Casanova as Comedy
Ledger Leads Cast of Mistaken Identities
Here's what I knew about Giacomo Casanova before going to see the new film partially based on his life: 1) he was a well-renowned lover and 2) he lived a long time ago somewhere in Europe. (What that says about my education or the significance of Casanova as a historic figure, I don't know.) There is no doubt in my mind, however, that the figure betrayed by Australian pretty-boy Heath Ledger is more fiction than fact. The new comedy by director Lasse Hallström seems to treat historical figures as mere characters to be rewritten.
Written by: Jeffrey Hatcher and Kimberly Simi, based on a story by Kimberly Simi and Michael Cristofer
Starring: Heath Ledger, Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, and Oliver Platt
Rated
(for
some sexual content)Running time: 108 min.
FilmGuru's Rating : 4 out of 10.
Ledger plays Giacomo Casanova, the abandoned son of an actress who has left Venice and Giacomo to be with her love. (Let the psychology majors decide how this affected his relationships with women.) Despite threat of exile and excommunication -- or worse --from the Inquisition, Casanova continues a hedonistic lifestyle of sex and romance with every beauty Venice has to offer. When his latest exploit (with a novice) nearly gets him hanged, it is suggested that he might escape punishment if he were to become engaged to a "proper" girl.
After arranging a marriage to a virginal beauty (Natalie Dormer), Casanova finds himself challenged to a duel by a young man, Giovanni Bruni (Charlie Cox), who loves her. Casanova gives a false name to protect his identity and begins a series of events in which mistaken identities play a very big part. When they meet to duel, Casanova finds that he is not dueling with Giovanni, but rather Francesca Bruni (Sienna Miller), Giovanni's sister. Casanova begins an infatuation with the strong-willed Francesca and plots an elaborate charade to win her.
Supporting the cast are two veteran cast members who lend a certain credibility to this otherwise silly movie. Oliver Platt plays the portly Paprizzio, Francesca's fiance from an arranged marriage. While he may not be Laurence Olivier, I like Platt in just about any film. His charisma can help even the most sappy dialogue flow. Also appearing is Jeremy Irons who, for some reason, keeps popping up in period pieces like this. (Maybe he likes the costumes.) Irons plays Bishop Pucci of the Inquisition, who has come from Rome to put an end to the heresy in Venice. His torture of innocent men is laughed off like some routine clerical error and no concern is given to his threats.
The hardest pill to swallow in the film is the manner in which everything works out for everyone. This is not just a film with a traditional, Hollywood, happy ending. Instead, every piece of every puzzle falls into place and everyone pairs off as happy couples. The word "contrived" does not cover it. This is a romantic piece of fluff that by its very nature must end well and the writers have rigged every outcome to the point that the story loses all credibility.
Casanova reminded me of the "fictionalizing" that the Bard received in the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love. As with that movie, this one begins with a historic figure and imagines what a particular period of his life might have been like. The difference is that while Shakespeare in Love played off a number of well-known (and some obscure) references to the Bard's work and times, the story of Casanova has nothing of interest to grab most audiences. That Casanova was regarded as a rogue and a lover is about all for which he is remembered. In the end, that's not enough to make me care about this film.
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