Resumen

 The film Death in Venice (1971) by Luchino Visconti portrays the life of Gustav von Aschenbach in a specific approach. The elements that he describes in the scenes of the film, shows the charisma of a unique personage on a physical, behavioural, psychological and emotional level. In order to call for a constant look at the character of Aschenbach, Visconti creates a remarkable narrative, leaving no detail to chance, in themes like wardrobe, behaviour or in subjects in which he finds himself involved. Both, Visconti and Mann, offer us the opportunity to reflect deeply on the concept of beauty and the writer’s tireless search for it.

In this paper, we aim to find links between the characterizations that Mann and Visconti make of the characters. We will choose some of the moments that we believe to be the most striking in the work: the passion that Aschenbach develops for Tadzio, and the progress of the entire associated narrative. Supported by the musical component, of which the use of the slow movement of Gustav Mahler’s 5th Symphony is essential, Visconti contributes to underlining the atmosphere of passion and conflict between the two characters. The proposed narratives will be analysed by us in order to characterise the conflicts and emotions present in the film’s discourse and which comprise the relationship between the two involved.