Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Sienna Miller (left) as Francesca Bruni, and Heath Ledger as Giacomo Casanova in 'Casanova'. - CONTRIBUTED
CASANOVA, THE famed lover of Venice, has risen again. This time, he takes to the streets in a funny dalliance. Casanova's aim is a bit of fun and a quick roll in laughter's hay and, in that vein, it is more successful as a comedy than as a romance. It is a generally very promising flick, though it fumbles toward the end.
In this take, Casanova is at once attempting to find the woman of his dreams while avoiding the inquisition, as in the absence of AIDS (though in real life the famed lover contracted many unsavoury STIs) it was left to the Catholic Church to kill people for having sex.
The film stars Heath Ledger as Giacomo Casanova, the quintessential garden implement (whether you call him a rake or a ho), and Sienna Miller as Francesca Bruni, Casanova's great love.
She is a woman bent on fighting for the rights of all women and he is a man bent on loving (or at least bedding) every one of them. Written by Jeffrey Hatcher and Kimberly Simi, the screenplay merely rests on the name of the famed lover, rather than attempting to be related to his autobiography.
NOT A GREAT LOVE STORY
The flick is directed by Lasse Halström and he deals out his comedy in broad strokes, which has its benefits for comedy easy on the belly, but there are times when the 'ham' gets a little too thick. Additionally, as it moves toward all out farce in the final scenes, the flick is hampered by its ending.
Casanova is not a great love story and it is best to know that going in. One is not about to see the awesome power of the man who reduced all women to quivering puddles of jelly (which, incidentally only happens in Mills and Boons, or stories with witches). It instead plays with the more modern idea of a 'player', a man who has a way with words and women.
The film is remarkably devoid of sensuality and, despite Ledger himself looking quite fetching in the wonderfully recreated costumes, the movie is not generally sexy and it is also not historically reliable. It is quite fun, however, and Venice looks beautiful.
The flick also features Oliver Platt as the very lard laden Paprizzio, Jeremy Irons as a scary inquisitor, Omid Djalili as Lupo and Lena Olin as Andrea. Olin gives a generally intriguing performance and Djalili is positively hilarious.
They create a generally interesting cast of characters in a film quite reminiscent of a comedy of errors with hints of Ben Jonson's Volpone coming through in Casanova's machinations.
The play is generally rather witty, though not all the jokes are delivered with requisite aplomb to make them all stick. A few bounce off with barely a crack to indicate the joke within, but enough of them hit home so that it remains enjoyable.
The film could have been made stronger had there been greater chemistry between Ledger and Miller. The two together are a little cold, which for a story about a great lover and the woman who conquered his heart is rather disappointing. So, Casanova is not likely to make your heart flutter, but it will make you smile.
