture either of his wife or child. I didn't warm up to the character enough where I felt I went along with him. I never opened up to him. Now, was it like this in the book as well, or did this happen in the screenplay? I don't know. I have some respect for this movie, because of my admiration for Visconti, but this is a movie I usually never watch. ** 1\2 out of *****
Rating:
Summary: Not Even Mahler Can Save This Film
Review: Luchino Visconti is one of my favorite directors of all time! I usually love to watch his movies. Films like "The Innocent", "Ludwig", "Senso" and "Conversation Piece" I think they are all great movies. Each one of them is very enjoyable to watch. So I want everyone to keep this in mind. It's not that I hate "Death In Venice", it does have it's good points. There are many things that standout about this movie, that I will never forget, and I mean that in the best way possible. Visconti's directing is as usual wonderful. I think from everything I've seen by him, this might be his best movie as a director. We can picture him directing this movie. The acting by Dirk Bogarde is very good too. I also enjoyed him in Visconti's "The Damned". The locations are wonderful. There are some real beautiful scenes here. I think the music by Mahler is very pleasant to listen to. I especially love the opening credits. I think it's one of the best I've ever seen ( no joke!). But even though I can say these positive things about the movie, it does have it's own faults as well. I've never read the novel from which this is based on, nor do I intend to ever read it. But, the character played by Bogarde remained, to me at least, such a mystery. There were times I didn't understand his character. And, I couldn't quite get his fascination with the young boy. Was this suppose to be a homosexual love story? He clearly found the boy appealing. That's in the tagline for the movie. " A man obsessed by ideal beauty". The boy represents "ideal beauty", but why? I know that may seem like a dumb question to some, but, I never quite got it. Why did HE have to represent it? And if you read the back of the cover it states "he abandons himself to a secret passion." Besides all of this, I didn't feel we got to know Bogarde's character very well. It's been some time since I watched the movie, but I don't remember hearing him ever talk about his family. I do remember a scene where he kisses a picture either of his wife or child. I didn't warm up to the character enough where I felt I went along with him. I never opened up to him. Now, was it like this in the book as well, or did this happen in the screenplay? I don't know. I have some respect for this movie, because of my admiration for Visconti, but this is a movie I usually never watch. ** 1\2 out of *****
Rating:
Summary: MASTERPIECE!
Review: 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. The more I watch this film, the more I realize how perfect it is.For those unfamiliar with Thomas Mann's 1911 novel of the same name, there are a few differences. No movie that I'm aware of follows its original book to a "T". But the changes that Italian director Visconti adds to the story are intriguing and beautiful. I don't mind his personal touches in the slightest. Indeed, the film wouldn't be nearly as good otherwise. The intuition to make the Aschenbach character really be Jewish/Austrian famed composer Gustav Mahler and set the movie's soundtrack to that of Mahler's 3rd and 5th symphonies was brilliant. I can't say if Thomas Mann originally intended the Aschenbach character to truly be Mahler in the novel or not? Having the main character be a tired, worn out Gustav Mahler is a brilliant masterstroke of pure genius. We're left with a film that condenses everything brilliant that is Europe. Using Mahler's own music creates a depth and haunting realism to the film as well. The casting in this film is extraordinary! You could not have casted a better cast to play these characters anywhere. The young man who plays the beautiful Tadzio looks like a Norweignean version of a sculpted Apollo youth. His features are those of a god. His silouette against the backdrop of the sparkling sea pointing out over the waters is one the most erotically charged scenes I've ever seen in a movie. It's breathtaking really, and one almost forgets the possibly taboo homoerotic connotations such a scenario is from the standpoint of the aged Aschenbach. I have seen many films shot in and around Venice, Italy ("the Italian Job" most recently), but none have come as close to this as personifying the city and showing it as beautifully. In my opinion, Visconti's "Death in Venice" is to Venice what Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" is to Rome. Foreign film lovers should not miss this classic. Travelers who've been to Italy, or dream of visiting one day, also should not miss this beautiful film. I may not recommend the film to younger audiences who probably aren't ready to understand why a dying man would entertain fantasies of a physical passion for a teen boy. In such cases, I would say the film is probably unsuitable for viewers under the ages of 15 or so. The DVD has a nice picture in 16x9 widescreen for widescreen televisions and is compressed lightly with low grain and nice blacks and contrast. The sound is stereo and in the English language, so subtitles aren't necessary. The film is also shot in glorious color in a vivid but controlled manner. When I first saw this film I was sorry that it wasn't filmed in black & white, but now that I think on it, this story works better in color and the colors of this film are gorgeous. Venice always photographs well, but I have rarely seen the old city look so sumptuous as it does here. Some grade-A, top-notch cinematography went into the making of this rich and luxurious movie.
Rating:
Summary: MASTERPIECE!
Review: 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. The more I watch this film, the more I realize how perfect it is. For those unfamiliar with Thomas Mann's 1911 novel of the same name, there are a few differences. No movie that I'm aware of follows its original book to a "T". But the changes that Italian director Visconti adds to the story are intriguing and beautiful. I don't mind his personal touches in the slightest. Indeed, the film wouldn't be nearly as good otherwise. The intuition to make the Aschenbach character really be Jewish/Austrian famed composer Gustav Mahler and set the movie's soundtrack to that of Mahler's 3rd and 5th symphonies was brilliant. I can't say if Thomas Mann originally intended the Aschenbach character to truly be Mahler in the novel or not? Having the main character be a tired, worn out Gustav Mahler is a brilliant masterstroke of pure genius. We're left with a film that condenses everything brilliant that is Europe. Using Mahler's own music creates a depth and haunting realism to the film as well. The casting in this film is extraordinary! You could not have casted a better cast to play these characters anywhere. The young man who plays the beautiful Tadzio looks like a Norweignean version of a sculpted Apollo youth. His features are those of a god. His silouette against the backdrop of the sparkling sea pointing out over the waters is one the most erotically charged scenes I've ever seen in a movie. It's breathtaking really, and one almost forgets the possibly taboo homoerotic connotations such a scenario is from the standpoint of the aged Aschenbach. I have seen many films shot in and around Venice, Italy ("the Italian Job" most recently), but none have come as close to this as personifying the city and showing it as beautifully. In my opinion, Visconti's "Death in Venice" is to Venice what Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" is to Rome. Foreign film lovers should not miss this classic. Travelers who've been to Italy, or dream of visiting one day, also should not miss this beautiful film. I may not recommend the film to younger audiences who probably aren't ready to understand why a dying man would entertain fantasies of a physical passion for a teen boy. In such cases, I would say the film is probably unsuitable for viewers under the ages of 15 or so. The DVD has a nice picture in 16x9 widescreen for widescreen televisions and is compressed lightly with low grain and nice blacks and contrast. The sound is stereo and in the English language, so subtitles aren't necessary. The film is also shot in glorious color in a vivid but controlled manner. When I first saw this film I was sorry that it wasn't filmed in black & white, but now that I think on it, this story works better in color and the colors of this film are gorgeous. Venice always photographs well, but I have rarely seen the old city look so sumptuous as it does here. Some grade-A, top-notch cinematography went into the making of this rich and luxurious movie.
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