I'm the first to admit my ignorance of Italian films. The only Antonioni film I know is L'Avventura, which I found frankly dull. I think what irritated me was that a film with so little plot could last 2 and a half hours. More goes on in Truffaut's Les Mistons.

The photography was stylish, but the pace was so slow I could hardly stay awake to appreciate it. Perhaps I was disappointed because Lea Massari disappeared after 20 mins, as I am a fan of hers, but that was by no means the only thing I disliked.

I'm at a loss to describe why this slow-paced but beautifully-filmed Italian film turns me off, but Death in Venice does the exact opposite. Perhaps there is more at the heart of Visconti's film.

But each to his own, live and let live etc.