I am not a fan of the film even though Thomas Mann is one of my favorite authors. Mann won the Nobel Prize in Literature for "Buddenbrooks"and his short stories. I prefer "The Magic Mountain," but the Nobel Comittee had a problem with the novel.
I do like Benjamin Britton opera of "Death of Venice." Perhaps the live performance of an opera made the difference.
There's no doubt that I must watch the film after reading your post.