Casanova (2005)

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers (WGA):

Jeffrey Hatcher (screenplay) and
Kimberly Simi (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A partially true story about lies told, virtue lost and love found.

Plot:

Heath Ledger plays the fabled romantic as a man who, after failing to win the affection of a particular Venetian woman, strives to discover the real meaning of love.

Plot Keywords:

Obese | Mother Son Relationship | Nun's Habit | 1750s | Servant

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Heath Ledger	...	Casanova
Sienna Miller	...	Francesca Bruni
Jeremy Irons	...	Pucci
Oliver Platt	...	Paprizzio
Lena Olin	...	Andrea
Omid Djalili	...	Lupo
Stephen Greif	...	Donato
Ken Stott	...	Dalfonso
Helen McCrory	...	Casanova's Mother
Leigh Lawson	...	Mother's Lover / Tito
Tim McInnerny	...	The Doge
Charlie Cox	...	Giovanni Bruni
Natalie Dormer	...	Victoria
Philip Davis	...	Guardi (as Phil Davis)
Paddy Ward	...	Vittorio

Also Known As:

Femur (Philippines: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexual content.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Hungary:14 | Singapore:PG (re-rating) | UK:12A | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:M18 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Argentina:13 | USA:R (certificate #41930) | Peru:14 | Ireland:12A | Philippines:R-13 | Sweden:7 | Singapore:PG (edited version) | Netherlands:MG6 | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Spain:13 | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:15 | Iceland:L | Canada:G (Quebec) | Norway:7 | Australia:M | Malaysia:U | Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Venice, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

During the short sword fight at the end of the film when they are running away Oliver Platt takes off his cape and fights with it just as Oliver Reed did as Athos in The Three Musketeers (1973). Oliver Platt played Porthos in the 1993 version of The Three Musketeers (1993).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The flight with the balloon is an (minor) anachronism. The first manned hot air balloon (manufactured by the Montgolfier brothers) made it's first flight in 1783, when Casanova was 58 years old.

Quotes:

Lupo: The apple is very distracting.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The O'Reilly Factor: (2008-01-24)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Harpsichord Concerto in B Flat (1. Allegro non troppo)

Frustrating (possible spoilers)

I just saw "Casanova" and I have to say I'm very disappointed. You'd think a movie with this storyline (involving sex, romance, mistaken identity and intrigue), utilizing this large cast of very talented actors, and shot in the dream location of Venice, would be a no-brainer grand slam out of the park. Unfortunately this is not the case. I put the blame squarely at the feet of director Lasse Hallstrom: contrary to other reviews which state that the actors mugged too much, it appeared to me as if they had been directed to have as little fun with their characters as possible. The performance style is SO underplayed and naturalistic that the movie seems flat and joyless for the most part - even the beautiful and usually vital Lena Olin succumbs to the malaise. Only Oliver Platt and Jeremy Irons manage to inject some much needed ham into the proceedings. The screenplay is actually very good for the most part, but it demands a much stronger interpretative style. The director would have done well to screen "Tom Jones" and "Shakespeare in Love" several times before beginning the shoot - both of those movies have a sense of heightened stakes and theatricality that "Casanova" sorely needed and barely ever attains.

As Casanova, Heath Ledger has a nicely blasé quality that works well overall - I don't think his performance will hurt the perception of the superior acting ability he demonstrates in "Brokeback Mountain", but as with all the other actors here, I was left with the sense that he was capable of a lot more that wasn't taken advantage of by the director. As Francesca, Sienna Miller manages to suggest volcanic rumblings underneath her polite exterior, but among all the plots and subplots, the two lead characters wind up having far too little screen time together. And when they are together, the only fireworks are the literal ones in the sky - a balloon ride which should seem magical is as dull and earthbound as a sandbag; a trial sequence where Francesca (disguised as a man) defends Casanova is too short and completely devoid of drama; and when the two lovers are about to be hanged together, they are given no dialogue whatsoever - they just look at each other tentatively, as if they barely even recognize one another. The tempo of the dialogue is too slow much of the time, and there is very little snap or bite in the actors' delivery. And for a story about one of the legendary lovers of all time, this film is bizarrely lacking in sensuality. Instead of being a frothy and sexy farce, everything here seems listless and of no real consequence - when the action finally kicks in during the last half hour or so, it's too little and too late.

Saving graces here are the lovely score (original music by Alexandre Desplat as well as pre-existing compositions by composers of the period) and Oliver Stapleton's breathtakingly beautiful photography of the Venice locations. The period costumes and art direction are also top notch.

I'd say "Casanova" is mildly entertaining at best, but it never really gets off the ground. I wanted to be excited by this story, but I never was. Lasse Hallstrom's directorial style and overall sense of pacing are just wrong for this film, and it's frustrating to see attractive and talented actors hamstrung by it. I'd give the movie 5 stars.