QUARANTINE CULTURE: VENICE IN FILM
Katharine Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi in Summertime
It is almost Autumn, and typically adults would be returning to work and children to classes with stories of holidays and travel. This year with our new COVID reality, we go back to WFH and home education. QuarryHouse thought we would indulge in a little escapism and travel via film to Veneto, Italy, where we have one of our two stone shops. Our carving atelier located in historic Verona is close to Venice, the magical floating city of marble palazzos.
Venice sets the stage for many movies; Director David Lean's enchanting 1955 Summertime is one of them. The stunning Technicolor romance stars Katharine Hepburn as Jane Hudson, a lonely, single, middle-aged, secretary from the Midwest on a lifetime trip to the romantic city. While pursuing an 18th century red Murano glass goblet in an antique shop, she meets the handsome owner Renato de Rossi, played by Rossano Brazzi, who, in turn, pursues her.
Dirk Bogarde and Björn Andrésen in Death in Venice
Thomas Mann's ambiguous novella Death in Venice was the basis for director Luchino Visconti's 1971 drama of the same name. Set in the Belle Époque Grand Hotel des Bains on the Lido, the film involves Gustav von Aschenbach, a German avant-garde composer played by Sir Dirk Bogarde, who travels to Venice to restore his health. In the hotel, he sees a beautiful adolescent Polish boy Tadzio played by Björn Andrésen. While von Aschenbach never speaks to Tadzio, he becomes obsessed with him and follows him through Venice's labyrinths. A deadly pestilence grips the city, which the authorities do not warn the vacationers.
Dirk Bogarde and Björn Andrésen in Death in Venice
MI6 operative James Bond (Daniel Craig) and British Treasury agent Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) sail the Grand Canal in a 54-foot yacht during Casino Royale. On the boat ride, the 2006 action thriller directed by Martin Campbell, showcases Venice's famous buildings, the bell tower of San Giorgio Maggiore, St Mark's Campanile, and Santa Maria Della Salute. At the same time, land-bound the backdrops are just as dazzling, including Piazza San Marco, Sotoportego de le Colonne, and Conservatorio Di Musica Benedetto Marcello.
Venice and Veneto are not going anywhere and will be waiting for us when it is time to go back and visit. For now, we can see them in films and movies.
