15 Best Movies Set in Venice
Italy is undoubtedly one of the most attractive world countries, with its food, music and scenery. It has always been an inspiration for many artists, whether painters, musicians or cinematographers. Its cities are a neverending source of beauty, adventure and good taste. One of them is Venice, the city of canals, mystery and beautiful architecture. In this list, we have chosen the 15 best movies set in Venice.
Death In Venice (1971)
Based on one of the most important and influential German novels of all time, written by Thomas Mann, this romantic drama takes us to a Venetian seaside resort where we follow Gustav von Aschenbach, a composer who decides to find recluse there after a series of stressful events in his life.
What he imagined as a relaxing break soon ends in a complicated and highly complex situation when he becomes infatuated with Tadzio, an adolescent spending his days there on vacation with his family. As Tadzio represents an ideal of beauty that Aschenbach has long sought, he finds himself in a dangerous and inappropriate situation, which leads to his inability to leave the city during a terrible cholera epidemic.
Summertime (1955)
Katherine Hepburn plays Jane Hudson, a middle-aged, single and lonely American secretary who travels from Ohio to Venice. She has saved the money for her dream vacation and can’t wait to experience the Italian lifestyle. Upon her arrival, she befriends the owner of the place she is staying at and meets a man that will change her life.
He is Renato de Rossi, the owner of an antique store who tries to teach her how to make a good price for an item she is interested in. Jane will fall for Renato’s charm and flirting, but soon she will find out that he is a married man and that she has gotten herself into a situation she won’t easily get out of.
Don’t Look Now (1973)
This brilliant and extremely disturbing thriller with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie in leading roles shows us a somewhat different Venice than the one we are used to. John and Laura Baxter are a married couple spending their days in Venice and grieving the loss of their daughter, who has lost her life by drowning.
They meet a pair of elderly and unusual sisters who will bring unease into their lives after one of them tells owns up to see the spirit of their daughter. Laura wants to believe her but John doesn’t want to accept this possibility, even though he is also the one who is having flashes of his daughter roaming the streets of Venice in a red cloak.
The Comfort of Strangers (1990)
Based on the excellent novel by the British author Ian McEwan, this crime drama tells the story of an English couple who travels to Venice to sort out their relationship and deal with their problems. But they will only get bigger after they meet a stranger who shows them the way after getting lost in one of Venice’s numerous alleys.
The next day they will accept his new invitation and join him in his flat where they will begin to realise what has been bothering them and at the same time become the puppets in the mysterious and seductive game played by the stranger and his mate.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade follows our favorite adventurer who has found himself on a new quest when he is approached by an art collector and asked to go on a search for the Holy Grail. Indiana finds out that the other archaeologist that went mission on the same search is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones.
Indiana won’t wait for a second to go and help find his father. He will find himself fighting Hitler’s Nazis and trying to stop them from obtaining their power while searching for the artifact that will prove more difficult to find than anyone has expected.
The Italian Job (2003)
John Bridger and Charlie Croker are two experienced criminals who assemble a team to perform their last heist which includes stealing 35 million dollars in gold bars from a guarded safe in Venice. After a job well done, Steve, one of the team members decides to keep everything to himself and get rid of the rest of his crew.
Convinced that everyone is dead, Steve leaves for the United States but is soon followed by Charlie and the survivors of his betrayal who want to seek revenge in Los Angeles. With some additional help, including Bridger’s daughter Stella, they will executive a new heist which will help them get to the traitor and stop him.
The Merchant of Venice (2004)
This version of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays stars Al Pacino, Joseph Fiennes, Jeremy Irons, and Lynn Collins in leading roles. The story is set in 16th-century Venice where we get entangled in numerous interesting situations including a merchant, a Jewish moneylender, his daughter, and her object of affection.
The merchant finds himself having to borrow money from an abused Jewish moneylender to help his friend with his romantic endeavors. But he will find himself in a lot of trouble when the creditor presents his gruesome payment.
Casanova (2005)
Lasse Hallström directed this version of Casanova, one of the most famous Venetian lovers with the brilliant Heath Ledger as the leading role and an array of excellent actors and actresses by his side, such as Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, and Oliver Platt.
It is a well-known story of love, romance and misunderstandings set in Venice which makes it a perfect place for the complicated situations the main characters find themselves in. It is a romantic comedy-drama about the famous lover Giacomo Casanova who, after failing to win the heart of Francesca Bruni, decides to find the meaning of true love.
Casino Royale (2006)
One of the most acclaimed James Bond movies is this one part set in Venice, where we follow Bond who goes on a new mission as a 00. M, the boss of MI6 sends Bond to Montenegro where he has to attend a game of poker and try and prevent Le Chiffre, a skillful banker who works for the world’s terrorists, to win back his money.
He has all the help he needs, including Vesper Lynd as his partner and Felix Leiter and Rene Mathis but is about to enter the most important poker game and the question is will he and Vesper stay safe if he defeats Le Chiffre?
One Chance (2013)
This is a lovely biographical romantic drama about Paul Pott, an amateur opera singer who became an international superstar after his remarkable performance on Britain’s Got Talent in 2007. From a shy and bullied shop clerk by day and a talented opera singer by night he became one of the biggest viral phenomena.
This is a beautiful feel-good movie that wonderfully depicts the life of a common man who made it only with his pure talent, without any additional help and people behind him. It is also a heartwarming love story that will put a smile on your face.
Spiderman: Far From Home (2019)
This Spider-Man sequel follows the events of Avengers: Endgame where Spiderman decides to join his best friends Ned, MJ and the rest of their gang on a European vacation. Peter wants to spend a few weeks away from his superhero missions and forget about his spiderman responsibilities.
But this won’t be so easy since he will accept Nick Fury’s plea for help to uncover the mystery of numerous attacks around the continent that have been creating havoc. It is a new world, one that has changed immensely and peter will have to get ready to face some new, different threats.
Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
Woody Allen directed this lovely romantic musical drama-comedy about a large group of people who are in different ways connected. We follow numerous couples and their interesting love or family stories, told in a well-known Allen manner, but this time also through songs.
A stellar cast, including Allen himself, Julia Roberts, Alan Alda, Goldie Hawn, and Edward Norton and many more will entertain us in this funny and interesting story about a New York girl who decides to set up her father with a beautiful woman who wants to get out of a troubled marriage, and all while her stepsister gets engaged. One of the numerous sequences is also set in Venice.
Bread and Tulips (2000)
This beautiful Italian comedy-drama introduces us to Rosalba, a housewife from Pescara who finds herself alone and forgotten by her husband in a highway cafe during their bus trip. She decides not to wait for her husband and sons to come and get her but find her own way home.
She finds herself on a hitch-hiking adventure to Venice where she continues her remarkable and unforgettable journey, meeting different strange but fascinating people. Completely in awe of this new way of life, Rosalba decides to start a new life in Venice.
Moonraker (1979)
Long before Daniel Craig and Eva Green arrived in Venice, another James Bond, Roger Moore found himself there during one of his most unusual adventures ever. Bond is on another mission and this time he will have to fly to space when he discovers that a spaceship has been hijacked during its space travel.
Bond will have to find out who is behind all this and he will start with the rocket creators, Drax Industries, and the man responsible for the whole organization, Hugo Drax. On his journey, he will meet Dr. Holly Goodhead and once again encounter the metal-toothed Jaws.
The Tourist
Definitely not the best movie set in Venice, but the one where we can witness the city’s beauty in all its aspects. It is really an hommage to this beautiful town and it would be a shame not to mention it since almost every part of Venice can be seen here.
Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie are Frank, an American tourist who arrives in Italy to mend his broken heart, and Elise, a beautiful woman with a secret agenda, who deliberately crosses his path. They meet on a train to Venice where Elise chooses Frank as a decoy, making the police believe he is her lover who stole the money from a dangerous mobster.