Casanova (2005)
–Casanova, the philosopher? Who devotes his life to the perfection of experience? Yes, I know him.
– No, Casanova the libertine, who devotes his life to seducing women.
– Well, we’re obviously talking about the same person.
Casanova (2005, BBC version)
Gentlemen! I’m sure we can work this out amicably. Look at it this way; if you could do what I could do, then you would do it too! But you can’t! I can, and I have, and I’ll do it again! So, you should be happy for me, just a tiny little bit, don’t you think? And you, sir, just consider; you love your wife. I love your wife! Aren’t we both on the same side?
Ah, the golden boys of summer! For the summer of 2008, two of the most popular men in the world would have to be Heath Ledger and David Tennant. Now, in this country, every one knows Ledger thanks to The Dark Knight and his tragic death earlier this year, but unless you’re a science fiction fan you may be scratching your head and asking, “Who’s David Tennant?” The answer is a classically trained stage actor better known in the US for his small turn as Barty Crouch, Jr in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. If you’re British or a fan of science fiction television, you know him as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor, the lead character from the long-running series Doctor Who. The finale of Doctor Who’s current season saw one in six people in Great Britain tuning in. David Tennant is currently playing Hamlet to houses that were sold out before the Royal Shakespeare Company production even opened. On the first night of previews, the British Prime Minister was in attendance – it’s that hot a ticket.
Back in 2005, both Ledger and Tennant had something else in common: they both played Casanova. Ledger starred in Lasse Hollström’s big budget Hollywood fantasy and Tennant in the BBC’s three-hour television miniseries, directed by Sheree Folkson and written by Dr Who’s executive producer, Russell T. Davies. I have a healthy interest in Giacomo Girolamo Casanova as I’m writing a novel set in the 18th century and plan to use the famous lover as a supporting character. While these two films are not the greatest resource for historical facts about the real man, they are true to the modern conception of him and frankly, are a lot of fun.
First up, we have Ledger’s Casanova – slightly world-weary, but with still a bit of devil-may-care about him. Hollström filmed on location in Venice, and the city may never have looked as beautiful as it does captured by his camera and watched in high definition on Blu-Ray. It looks like the perfect setting for a fairy tale and essentially that is what Hollström gives us: a lovely, light-hearted enchantment. It’s the ultimate version of a familiar female fantasy of a bad boy reformed by the love of a good woman. In Casanova, we have the epitome of this type of character and in his love interest Francesca Bruni (played by Sienna Miller) we are given a new modern twist. Francesca secretly pens feminist tracts, fences better than her brother, and scoffs at libertines. Casanova is beguiled.
The cast is excellent from Jeremy Irons’s Pucci (the Grand Inquisitor sent to find and hang Casanova) who somehow manages to come off as an intelligent man who is constantly confused by the events around him to Lena Olin’s Andrea Bruni (Francesca’s mother) who delightfully loves larger men. A definite standout, though, is Oliver Platt who plays Paprizzio, Francesca’s fiancé. He steals every scene he is in, and I loved how just when you had resigned him to the loveable dummy category he suddenly becomes capable and in charge.
The BBC’s Casanova does follow history a little more faithfully. There is some repetition from the previous film: being deserted by his mother, his trouble with the church, and his escape from prison. The miniseries though follows Casanova’s career from beginning to end and shows what happens to Venice’s favorite son once he left that city. This production is darker in some ways, but also much cheekier. Tennant’s Casanova is possessed of a quick-silver mind that barely stays ahead of his tongue. He falls in love with a woman named Henriette, who is engaged to marry a man named Grimani (Rupert Penry). She loves Casanova, but since money flows through his fingers like wine she refuses to throw her rich man over for sentiment. This Casanova quickly learns to adapt. If he can’t have Henriette, he’ll find solace elsewhere and often. Tennant is adept at showing us Casanova’s insolent side but also his tender, vulnerable side that makes us keep caring about him.
Mention must be made of the mini-series’s framing device, which has a parallel in the Hollywood version but is not as skillfully done. In the BBC version, we find old Casanova, working on his famous diaries and telling his story to a young girl, Edith (Rose Byrne). Edith stands in for the audience and we, along with her, are seduced by that wonderful, wicked old man as played by the celebrated Peter O’ Toole with an irresistible twinkle in his eye. O’ Toole is breathtaking as he carefully shows us the complexities of the man and the allure of the legend.
Both Casanovas are worthy of pursuit, but your reaction may depend upon what you are looking for in a movie. If you want a frothy, fun romantic comedy that will leave you smiling you want to visit Heath Ledger in Hollström’s Hollywood production. If you have more time and want a little more depth to the story, then try David Tennant and the BBC mini-series. Be warned, however, the BBC’s version is much naughtier than Hollywood’s, and the second half is much darker than the first as consequences begin to catch up with our hero.
In the end, though, we only have one of these boys of summer left with us and that’s the true tragedy.
