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Morte a Venezia [1971] Thomas Mann's slender, perfect novella is drawn out on screen into
a self conscious masterpiece wannabe that alternates moments of startling
brilliance with unfortunate doses of sweating kitsch. Aschenbach, the
central character, is based on Gustav Mahler, and Visconti accordingly
casts Bogarde not as Mann's great writer in decline but as a distinguished
composer on the slide, allowing for the powerful use of Mahler on the
soundtrack. In Venice at the turn of the century, Dirk is fascinated
with an angelic young boy whose family is staying at the same hotel,
and tempted to linger longer in the plague capital of Europe than is
good for his health. The atmosphere of combined innocence and decay,
evoked by some suggestive performances and the sinking architecture,
is powerful, but it takes Bogarde a long, unintentionally comic time
to die. First Published In: Empire [issue unknown] Visit Kim's Official Website at www.johnnyalucard.com
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