A brief review of the 2005 film “Casanova,” a delightful romp starring Heath Ledger
Merry Christmas! “Buon Natale!”
Your Virtual Italy Vacation will resume next week, but since last week we toured The Doge’s Palace and the Venice prison where Giacomo Casanova was incarcerated, I thought you might enjoy a peek at this lighthearted film for holiday viewing. After refreshing my memory about the amazing escapades of the real Casanova, I convinced Thor that we needed to watch the film, directed by Lasse Hallstrom. I had seen it when it was originally released in 2005, but wasn’t sure it would stand the test of time.
Success! Even Thor (who resists historical romantic comedy, but owed me a movie pick), was laughing a lot.
It’s an affectionate nod to bedroom farces and Shakespearean comedies, complete with masks, double and triple identities, buffoonerie, swordfights, and a plucky young woman who disguises herself as a man to challenge the male-dominated culture. Heath Ledger, who died much too young, is charming (and of course swooningly handsome) as the infamous seducer of women (including lusty nuns), adventurer, and challenger of the Church norms. In the hilarious opening scenes, he bounces from a pastiche of ardent lovers, to his latest escapade as he leaps from the bed of a Novice to be pursued by Inquisition enforcers across Venice’s rooftops. His patron The Doge covers for him one more time, but warns him that he must marry soon or face the wrath of the Inquisition for licentiousness.
Casanova sets out to find a virginal bride (difficult in Venice), but instead falls for the rebellious Francesca, who moonlights as a man writing popular but heretical tracts to empower women. The plot, full of masks, secrets, chases, and near-catastrophes, twists into improbable silliness, but the fine actors carry the humor with finesse and wonderful timing. Sienna Miller and Jeremy Irons give solid performances, and Oliver Platt is particularly hilarious as the portly (in a fat suit) Paprizzio, Lard King of Genoa. A young Natalie Dormer is a hoot as a lusty virgin out to marry Casanova. The costumes are fabulous, too.
Here’s a trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSt1NFGgVUs
Of course, crucial to the movie is the spectacle of Venice, where the filming took place.
Enjoy the movie just for a tour of the canals and fabulous mansions.
A highlight setting is the “Sala Capitolo of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco.” This former institution for devotees of the patron saint against plagues (how appropriate for our times) was lavishly decorated with paintings by Tintoretto, and in the movie it stands in for a ballroom in the Doge’s Palace during Carnivale. (photo below courtesy of Commons.Wikimedia.org)
Forget the woes of a world for a bit, and enjoy the romp!
*****
You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Café is Pause, a First Place winner of the Chanticleer Somerset Award and a Pulpwood Queens International Book Club selection. “A must-read novel about friendship, love, and killer hot flashes.” (Mindy Klasky). Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
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