Plot summary

Reflecting on his failures, defeated by the cruel vanity of his Quixotic search for beauty, ailing German composer Gustav von Aschenbach takes a convalescent holiday at luxurious, turn-of-the-century Venice Lido, in Luchino Visconti's controversial screen adaptation of Thomas Mann's novella. Teetering on the brink of a physical and mental breakdown, suddenly, disillusioned Gustav crosses paths with beautiful 15-year-old Polish boy Tadzio: the embodiment of the artist's ideals and the unattainable object of his affection. And, as the oppressive scirocco wind brings sickness and plague to Venice, infatuation transforms into obsession, and platonic agony evolves into the haunting passion of unrequited love.—Nick Riganas