A Scene from DEATH IN VENICE

[@_toulouse]

this is honestly the one bit that sticks out to me the most. 0:37 the way gustav smiles at tadzio, but then his smile is slowly wiped off his face when he hears the kids around him laughing. he sees tadzio's friend whisper to him in his ear and they both start laughing, too. gustav starts looking around, body language and facial expression visibly distressed, and his self-consciousness is so palpable. he obviously doesn't fit in. he's a cowering, middle-aged man who's lost sight of much of anything for himself and is projecting his pursuit of happiness onto this random, pretty teenager who has his life ahead of him. i saw it as this moment of clarity where he realizes he's chasing after someone who fundamentally isn't in his league, let alone someone who's appropriate to chase after. it's such an uncomfortable scene. i don't like what the movie did, exploiting bjorn, but i do enjoy how the movie largely shows instead of tells in their story.

[@vanesaalzugaray8767]

Absolutly perfect his coment. I love this movie is a master piece this part to me describe all the fellings no only of the character, but also all of use, the human spirit. That kind of moment in that see the past of time, the boy reflect a time in the life that never come back. Loves this part of movie how without words it said to much emotions. Brillant.

[@omg9261]

That's a brilliant comment. Thank you for sharing your insights.💛

[@Beebeepbooboop]

Don't deep it. The scene is obvious aaf

[@_toulouse]

@@Beebeepbooboop eh it's not made for everybody. i say stuff what i personally would like to hear or read. if people never articulated anything, they'd be just like every other organism on the planet doing stuff and not knowing why lol

[@Roger-fh3ny]

Curious how the "child" Tadzio is almost as tall as the man.

[@GimotherDer]

👍🏻

[@Casde-gt7yu]

True and Bogarde was quite tall in figure.

[@anonymousr1918]

@@Casde-gt7yuBogarde was only 174cm tall, this is very short.

[@Ghiyr-fk5wi]

​@@anonymousr19181,78

[@Ghiyr-fk5wi]

​@@anonymousr1918Average height, in the film the adult men in the Hotel des Bains are all as tall as him.

[@naenaedmysteries]

lmao he got that wireless glasses

[@mr.mustachecat2309]

He became an 'object' .. ..These people ruined his life

[@timstill152]

Pff...I wish they had ruined my life.

[@pinkstrawberries1768]

@@timstill152 what Bjorn became deeply depressed. He was used as a sex you and an object as though he was not human. But if you wanted to be treated like that fine. Your choice.

[@timstill152]

@@pinkstrawberries1768 If you're only seeing DIV as a homosexual experience then you're missing the message of the film. Gustav's life had become unbearable and sad. He couldn't bear it anymore and age was catching up with him. The end was coming for him which he at least sensed. All that pain and misery from his hard work hadn't seemed to pay off. Now what? Possibly something new and foreign in a far off land would revitalize him. Then Tadzio, an image of perfect freedom and happiness accentuated by his handsomeness appears. Tadzio was a SYMBOL to Gustav representing all the things that his hard work and his own life lacked; beauty, freedom, love. Tadzio was a vision of paradise. A certain amount of jealousy stepped in as well once Gustav decided he would try to wear Tadzios face, if you will, with the ridiculous makeup to make him look younger. Now Bjorn may have said "I was a sex object big game" but that doesn't make him correct or accurate on that assertion. Remember, he was filmed for the movie 50 (fifty) years ago! There is no precedent for such a claim I know of from any other actor ANYWHERE and I find it implausible. Imagine going up to a war veteran who'd seen his buddies tortured and dying in agony and tell them that your brief stardom as a teenager ruined your life. He'd laugh in your face.

[@pinkstrawberries1768]

@@timstill152 no I meant off stage they would sexually harass him

[@timstill152]

@@pinkstrawberries1768 I'd like to know where you heard that. From what I have heard from a couple of sources the director enforced a strict "hands-off the kid" policy with the entire crew. I have heard several times that Visconti took Bjorn to gay bars which made him uncomfortable but that's much different than being sexually harassed. Bjorn expressed that in such an environment he didn't dare make eye contact with anyone. That to do so would be social suicide.

[@fireflymiesumae]

How are his glasses holding up

[@emc4408]

they're being held up because they're squeezing the bridge of his nose

[@sarahjones-jf4pr]

That is a very good question they used to be called pince ne in french but I am sure if I wore them they would end up on the floor!

[@dumpling3309]

Lol

[@taehyungkim4267]

Fr I was so confused about that those glasses make no sense 💀😂

[@margueritepadovani1402]

no he wasn't uncomfortable...he walked out of the elevator amd turned around amd stared at him...for a few seconds..it is like a game..

[@taehyungkim4267]

He was taunting him like Yeah I know your looking what about it , I'll look right back buddy

[@Girlelsanna]

Ikr

[@jesuz8147]

Weirdo he’s a kid

[@sumatra_7174]

Why should he play games? He noticed the man's staring at him and stares back to tell him without words that he has noticed. I think he wants to make the man feel embarrassed and stop this. All in all it is disgusting.

[@brendaframa2320]

Not a game, he is a child but clearly he noticed.

[@timstill152]

Death in Venice to me is also about one coming out of their personal shell. The elevator scene works well symbolically this way as Tadzio fixes Gustav with an intense and prolonged stare as he exits away slowly walking backwards, symbolic of his youthful freedom, attempting to draw him out of his crampt suffocating situation for some answer, some peep of repressed love to come from his lips like a muse attempting to inspire unsuccessfully, in the end turning and walking away disappointed. This aggravates Gustav's sense of artistic failure. How impotent he must have appeared to Tadzio in that awkward moment for the artist who is incapable of making a sound, music, expression of any sort is an unhappy soul indeed. We see this unhappiness expressed .later in his hotel room after having left the elevator in solitude as usual. The artist who spends most of his time wandering from one place to another in total silence like a mute. Part of the landscape but also disconnected from it privately. Life feeling like one cell after another. I have felt like this many times myself.

[@humanchannel7825]

Pretentious as fuck

[@bassplayermaster11]

Bruh shut your weird as up !

[@timstill152]

@@humanchannel7825 you're a man of few words, whereas I tend to be very wordy. Please tell me what it is I've said you disagree with.

[@Kris-uy1ei]

@@humanchannel7825 Visconti can attest to them.

[@vanesaalzugaray8767]

I can't watch this film this part of movie is so perfect and so sad reflects perfection in a way that hurts. What a beautiful boy its so sad his life god why the humanity is so cruel.

The text written by Thomas Mann is superior than Visconti's movie, which is memorable yet, because of the images, the music, the boy etc.

[@amaletamema335]

Always the books better... But this movie really really good

[@larsheihei3683]

No point in comparing two different art forms. But yes, the book is a very important literary work. Totally divine. And it's short :)

[@george90186]

Absolutely

[@george90186]

Thomas Mann book "Death in Venice,is based on his personal experience which contributed to the story.

[@TheSmileyOne]

@@amaletamema335 nah, in some cases it's reversed, Jaws for example

[@filbertthedilbert1]

I think Mann’s book is like Proust for people with less time on their hands.

[@timstill152]

The terror of being taken by someone so beautiful. They have him on the spot, and he doesn't like it. Love grows inside. He doesn't feel alright being in there, does he? Some personal secret he doesn't want to share. He feels alright being alone. But it's not alright to feel alone. People should not feel alone. It sucks being alone. And it feels safe. Do you deserve to feel alone? Apple freely speaking here. Says she don't like you. I wish I could challenge her. But he's so beautiful. You have to love him.

[@CalloCallay]

I think this is a great film, but for me personally Tadso is just an annoying wee git.

[@timstill152]

People tend to assume that Tadzio is gay because of the beach kissing scene and the curious relationship between himself and Aschenbach but the truth I believe is that there is another dimension to relationships between men and boys that has nothing to do with sexuality but everything to do with love nobody can deny tadzio is absolutely beautiful. But the film never suggest that there is anything carnal between the two.

[@MrMartinportnoy]

Well, this is something very clearly depicted in Mann's novel... everything was platonic. The only reference to something obscure going on, is Aschenbach's perception, towards the end of the novel, of Tadzio's family circle trying to drive the boy away when he's nearby

[@timstill152]

@@MrMartinportnoy Oh well, there I go again. Call me Captain Obvious =)

[@roarrrist]

this is gae as hell

[@timstill152]

@@roarrrist it's so refreshing to hear an original point of view

[@roarrrist]

@@timstill152 oh yeah? *it is what it is*

[@xareniopl1850]

When i see my crush, and all people see me hahaha

[@gdust6579]

He is down right terrified of him the way the boy looked at him made me think if the man just stepped off the elevator with him that there would be a real connection made 😱 And it being socially taboo even maybe illegal.. What were the creators trying to accomplish? That you can fall for any body some times though its just not appropriate to society? It is even making me a pervert, I want them to interact on a deeper level but they cant, it reminds me of my own failed age gap connection i had with an older man. It was very heart breaking

[@chelseatsui486]

​@@gdust6579 What are you even talking about??? This is disturbing...you WANT the grown man and boy to be together????? Their relationship was purely platonic, why are you romanticising pedophilia.

[@gdust6579]

@@chelseatsui486 are you joking? this story has been widely criticized for this.. stop projecting your shadow onto one person. im not the scapegoat for societys sins, or the sins of this film/story

[@johnvandijk1399]

@@gdust6579 People are offended easily. It would be totally possible for Tadzio to have a little crush on Aschenbach. The novel refers to Aschenbach as his lover. It's just told from Aschenbach's perspective, and not much from Tadzio's. If the feelings were mutual, Aschenbach wouldn't act on it.

[@bal_masque]

@@gdust6579 The way you perceive the film's plot may be affecting you in a negative way, consider rethinking the story and why it has been praised in the first place rather than looking to what critics say; after all critics are born to criticize, few manage to get things right nowadays.

[@user-ih8wx1jd2q]

Он НЕ может на него не смотреть 💔

[@vadymd6510]

Wow, what a boy 😍

[@hathaway.1166]

And guess what, people ruined him because of his own beauty. Check out The most beautiful boy in the world.

[@sosacanyouhang2970]

@@hathaway.1166 could you tell me where the documentary video is because I’m really curious

[@idgaf9103]

@@sosacanyouhang2970 it's on KZbin . It goes by the name The most beautiful boy in the world

[@karakoly924]

Donde puedo ver la película completa

[@MrLChurchill]

The neighbours wonder I'm watching it or else the sisters are thinking 'I was Tadzio' but Aschenbach reminds me of someone.

[@MrLChurchill]

Actually Tadzio's face looks something like my mother's.

[@MrLChurchill]

'Jack ' venting his anger with days of rain about something - Aschenbach was the name of the blackbird who is now lying dead in the garden apparently although i'd thought it was another one until this was pointed out by a neighbour.

[@MrLChurchill]

That's because many times it looked like his feathers were dyed.

[@marlon7834]

@@MrLChurchill like your mother

[@Girlelsanna]

Johan Liebert

[@margueritepadovani1402]

i don't understand is Tadzio playing games with him? by turning around and looking at him?

[@miamartinez7183]

I think he was uncomfortable around the creep.

[@pinpin-bc8ww]

It seems like

The book written by Thomas Mann is much better than Visconti's movie.

[@jean-francoisbrunet2031]

@ No. they are on a par and the film is extraordinarily true to the book.

[@jean-francoisbrunet2031]

@@remomazzetti8757 Your "in no way close" does not correspond to my memory of the book. But I am not sure I want to engage in this conversation before I understand the contrast you intend between "a closet queer" and " highly disciplined writer". Wasn't Thomas Mann himself, definitely a closet queer, a "highly disciplined writer"?

[@GatoPardo09]

Know what? Tadzio was interested. 🤭

[@zarazara-nf5zp]

Accurate

[@gdust6579]

This movie is like all those shows/movies where a m/m slash is construed by its fans, but this movie its creators are really trying to make that a reality. It makes some people watching as fans want these 2 to be together but that would be "illegal" I wonder if this movie is the anthem for NAMBLA >_

[@brendacastillo8146]

Yeah that is exactly what the director wants you to think, that is why pedophilia is so big in the world, one of the most horrible acts of humanity, at 14 while your body is developing and we already experience attraction to others, we don't really understand our own feelings, so is not for an adult to tell a kid how he feels.

[@sosacanyouhang2970]

He wasn’t interested he was feeling uncomfortable so instead he smiled each time he looks at him he try’s not to think too much

[@miamartinez7183]

He was a CHILD. He wasn't comfortable with an ADULT staring at him all the time.

[@kurisurisuku]

what the is that justi- 😭

[@honinakecheta601]

Bro this film wasn’t even good. Just creepy asf to watch. I felt like a voyeur watching some sickos homoerotic/pedophilic fantasy. It’s just such a bizarre and uncomfortable film to watch…

[@sm0kei38]

these people ruined björns life, monsters.

[@maync1]

All I see in this scene is a plain flavor Tadzio. No range of emotion whatsoever. Only notice this poor acting by reviewing the 2nd floor part of the scene a few times. I think crowds have been hypnotized by this movie, but actually not by the movie but by all the publicity, the media assault. A kind of propaganda.

[@cl759]

I don't get it, couldn't they find a beautiful child that didn't need a trough of make up and a wanky haircut to make him look... effeminate, still not beautiful!? Or,, was that the point? I didn't see this movie before because I was too young to care until now. But that kid has, all. the. time., more makeup on him than the main character got from the callous barber. Also Gustav Mahler's movement is giving me the movement, such a lazy choice considering the plot of the movie. Why did I have to turn 60 ? Why? PS Unless there's a valid explanation or you see it the way I see it, don't bother to berate me 4 this comment. a) I don't care b) it's hard to change my mind, been working on it 4 60yrs c) I didn't see the whole movie, I'd just like to ,because I'm 60 yr old woman in love with Timothy Chalmers d) yes, I spelled it wrong but I'm too lazy to input his actual last name into g board dictionary because any time now I'm liable to fall in love with someone else