THE BEST OF THE WEEK AHEAD SEVEN-DAY LISTINGS FOR FEBRUARY 13-19
Kristina Lindstrom and
Kristian Petri’s documentary
gives Bjorn Andresen an
opportunity to reclaim his life
from the many predators who
exploited him as a child actor.
He was only 15, and visibly
uncomfortable, when the
Italian film director Luchino
Visconti demanded he
remove his clothes while
casting him as the erotic
object of desire in
Death in Venice
in 1971. When
Andresen was 16,
Visconti declared
“he’s aged now”
and ceased
to protect himfrom the lascivious crew.
Abuse is implied. Now in his
late sixties, Andresen claims
liberation by virtue of all that
he has lost. His life sounds
improbable: abandoned to a
showbiz granny; a talented
pianist; he inspired^
manga as a pop
star in Japan;was preyed upon in Paris
— but as his early story
emerges, it is clear that his
vulnerability was always the
appeal. This is a history so
tragic that with each new
revelation this previewer’s
hands covered the eyes of her
own blessedly ordinary face.
Helen StewartTHE WEEK AHEAD
Six Nations Rugby
(Today, ITV, 2.15pm)
Italy v England
Uefa Champions/
Europa/Conference
Leagues (BT Sport,
Tuesday-Thursday)PICK OF
THE WEEK
THE MOST
BEAUTIFUL BOY
IN THE WORLD
Today, BBC4, 9pm
Vertigo
Friday, Film4, 1.40pm
Its tale of a detective ( James
Stewart) entranced by two
similar-looking women (both
played by Kim Novak) may
rely on nonsensical plotting,
but Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958
film deserves its status
as an all-time classic. Its
brilliant visual strangeness
— downright surreal at times
— should persuade you to
accept it for what it is: a fable
about the nature of desire.FILM OF
THE WEEK
Nazanin
Monday-Friday,
Radio 4, 1.45pm
Ceri Thomas tells the story
of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe,
who has been held hostage
in Iran for almost six years,
and asks how closely linked
Nazanin’s release is to a £450
million debt owed by Britain
to Iran after an arms deal
involving a dodgy middle man.The Responder
BBC iPlayer
Martin Freeman’s central
performance as a beleaguered
Liverpool bobby has won
most of the accolades, but
no one — from newcomers to
old lags — puts a foot wrong
in Tony Schumacher’s vivid
police procedural. They are
served by a sharp script that
overflows with character,
anger, savage wit and a special
ear for the vicious humanity
of the Scouse outlook.RADIO PICK
OF THE WEEK
DEMAND PICK
OF THE WEEK
A tragic coming-of-age tale
GETTY IMAGES. INSET: MARIO TURSI/BBC
Object of
d e s i r e
Luchino
Visconti
and Bjorn
Andresen on
the set of
Death in
Venice13 February 2022 29