Casanova (2005)

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

25 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

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:

Catholic | Play | Heresy | Swashbuckler | Sidekick

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Dec. 10

7:30 AM

USA

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:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Venice, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

When Casanova is running away from the Inquisition in the opening scene he jumps through a window and into the University of Venice. The University of Venice never existed and the building he jumps into is in fact the "Theatro Olympico", one of the first Renaissance theatres- and 140 kilometers away from Venice.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: For a split second when Casanova jumps from one building to another you can see the harness.

Quotes:

Casanova: I, too, come here to make confession.
Francesca Bruni: What have you to confess?
Casanova: Well, let's see. Jealousy. Pride. Covetousness. Despair. And you?
Francesca Bruni: I came to prepare my soul for marriage.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Annually Retentive: (#1.5)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Harpsichord Concerto in B Flat (2. Grave)

It's a complete mystery to me...

...why this movie wasn't (a) marketed right in the first place, (b) isn't being re-released right now!?

Trust me, as someone who works in this industry, I'm darn picky about what I like...but I liked this, despite wincing over the many historical inaccuracies and liberties taken with authentic language of the time - 'Casanova' is such a fun, feel-good romp, it charmed me into turning a blind eye and deaf ear and chalking all that up to necessary 'poetic licence'! The cast is fabulous, the late Heath Ledger is at his charismatic best...and BECAUSE he's no longer with us makes re-releasing it 'right' this time around a 'no-brainer', so far as I can see (for example; why it made it's Stateside debut on Christmas day baffles me completely - unless it was intended for Academy Award inclusion?). Clearly, this was/should have been a Summer dating flick...for both the typical dating demographic (= late teens/early twenties) AS WELL AS 'baby-boomers', who will appreciate the fine acting performances from the likes of Jeremy Irons, Oliver Platt and Lena Olin, as well as enjoy the witty banter. It needs to be promoted as the 'period romp'/romantic comedy it IS, without being depicted as simply stupid (e.g. without excessive trailer cameos of characters falling off gondolas into the canals and/or slipping on bananas, etc!). The right trailer, the right time of year, the right riding-on-Heath's-sadly-gone-forever-coat-tails PR push, and this movie could be a 'sleeper hit' yet!