1 00:00:00,502 --> 00:00:03,463 IN SEARCH OF TADZIO 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:03,546 --> 00:00:08,551 by Luchino Visconti 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 5 00:00:10,970 --> 00:00:15,892 text by Oreste Del Buono 6 00:00:42,419 --> 00:00:45,463 This footage was taken during a director's long journey 7 00:00:45,547 --> 00:00:47,966 in search of a character. 8 00:00:48,049 --> 00:00:50,885 This footage is from Luchino Visconti's long trip 9 00:00:50,969 --> 00:00:53,888 to search for a face, the face of Tadzio, 10 00:00:53,972 --> 00:00:55,807 the boy in Death in Venice 11 00:00:55,890 --> 00:00:57,892 who appears to Gustav von Aschenbach 12 00:00:57,976 --> 00:01:01,062 as the symbol and embodiment of beauty itself. 13 00:01:10,822 --> 00:01:14,367 Budapest was an intense but fruitless stop. 14 00:01:15,201 --> 00:01:19,122 Visconti already had in mind the face and physical presence 15 00:01:19,205 --> 00:01:22,500 as described by Thomas Mann in Death in Venice, 16 00:01:22,584 --> 00:01:26,880 the novel that Visconti had chosen to adapt for the big screen. 17 00:01:26,963 --> 00:01:30,925 The plot can be summed up in just a few words: 18 00:01:31,593 --> 00:01:34,345 It's the story of Aschenbach, an esteemed German author 19 00:01:34,429 --> 00:01:38,141 who at 50, struggles with the prospect of aging 20 00:01:38,224 --> 00:01:40,226 and a lack of satisfaction in his work. 21 00:01:40,310 --> 00:01:43,772 Overcome by an urgent desire for change and escape, 22 00:01:43,855 --> 00:01:48,693 he leaves his home in Munich to go on vacation at the Lido of Venice. 23 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:54,324 Staying at his hotel on the Lido is a 12-year-old Polish boy, Tadzio. 24 00:01:54,991 --> 00:01:59,037 The author is fascinated with the boy's stunning beauty, 25 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,039 so much more natural and graceful 26 00:02:01,122 --> 00:02:05,794 than the aesthetic perfection he constantly strives for in his art, 27 00:02:05,877 --> 00:02:08,296 not always successfully. 28 00:02:08,838 --> 00:02:13,343 Tadzio is described by Mann as a blond, blue-eyed boy. 29 00:02:13,426 --> 00:02:17,514 In Budapest, Visconti found only dark-haired boys with dark eyes. 30 00:02:19,641 --> 00:02:23,603 I hear you're adapting Thomas Mann's novel. 31 00:02:23,686 --> 00:02:25,772 Yes, Death in Venice. 32 00:02:25,855 --> 00:02:29,901 - Something old again. - It's an old project, yes. 33 00:02:29,984 --> 00:02:32,737 How come? 34 00:02:32,821 --> 00:02:34,656 I'm curious as to why. 35 00:02:34,739 --> 00:02:36,574 I've been wanting to do it for a long time. 36 00:02:36,658 --> 00:02:41,538 And finally I've managed to find a combination of... 37 00:02:41,621 --> 00:02:42,664 With whom? 38 00:02:42,747 --> 00:02:45,583 - I'm producing it. - You're producing too? 39 00:02:45,667 --> 00:02:49,045 Yes, with Warner Bros. distributing it. 40 00:02:49,629 --> 00:02:52,632 The protagonist is played by Dirk Bogarde. 41 00:02:54,384 --> 00:02:56,219 And the young boy... 42 00:02:56,302 --> 00:03:00,098 I've been traveling to find him, to find Tadzio. 43 00:03:00,181 --> 00:03:03,101 Did you like the one you saw yesterday? 44 00:03:03,184 --> 00:03:07,480 Yes, but we need a young boy, about 12. 45 00:03:07,564 --> 00:03:09,440 Twelve years old, I see. 46 00:03:11,860 --> 00:03:16,573 The themes in your films are varied. 47 00:03:16,656 --> 00:03:21,744 If we take for example, Rocco and His Brothers, 48 00:03:21,828 --> 00:03:25,415 Le Notti Bianche by Dostoyevsky... 49 00:03:27,375 --> 00:03:32,922 But each film is a masterpiece in its own right, 50 00:03:33,006 --> 00:03:34,883 a piece of art. 51 00:03:36,926 --> 00:03:40,972 However, the themes differ wildly. 52 00:03:41,055 --> 00:03:43,725 Yes, that's correct. They're very different. 53 00:03:43,808 --> 00:03:48,062 There are many issues and they all need to be analyzed. 54 00:03:48,146 --> 00:03:51,274 Some directors focus on one theme only 55 00:03:51,357 --> 00:03:53,985 and they devote their entire career 56 00:03:54,068 --> 00:03:58,615 to that one theme with a few variations. 57 00:03:58,698 --> 00:04:00,825 I'd rather pick different subjects 58 00:04:00,909 --> 00:04:04,037 and then reach the same conclusions. 59 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:06,664 We end up saying the same things. 60 00:04:58,758 --> 00:05:00,176 Budapest's ice rink, 61 00:05:00,259 --> 00:05:03,179 one of the most popular meeting points for the young, 62 00:05:03,262 --> 00:05:04,764 failed to provide a Tadzio. 63 00:05:04,847 --> 00:05:09,227 The same goes for schools, gyms, sport clubs, all thoroughly searched. 64 00:05:10,770 --> 00:05:14,315 So in the album of Visconti's journey showing the Budapest ice rink 65 00:05:14,399 --> 00:05:16,776 instead of images of the sought after young man 66 00:05:16,859 --> 00:05:20,196 there are images of this not-so-young woman. 67 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,914 How else to define this skater than a self-fancied star? 68 00:06:14,292 --> 00:06:17,879 How did Thomas Mann describe Tadzio? 69 00:06:18,796 --> 00:06:19,881 "With astonishment, 70 00:06:19,964 --> 00:06:23,009 Aschenbach noticed that the boy was perfectly beautiful. 71 00:06:23,092 --> 00:06:25,219 His countenance, pale and gracefully reserved, 72 00:06:25,303 --> 00:06:26,929 surrounded by honey-colored locks, 73 00:06:27,013 --> 00:06:30,099 with its evenly sloped nose, the lovely mouth, 74 00:06:30,183 --> 00:06:33,102 the expression of alluring and divine earnestness, 75 00:06:33,186 --> 00:06:36,230 was reminiscent of Greek statues from the most noble period. 76 00:06:36,731 --> 00:06:40,026 And with all its perfection of form, it had such a personal appeal 77 00:06:40,109 --> 00:06:42,862 that the onlooker thought he had never encountered anything similar, 78 00:06:42,945 --> 00:06:46,324 either in nature or in art." 79 00:06:47,408 --> 00:06:51,704 Did this first description and the following ones of Tadzio 80 00:06:51,788 --> 00:06:55,249 match the 12-year-old Björn Andrésen from Sweden? 81 00:06:56,459 --> 00:06:59,670 Indeed, Visconti found his Tadzio in Sweden. 82 00:07:00,463 --> 00:07:03,841 He was the sixth or seventh boy to audition for the director 83 00:07:03,925 --> 00:07:07,053 in the small room that had been rented inside a Stockholm hotel. 84 00:07:07,970 --> 00:07:11,182 Visconti was instantly taken by him, however, he chose to take some time 85 00:07:11,265 --> 00:07:14,018 and see a few other boys in Sweden and other countries. 86 00:07:14,102 --> 00:07:19,107 He wanted to be as faithful as possible to the character of Tadzio in the book. 87 00:07:22,568 --> 00:07:24,237 Come in, Margarethe. 88 00:07:29,575 --> 00:07:32,662 Good morning. Sit down, please. 89 00:07:35,331 --> 00:07:38,167 - A child actor. - He's an actor? Really? 90 00:07:38,751 --> 00:07:39,669 And films? 91 00:07:42,505 --> 00:07:45,133 Some non-speaking roles in films. 92 00:07:45,216 --> 00:07:46,801 Ah, yes. I see. Yes. 93 00:07:47,635 --> 00:07:49,137 - Very good. - He's 12. 94 00:07:49,220 --> 00:07:50,721 - 12 years old? - Yes. 95 00:07:53,724 --> 00:07:56,185 Yes. Tell him to walk very slowly. 96 00:08:05,945 --> 00:08:08,197 Look at the camera. Tell him to look. 97 00:08:09,532 --> 00:08:10,867 Smile. 98 00:08:14,245 --> 00:08:16,289 Stop there. Stop. 99 00:08:16,873 --> 00:08:17,707 Okay. 100 00:08:27,300 --> 00:08:28,134 Okay. 101 00:08:29,927 --> 00:08:32,388 Smile a little. Smile. 102 00:08:34,682 --> 00:08:36,392 Thank you. A photo, now. 103 00:08:40,271 --> 00:08:44,358 - Let's take one standing. - Standing, okay. 104 00:08:44,650 --> 00:08:48,946 How do we mark the photos to remember we were in Stockholm? 105 00:08:49,030 --> 00:08:52,074 - Yes, I have a list. - All right. 106 00:08:52,742 --> 00:08:56,954 - Then we start the numbering again. - How will we do that? 107 00:08:57,038 --> 00:08:59,707 I know which numbers. 108 00:08:59,790 --> 00:09:03,336 If in Helsinki we put one, two, three, four... 109 00:09:03,419 --> 00:09:09,133 Or shall we put a S or an H and so on? 110 00:09:09,217 --> 00:09:10,384 Depending on the city... 111 00:09:10,468 --> 00:09:12,720 We've already done these. 112 00:09:26,859 --> 00:09:31,072 Number? What number is this one? 113 00:09:31,155 --> 00:09:32,615 Do you speak English? 114 00:09:32,698 --> 00:09:34,951 - Yes. - Oh, very well. 115 00:09:35,034 --> 00:09:37,787 - Not very much. - Not very much? 116 00:09:37,870 --> 00:09:40,456 - Forty years old. - Forty? 117 00:09:41,082 --> 00:09:44,627 He's 40? That's phenomenal. How can he be? 118 00:09:45,753 --> 00:09:48,464 - Did you mean 14? - Fourteen, yes! 119 00:09:48,547 --> 00:09:50,132 Looks fantastic for 40! 120 00:09:50,216 --> 00:09:52,218 Very slowly. Okay? 121 00:09:57,348 --> 00:09:59,183 A little over here. 122 00:10:00,142 --> 00:10:01,143 Yes. 123 00:10:01,811 --> 00:10:04,021 Now look into the camera. 124 00:10:05,022 --> 00:10:06,023 Good. 125 00:10:09,193 --> 00:10:10,319 Smile. 126 00:10:11,487 --> 00:10:14,323 Oh, no! Smile normally. 127 00:10:14,991 --> 00:10:16,534 He's funny. 128 00:10:18,119 --> 00:10:20,413 Thank you. Good-bye. 129 00:10:21,247 --> 00:10:23,708 Turn your head a little, slowly. 130 00:10:33,259 --> 00:10:35,303 - Number 36. - Yes. 131 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:36,721 How old is he? 132 00:10:37,221 --> 00:10:38,639 He's very tall. 133 00:10:39,223 --> 00:10:42,268 - Yes. He's 15. - He's 15. 134 00:10:42,351 --> 00:10:43,602 Yes. 135 00:10:43,686 --> 00:10:45,896 He's very handsome. Turn your head. 136 00:10:48,065 --> 00:10:50,401 He's very handsome in the photo I saw. 137 00:10:50,484 --> 00:10:52,486 Oh, yes. Do you have any photos here? 138 00:10:54,739 --> 00:10:57,575 Can you stand up and walk around? 139 00:11:00,328 --> 00:11:02,371 He's incredibly tall. 140 00:11:04,999 --> 00:11:07,501 He's very handsome. Tell him to take of his sweater. 141 00:11:14,383 --> 00:11:16,761 Look into the camera, also. 142 00:11:19,096 --> 00:11:21,098 He's really handsome. He has a Greek profile. 143 00:11:21,182 --> 00:11:22,725 Turn slowly. 144 00:11:24,310 --> 00:11:26,520 Stop for a second. 145 00:11:26,604 --> 00:11:30,191 Go for an extreme close-up. 146 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:35,029 As close as possible, but slightly sideways. 147 00:11:42,203 --> 00:11:44,622 Turn slightly. Yes. Just a little. Like that. 148 00:11:46,999 --> 00:11:49,085 Look over there. At this man. 149 00:11:49,752 --> 00:11:53,255 No. Don't move. Only your head. 150 00:11:55,925 --> 00:11:57,385 Smile. 151 00:12:00,721 --> 00:12:02,598 Smile towards the camera. 152 00:12:09,814 --> 00:12:11,190 Yes. 153 00:12:11,273 --> 00:12:14,318 Thank you. Now let's take a photo. Mario! 154 00:12:15,569 --> 00:12:18,155 Let's shoot a couple of close-ups. 155 00:12:19,490 --> 00:12:22,743 Shoot him both right and left side, then do a full figure, 156 00:12:22,827 --> 00:12:24,870 both dressed and with his shirt off. 157 00:12:25,621 --> 00:12:28,624 Have you seen any candidates? No? 158 00:12:28,707 --> 00:12:30,126 Not yet, no. 159 00:12:30,209 --> 00:12:34,422 Some of them were really pretty, but nobody clicked for me. 160 00:12:34,505 --> 00:12:37,091 But we're on the right track. 161 00:12:37,758 --> 00:12:39,635 We'll get there. 162 00:12:40,594 --> 00:12:43,681 His face is the best so far. But he's a bit too tall. 163 00:12:45,099 --> 00:12:47,476 Stick to the numbers on the list. 164 00:12:59,363 --> 00:13:01,365 Come in, Margarethe. 165 00:13:07,413 --> 00:13:10,624 Visconti stated he deliberately wanted to put himself 166 00:13:10,708 --> 00:13:12,293 in the shoes of Aschenbach 167 00:13:12,376 --> 00:13:16,046 and tried to look through his eyes during the long journey 168 00:13:16,130 --> 00:13:20,509 that took him all over Northern and Eastern Europe. 169 00:13:22,219 --> 00:13:26,098 The character of Aschenbach is played by the English actor Dirk Bogarde 170 00:13:26,182 --> 00:13:29,310 and Visconti knew he wanted to change the character slightly. 171 00:13:29,393 --> 00:13:32,480 For example, to change his profession from writer to musician, 172 00:13:32,563 --> 00:13:37,568 using as a model Austrian composer Gustav Mahler 173 00:13:37,651 --> 00:13:40,404 who had been an inspiration for Thomas Mann as well. 174 00:13:41,155 --> 00:13:45,576 However, for the character of Tadzio, he wanted to stay faithful to the novel. 175 00:14:09,183 --> 00:14:13,312 Death in Venice is the film Visconti has chosen not only to direct, 176 00:14:13,395 --> 00:14:17,816 but also produce after the tremendous success of The Damned. 177 00:14:17,900 --> 00:14:19,818 In contrast to the Third Reich saga, 178 00:14:19,902 --> 00:14:23,697 this film is apparently focused on very few external events. 179 00:14:24,490 --> 00:14:27,952 The main events take place inside the main character's mind. 180 00:14:28,035 --> 00:14:33,332 Gustav von Aschenbach is a very self-aware artist, 181 00:14:33,415 --> 00:14:36,293 who's very rarely surprised by his own feelings. 182 00:14:37,127 --> 00:14:39,797 As soon as he realizes that the appearance of Tadzio 183 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,717 could unsettle the rigid routine within which he's constrained his life 184 00:14:43,801 --> 00:14:46,595 and upon which his career has been built, 185 00:14:46,679 --> 00:14:51,392 Aschenbach attempts to escape and return to his stronghold in Munich. 186 00:14:51,892 --> 00:14:56,814 However, this escape only takes him from the Lido to the Venice Rail Station. 187 00:14:56,897 --> 00:14:58,857 Aschenbach then returns to the hotel 188 00:14:58,941 --> 00:15:03,028 to behold and admire the miracle of beauty in this youth. 189 00:15:03,112 --> 00:15:07,199 In order to justify such an apparent surrender on the part of Aschenbach 190 00:15:07,283 --> 00:15:09,910 and his fanatical, almost voyeuristic urge, 191 00:15:09,994 --> 00:15:14,957 it was essential for Visconti to focus on picking the right Tadzio. 192 00:15:33,767 --> 00:15:36,645 The Swedish boy from Stockholm truly looked like Tadzio, 193 00:15:36,729 --> 00:15:40,107 but Visconti wanted to go to Helsinki before making a decision. 194 00:15:40,524 --> 00:15:43,027 However, it proved to be another fruitless stop. 195 00:15:43,110 --> 00:15:44,403 Fruitless? 196 00:15:44,486 --> 00:15:48,782 It did help Visconti understand what he was looking for, 197 00:15:48,866 --> 00:15:50,618 so it wasn't so fruitless after all. 198 00:15:51,118 --> 00:15:53,871 I don't see the eyes. What color are they? 199 00:15:55,914 --> 00:15:57,499 Look over there. 200 00:15:57,875 --> 00:15:59,627 Green eyes. 201 00:15:59,710 --> 00:16:01,545 He has a lovely face. 202 00:16:02,338 --> 00:16:04,089 Very nice face. 203 00:16:04,173 --> 00:16:08,552 Tell him we'll take a photo now. 204 00:16:09,345 --> 00:16:12,264 - Full figure and close-up? - Yes. If only... 205 00:16:12,348 --> 00:16:15,726 Had he been brown-haired, he could have been Jaschu. 206 00:16:15,809 --> 00:16:21,649 Tell him to write "Jaschu" next to his name, even if he's blonde. 207 00:16:21,732 --> 00:16:24,985 He has the right face. He's a little young, but... 208 00:16:28,530 --> 00:16:30,074 You have done some... 209 00:16:40,626 --> 00:16:42,920 He has done some theater on television. 210 00:16:43,545 --> 00:16:45,589 Great, let's take a photo. 211 00:16:50,469 --> 00:16:55,099 Why are you looking for Finnish boys for your next movie? 212 00:16:56,058 --> 00:17:01,689 I don't want a Finnish boy. I'm looking for a blond, blue-eyed boy. 213 00:17:01,772 --> 00:17:06,985 In search of such a boy I came to Stockholm and Helsinki, 214 00:17:07,069 --> 00:17:10,197 next is Warsaw, then Munich. 215 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:15,035 There are many blond people with blue eyes there. 216 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:18,205 I'd never find him in Italy, clearly. 217 00:17:18,288 --> 00:17:23,252 - Green eyes, you said? - Blue eyes, light blue. 218 00:17:24,586 --> 00:17:29,216 What is your method in this search? 219 00:17:29,299 --> 00:17:34,805 Well, as you see I call as many young actors as possible 220 00:17:34,888 --> 00:17:39,935 and then I gradually select those who I think fit the role. 221 00:17:40,477 --> 00:17:43,355 What about the language issue? 222 00:17:43,439 --> 00:17:45,315 The character doesn't have many lines. 223 00:17:45,399 --> 00:17:47,067 He only speaks his own language. 224 00:17:47,151 --> 00:17:49,653 In the novel he's Polish, 225 00:17:49,737 --> 00:17:53,365 but he could just as well be Finnish or Swedish. 226 00:17:53,449 --> 00:17:56,326 It doesn't matter, as long as he speaks a language 227 00:17:56,410 --> 00:17:59,621 that's incomprehensible to the others, you see. 228 00:18:00,289 --> 00:18:02,541 Just like in Mann's novel. 229 00:18:09,757 --> 00:18:12,551 Thomas Mann's Tadzio was Polish. 230 00:18:12,634 --> 00:18:15,929 Therefore it was mandatory for Visconti to visit Warsaw, 231 00:18:16,013 --> 00:18:19,016 although he'd probably made his choice already. 232 00:18:28,275 --> 00:18:29,610 Warsaw has changed a lot. 233 00:18:29,693 --> 00:18:32,738 It's one of the cities that suffered the most during the war. 234 00:18:33,155 --> 00:18:39,077 The old and new buildings tell a story of horrors and irrevocable tragedies. 235 00:18:40,954 --> 00:18:43,832 Just as Warsaw and Poland have changed, 236 00:18:43,916 --> 00:18:45,793 so have the young people. 237 00:18:46,376 --> 00:18:51,507 It's quite hard to spot a boy quite like Tadzio was in the early 1900s. 238 00:18:51,882 --> 00:18:55,177 Today's youngsters come from different backgrounds, 239 00:18:55,260 --> 00:18:59,556 they are more lively and practical, less fickle and mysterious. 240 00:19:01,517 --> 00:19:04,770 How did Thomas Mann describe Tadzio in his novel? 241 00:19:05,854 --> 00:19:07,773 "His walk was very graceful, 242 00:19:07,856 --> 00:19:09,983 both in his stance and in the movement of the knees, 243 00:19:10,067 --> 00:19:15,614 the way his feet touched the ground, in a white sock, very light, 244 00:19:15,697 --> 00:19:18,951 at the same time tender and proud 245 00:19:19,034 --> 00:19:22,037 and made more appealing through the childlike self-consciousness. 246 00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:24,414 The head of Eros, 247 00:19:24,498 --> 00:19:27,334 with the yellowish tint of Parisian marble, 248 00:19:27,417 --> 00:19:29,711 with exquisite and somber brows, 249 00:19:29,795 --> 00:19:35,801 temples and ears covered by the dark and soft curls of his hair." 250 00:19:37,594 --> 00:19:39,680 A true aristocrat, then. 251 00:19:40,180 --> 00:19:44,017 But not only of perfect traits, as Thomas Mann had mentioned. 252 00:19:44,101 --> 00:19:47,187 His Tadzio had quite a fiery personality. 253 00:19:47,271 --> 00:19:49,648 This is how Mann describes the moment when the Polish boy 254 00:19:49,731 --> 00:19:52,276 walks by some much hated Russians. 255 00:19:53,902 --> 00:19:57,072 "He advanced slowly, but so nimbly and proudly 256 00:19:57,155 --> 00:20:00,993 as if he was used to walking without footwear 257 00:20:01,076 --> 00:20:04,705 as he surveyed the huts. 258 00:20:05,330 --> 00:20:10,836 No sooner had he noticed the peaceful Russian family 259 00:20:11,503 --> 00:20:15,173 that his face was clouded by a tempest of scorn and disdain. 260 00:20:15,674 --> 00:20:20,178 His brow darkened, his mouth was lifted 261 00:20:20,262 --> 00:20:23,724 between the lips and the cheeks an embittered tearing took place, 262 00:20:23,807 --> 00:20:26,268 and his eyebrows were so heavily wrinkled 263 00:20:26,351 --> 00:20:29,563 that they made the eyes appear sunken 264 00:20:29,646 --> 00:20:34,902 and let them speak the evil and somber language of hatred. 265 00:20:35,485 --> 00:20:39,781 He averted his glance, beheld them another time, 266 00:20:39,865 --> 00:20:43,785 made a fiercely dismissive gesture with his shoulder 267 00:20:43,869 --> 00:20:46,079 and turned his back unto the enemy. 268 00:20:46,163 --> 00:20:50,709 A sort of tenderness or terror, something like shame or respect 269 00:20:50,792 --> 00:20:53,629 caused Aschenbach to turn away 270 00:20:53,712 --> 00:20:55,422 as if he had seen nothing. 271 00:20:56,256 --> 00:21:00,427 Because the serious observer of a casual passion 272 00:21:00,510 --> 00:21:02,596 refuses to admit his impressions 273 00:21:02,679 --> 00:21:07,392 even to himself." 274 00:21:09,227 --> 00:21:10,729 It's not only difficult, 275 00:21:10,812 --> 00:21:14,066 but almost impossible to imagine the sophisticated Tadzio 276 00:21:14,149 --> 00:21:17,110 as being the same age as today's 12 year olds in Poland. 277 00:21:50,477 --> 00:21:52,270 The long search for Tadzio 278 00:21:52,354 --> 00:21:54,898 obviously had to include the Lido of Venice. 279 00:21:55,691 --> 00:21:57,859 From the ice and snow of Northern Europe 280 00:21:57,943 --> 00:22:00,404 to the variable spring of the south. 281 00:22:00,487 --> 00:22:03,031 Visconti examines, double-checks and reimagines 282 00:22:03,115 --> 00:22:06,118 the main plot points of the story he will film. 283 00:22:17,879 --> 00:22:20,882 This is the Hotel des Bains where Thomas Mann set the novel 284 00:22:20,966 --> 00:22:23,802 and where Visconti has chosen to shoot as well. 285 00:23:12,893 --> 00:23:16,563 The charm of a bygone era is to be recreated, 286 00:23:16,646 --> 00:23:20,734 returning us to the first decade of this dramatic and exuberant century. 287 00:23:20,817 --> 00:23:23,278 Another long journey awaits, 288 00:23:23,361 --> 00:23:25,363 but this time back in time. 289 00:23:26,406 --> 00:23:31,703 ""So I will stay, Aschenbach thought. 'Where could it be better?' 290 00:23:31,787 --> 00:23:33,205 And with his hands folded in his lap 291 00:23:33,288 --> 00:23:36,792 he allowed his eyes to wander in the vastness of the sea, 292 00:23:36,875 --> 00:23:38,960 his gaze slipping, 293 00:23:39,044 --> 00:23:40,629 becoming blurred, 294 00:23:40,712 --> 00:23:44,299 and breaking in the monotonous mist of nothingness. 295 00:23:45,008 --> 00:23:48,720 He loved the ocean for several deep reasons. 296 00:23:48,804 --> 00:23:51,556 Out of the desire for tranquillity harbored by the artist, 297 00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:54,351 who seeks to conceal himself from the multitude of possibilities 298 00:23:54,434 --> 00:23:58,271 by embracing the simple and immense. 299 00:23:58,355 --> 00:24:03,068 Out of a forbidden proclivity, that made even more attractive 300 00:24:03,151 --> 00:24:07,405 by running counter to his work, for the unordered, 301 00:24:07,489 --> 00:24:09,866 the immeasurable, the eternal, 302 00:24:09,950 --> 00:24:11,409 the void. 303 00:24:12,536 --> 00:24:15,288 To find peace in the presence of the faultless 304 00:24:15,372 --> 00:24:17,707 is the desire of those who seek excellence, 305 00:24:17,791 --> 00:24:22,129 and is nothingness not a form of perfection? 306 00:24:23,213 --> 00:24:27,425 While he was dreaming into the depth of his thoughts, 307 00:24:27,509 --> 00:24:32,639 he suddenly became aware of a human figure close to the shoreline 308 00:24:32,722 --> 00:24:37,310 and when he collected his glance from the unlimited, 309 00:24:37,394 --> 00:24:39,813 it turned out to be the beautiful boy." 310 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:20,937 The sea is an ever more dangerous presence enveloping Venice and the Lido. 311 00:25:21,021 --> 00:25:23,315 But Aschenbach doesn't worry about dangers, 312 00:25:23,398 --> 00:25:26,484 he challenges it or perhaps even courts it. 313 00:25:26,568 --> 00:25:29,738 It's almost as if he wants to catch cholera, 314 00:25:29,821 --> 00:25:31,573 the illness that will finally kill him 315 00:25:31,656 --> 00:25:35,368 on the very day that Tadzio and his family depart. 316 00:25:36,745 --> 00:25:39,497 "In the afternoon Aschenbach crossed over to Venice, 317 00:25:39,581 --> 00:25:42,500 during a calm and under a scorching sun, 318 00:25:42,584 --> 00:25:46,004 since the obsession propelled him to follow the Polish siblings. 319 00:25:46,087 --> 00:25:48,548 He did not find his idol. 320 00:25:48,632 --> 00:25:51,509 But when he took his tea at his little round iron table 321 00:25:51,593 --> 00:25:53,553 on the shaded portion of the square, 322 00:25:53,637 --> 00:25:58,058 he suddenly noticed a strange aroma in the air, 323 00:25:58,141 --> 00:26:03,730 which he had registered subconsciously for a few days already. 324 00:26:03,813 --> 00:26:09,486 A sickly sweet smell reminiscent of distress and wounds 325 00:26:09,569 --> 00:26:11,196 and insufficient cleanliness. 326 00:26:11,988 --> 00:26:16,660 He probed it and pensively recognized it, 327 00:26:16,743 --> 00:26:19,412 then finished his snack and left the square 328 00:26:19,496 --> 00:26:21,456 on the side opposite the church. 329 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:25,835 In the cramped streets, the odor intensified. 330 00:26:25,919 --> 00:26:30,548 At street corners, printed notices had been affixed, 331 00:26:30,632 --> 00:26:34,427 warning the populace of the water in the canals 332 00:26:34,511 --> 00:26:37,347 against the consumption of oysters and mussels. 333 00:26:37,597 --> 00:26:42,644 The euphemistic nature of the decree was apparent." 334 00:27:40,285 --> 00:27:42,704 - All right. - Thank you. 335 00:27:43,788 --> 00:27:46,291 Where is he from? 336 00:27:46,374 --> 00:27:47,959 - Treviso. - From Venice? 337 00:27:48,043 --> 00:27:50,920 Visconti scours Venice for actors for secondary roles. 338 00:27:55,008 --> 00:27:58,970 - Luciano... - Put them together. 339 00:27:59,637 --> 00:28:03,683 - He needs to cut his hair. - Can you cut your hair? 340 00:28:03,767 --> 00:28:05,393 Are you willing to do it? 341 00:28:06,978 --> 00:28:08,063 Good. 342 00:28:08,146 --> 00:28:11,775 I don't mean completely shaven, just shorter. 343 00:28:13,943 --> 00:28:16,905 - He's good for the hotel. - Yes? 344 00:28:19,908 --> 00:28:23,495 - The child is adorable. - Would you cast him too? 345 00:28:24,454 --> 00:28:26,831 I'm not sure what he could do. 346 00:28:31,252 --> 00:28:33,004 Great, yes. 347 00:28:33,088 --> 00:28:35,006 Thank you, all. 348 00:28:35,090 --> 00:28:38,635 They're perfect for the hotel. 349 00:28:38,718 --> 00:28:40,887 We need some younger children. 350 00:28:41,638 --> 00:28:45,517 What about the musicians? 351 00:28:59,614 --> 00:29:02,867 Visconti's long journey in search of Tadzio is done. 352 00:29:03,284 --> 00:29:04,953 He's now come to the conclusion 353 00:29:05,036 --> 00:29:09,666 that the young boy from Stockholm, Björn Andrésen, is the ideal Tadzio. 354 00:29:31,312 --> 00:29:35,316 See you again in Rome, so we can set up... 355 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:38,319 Visconti dismisses his team after setting a date. 356 00:29:38,403 --> 00:29:39,404 Good-bye. 357 00:29:39,487 --> 00:29:42,991 They will reconvene again to start shooting Death in Venice, 358 00:29:43,074 --> 00:29:47,495 "a somber, pure tale," as described by Thomas Mann. 359 00:29:48,413 --> 00:29:52,250 The appointment has been made. Tadzio will be there too. 360 00:29:52,333 --> 00:29:54,752 He's no longer Björn Andrésen. 361 00:29:54,836 --> 00:29:57,922 His name is now Tadzio, just Tadzio. 362 00:29:58,506 --> 00:30:00,675 He's a living, beautiful creature, 363 00:30:00,758 --> 00:30:03,261 yet at the same time a projection of the mind, 364 00:30:03,344 --> 00:30:05,513 in Visconti's own words.