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Death in Venice

Play trailer Poster for Death in Venice PG 1971 2h 10m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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70% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Composer Gustave Aschenbach (Dirk Bogarde) travels to a Venice resort to escape personal and artistic stress. However, peace eludes him as he develops a disturbing attraction to an adolescent boy, Tadzio (Björn Andresen). However, their lives are both threatened with a sudden outbreak of cholera.
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Death in Venice

Death in Venice

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Critics Consensus

Luchino Visconti's Death in Venice is one of his emptier meditations on beauty, but fans of the director will find his knack for sumptuous visuals remains intact.

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Critics Reviews

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Stefan Kanfer TIME Magazine Visconti takes the veneer and calls it furniture. With infinite tedium, he pores over every facet of Tadzio's Botticelli visage. Feb 8, 2018 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Visconti's mastery of visual style almost succeeds in creating the very ideas and feelings that his heavy-handed narrative entirely misses. Rated: 2.5/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Vincent Canby New York Times Instead of bringing the story to life, Visconti has, I'm afraid, embalmed it. Rated: 2/5 May 20, 2003 Full Review Wael Khairy The Cinephile Fix “Death in Venice” is a film about humanity’s slow transcendence into nothingness and everything. It exists in the space between life and death, between youth and old age, between ignorance and wisdom. Apr 20, 2023 Full Review Frank J. Avella Edge Media Network Visconti finds beauty not only in Andrésen and the exquisite city of love, but also in the storytelling. Rated: A- Jul 7, 2022 Full Review Ulf Goebel Call and Post (Cleveland) As I watched Death in Venice... I got the feeling I was looking at something rare indeed in the world of films -- a work of art. Jan 25, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jenna J This movie scared me the whole movie he was stalking a 14-year-old boy when was he was 49. And then learning how the director was towards Bjorn Andresen and how this movie ruin his life being sexualized by the director and the whole world. When he never dreamed of doing this wanting to be a pianist and his grandma making him audition. He was sent love letters, money and so much more by people he didn't even know. He was a child but was sexualized in the movie and after this movie. It's so sad that he was literally a child and people were doing this. And being labeled as the most beautiful boy in the whole world at only 14. The director also saying during the audition for him to get naked when he was just a kid. Even years later he's still being sexualized he also said in the documentary to his wife that he doesn't deserve love or anything. And I feel so bad for him how much he went through being only 14 when this all started and still being affected by it to this day. So please don't watch this or support the director that made this. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/14/25 Full Review Ed . Beauty and the beast, arthouse style. I had a combination of pity, sadness and disappointment towards Gustav. His sustained interest in youthful beauty was pathetic and showed a lack of maturity and wisdom. His poor judgment and lack of value of himself resulted in his death...for...a few more glances of the twink known as Tadzio. A lost soul. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/29/25 Full Review Audience Member An Italian production about the death of not just someone but their entire life's meaning. Based on the book by Thomas Mann it focuses on a music composer Gustav Von Auschenbach. He's stricken by ennui. After arriving in the city of Italy he finds new passion for his work. But after a failed performance he starts to doubt his ability. That all changes when he sees a young boy with his mother. There is a lot of meandering shots in this whole thing; the two main leads don't even interact for most of the time. The real character that stands out next to the fantastic scenery is the score. Gives it enough of a dramatic edge. It's a bit empty when it comes to emotional heft though. But it does remind us there's almost no escape from the passage of time catching up to us all. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/03/24 Full Review Alan Joseph H A magnificent film, and one which I never tire of rewatching. It's best on a large screen because of the magnificent visuals. Some describe the movie as too slow, or even boring. Despite my tendency towards impatience, I did not find the film tedious in any way. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/01/24 Full Review A.L.Jude P Slow and boring without an output. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/16/24 Full Review ViraRiva people saying this is art and a masterpiece....did we watch the same thing? all i saw was a boring movie about a pedophile stalking a teenage boy. story was slow and confusing at times. some of the interactions(staring at each other) of the man and the pretty boy were uncomfortable to watch. it was hard to distinguish what was reality vs memory/imagination of the man. overall i do not recommend this movie. came for the beautiful boy, left with creeper vibes. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Death in Venice

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Movie Info

Synopsis Composer Gustave Aschenbach (Dirk Bogarde) travels to a Venice resort to escape personal and artistic stress. However, peace eludes him as he develops a disturbing attraction to an adolescent boy, Tadzio (Björn Andresen). However, their lives are both threatened with a sudden outbreak of cholera.
Director
Luchino Visconti
Producer
Luchino Visconti
Screenwriter
Nicola Badalucco, Luchino Visconti, Thomas Mann
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Alfa Cinematografica
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 17, 1971, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2008
Runtime
2h 10m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Mono
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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