What Am I Missing?

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Funnily enough the film uses a Nietzsche text: Midnight song from Thus Spoke Zarathustra, in Mahlers 3rd Symphony exerpt

Well, to reply to all of the above, I think that there is no doubt that there is an element of homoeroticism in the film. I've seen it a few times since I saw it first upon its release when I was about 16 y.o. This is a film with many layers and many of the comments made by the contributers are spot on.

Yes, one can see this as a slow-moving, boring piece of film. But if you allow yourself to be seduced by the beautiful cinematography, the great acting and the sheer pathos and futility of Bogarde's lost soul, one can be transfixed.

Bogarde's character perhaps feels that he has thrown away his life, is questioning the meaning of what he has accomplished or not accomplished and sees in Tadzio his beauty and absolute simplicity. Mind you, as played in the film, the kid is intrigued by the older man's obvious interest in him. Hey, that's boys all over.

They can be little "seducteurs" when they want. At a boring seaside resort, why not play hard to get. OK, that is simplistic. But the cat-and-mouse game that Tadzio appears to play, perhaps not knowing what he is doing to poor old Aschenbach, is amusing. It is at the same time pathetic to watch Aschenbach become obsessed. Who is really in Charge. Youth and beauty, however vapid, wins hands down. That is why this film is a tradegy. Don't forget that we are talking about a time and place in which differs dramatically from our own. Anyway, good flik. Cheers.

Hugh Corston
Quebec City
Canada

Well, to reply to all of the above, I think that there is no doubt that there is an element of homoeroticism in the film. I've seen it a few times since I saw it first upon its release when I was about 16 y.o. This is a film with many layers and many of the comments made by the contributers are spot on.

Yes, one can see this as a slow-moving, boring piece of film. But if you allow yourself to be seduced by the beautiful cinematography, the great acting and the sheer pathos and futility of Bogarde's lost soul, one can be transfixed.

Bogarde's character perhaps feels that he has thrown away his life, is questioning the meaning of what he has accomplished or not accomplished and sees in Tadzio his beauty and absolute simplicity. Mind you, as played in the film, the kid is intrigued by the older man's obvious interest in him. Hey, that's boys all over.

They can be little "seducteurs" when they want. At a boring seaside resort, why not play hard to get. OK, that is simplistic. But the cat-and-mouse game that Tadzio appears to play, perhaps not knowing what he is doing to poor old Aschenbach, is amusing. It is at the same time pathetic to watch Aschenbach become obsessed. Who is really in charge? Youth and beauty, however vapid, win hands down. That is why this film is a tragedy. Don't forget that we are talking about a time and place which differs dramatically from our own. Anyway, a great film. Cheers.

Hugh Corston
Quebec City
Canada

I think DIV movie is best considered as an accompaniment for a chain of runs through the Mahler Adagietto. That is why I got the DVD and like to watch and listen to it. It is a kind of ongoing ballet. The Adagietto starts several times but only once comes close to being completed, chopping off the succulent last couple of bars with the bassi collapsing down to the tonic note.
How cruel!

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The jazz analogy is not good. Jazz is a particular genre of music and each of us takes to one or more genres as we please, since music works on the emotions in quite a different way to cinema. Cinema is a story telling medium, usually with words. The idea of comparing Louis Armstrong's superb playing and singing technique with Dirk Bogarde's typical pouting and hammy posturing should upset most jazz fans, not to mention most real actors.

There is nothing in the annals of jazz comparable to the overblown direction of Visconti, a man with far more spare cash than ability. This particular 'vanity cinema' effort was made even more clumsy by his clearly having just discovered a zoom lens in the cinematographer's kitbag. For similar exercises in melodrama try sitting through even 30 minutes of his reading of Italian history in 'The Leopard' or German history in 'The Damned'. The latter film has at least the single virtue that the major part of Dirk's simpering was left on the cutting room floor, so even Visconti - a man for whom no piece of theatrical camp was too expansive - could display some measure of critical judgement on an occasion.

If you are genuinely looking for a musical analogy to Visconti's misplaced directing forays I suggest Florence Foster Jenkins. Leave jazz alone.

kasca

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Another average film student. And the reason why we see so many dumb films today.