CASANOVA
US, 2005, 108 minutes, Colour.
Heath Ledger, Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, Oliver Platt, Lena Olin, Omid Djalili, Ken Stott, Helen Mc Crory, Leigh Lawson, Tim Mc Inerny.
Directed by Lasse Halstrom.
Another Casanova film. There have been spoofs, tongue-in-cheek biographies and Fellini’s serious film with Donald Sutherland. Any need for another Casanova movie? On the strengths (or rather on the weakness of this attempt), the answer seems to be no. However, here it is, trying to combine lavish location photography, the recreation of 18th century Venice, and the light touch. The result has tickled the fancy of undemanding moods. But, it does seem sumptuously silly.
Lasse Halstrom has tended to make lighter serious dramas in recent years (Chocolat, Shipping News, An Unfinished Life). Here he has gone for the lighter. Perhaps it’s the screenplay which is a mixture of the satiric and the daft. Perhaps it’s the performances. But, at times, it really is absurd.
Heath Ledger as Casanova. He can do the light touch as in The Brothers Grimm. But, dashing romantic hero? A touch too stolid. Sienna Miller as Francesca Bruni, the Venetian feminist who masquerades (like Portia) as a man at the university and in the courts and writes tracts on women that the Inquisition says are heretical? She is attractive and convincing. Jeremy Irons as a pantomime Inquisitor with the touch of Carry-on? Dear oh dear. Lena Olin (Hallstrom’s wife) and Oliver Platt come off best as keeping the right note between farce and drama.
A final credit is given to the Patriarchate of Venice – but they must not have read the script with the picture of Boccaccio behaviour of cardinals and nuns and Jeremy Iron’s line (that, unfortunately for those who try their best gets the loudest laugh). He replies to a critic, ‘We are the Catholic church, we can do anything’.
1.The tradition of films on Casanova? The serious films, the sex farces and romps, the comedies? This film in the tradition?
2.The sumptuous Venetian settings: décor, costumes, classical music arrangements?
3.The screenplay and the touches of comedy and farce, the serious touches? How witty a screenplay – or sometimes lacking in wit?
4.The flashback and the irony of who was the Casanova doing the reminiscing? The real Casanova, Francesca’s brother, Giovanni?
5.The story of Casanova, the history, the legend, Casanova as a rake, his reputation with women? The support of the Doge? The attacks of the Inquisition?
6.The portrait of Venetian society: the Doge with the farcical aspects? The church and the Inquisition? Bishops and cardinals? Clergy? Families, parents and daughters? The importance of marrying off daughters? The plays in the street illustrating Casanova? The sexual morals of the city? Retribution?
7.The theme of women: having to be at home, arranged marriages, virginity and its status? The contrast with Francesca and her feminism, going to the university in disguise, revealing her disguise to the surprised academics? Her writing of the books? Her nom-de-plume? Her skill at sword-fighting? Strong? Portia-like defending Casanova in the courts?
8.Heath Ledger as Casanova, charismatic or ordinary? Seeing him with the women, derring-do and dashing, with the novice nuns, the convent, his escapes? The pursuit by the Inquisition? Dalfonso and his interrogations? The Doge and his friendliness? The escape from the Inquisition, the Doge telling him to marry? The courting of Victoria? Seeing Francesca at the university, meeting her, his pretending to be Paprizzio? His courting of her, falling in love? The dance? Going up in the hot air balloon? The truth and the descent – after her seeing the advertisement for Paprizzio? Casanova and the comedy of his assistant? The palazzo, getting Paprizzio to rent it? The encounter with Pucci? The arrests and escapes, the duels? The support of the families? His confession about Francesca? Her defending him in court? The memories of the Merchant of Venice? The build-up to the execution, their being on the scaffold, the arrival of the cardinal, the ruse for their escape? The performers? The happy ending and Casanova and Francesca in the carnival?
9.Jeremy Irons as Pucci, pompous and ludicrous? His assistant? His inquisitatorial pursuit of casanova, obsession? His being deceived? The arrests? The torture of Paprizzio? His social standing, the confession, the court case? His anticipation of the hanging, waiting for the cardinal to arrive? His being outwitted by the escape?
10.Francesca, at the university, at home, her writings, fiancé, with Casanova, with Paprizzio, seeing her mother fall in love with Paprizzio? The dance, the balloon, her anger with Casanova? The duels? The court?
11.Victoria and her infatuation, the domination of her father? Giovanni and his wanting to marry her? Her sexual behaviour – especially under the table at the banquet?
12.Andrea, her servant and relying on him? Her relationship with her children? The arranged marriage, meeting Paprizzio, falling in love with him, swooning? His being free to marry her? Paprizzio and his comedy, pomposity, the lard, renting the palazzo, imprisoned and tortured, the end, providing the boat for the escape?
13.The presentation of the clergy, serious-minded, Dalfonso and his acting for the interrogation? The permissive cardinal and the nun? The convent? Pucci’s statement that he could do anything ‘because we are the Catholic church’?
14.Casanova’s mother and Tito, their being disguised as the cardinal, the performance, deceiving Pucci, effecting the escape?
15.The film and its light treatment of the themes – just as the representations of Casanova in the street plays performed in the film?
