Casanova, Castrated

Film: Casanova
Cast: Heath Ledger, Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, Oliver Platt, Lena Olin
Director: Lasse Hallstrom

When a city theatre had a special screening of Casanova on International Women’s Day, I found it strange that no one raised a voice against it. After all, this was arguably the most chauvinistic of male characters ever, and such a film apparently would be against everything Women’s Day stood for. Then I saw the film.

We are transported to 16th century Venice where that most famous seducer of women, Casanova (Ledger), is on the loose. And where do we find him in action first? A nunnery, no less. He flees after official Inquisitors of the Church arrive to arrest him for immorality and heresy. Casanova ends up in the University where a debate is happening and meets Francesca Bruni (Miller), and it’s love at first sight for him.

Francesca is a woman with progressive ideas that would cause a ripple even in this century, so it can be assumed how out of place she was then. At the same time she was about to obey her dead father’s wishes and marry a rich merchant, Paprizzio (Platt), a man she had never met, to save her family from falling deeper into debt. It is at this juncture that Casanova enters the picture to play a game of mistaken identities. At the same time the Catholic Church’s most famous Inquisitor, Bishop Pucci (Irons), arrives in Venice to arrest Casanova and restore moral values.

Casanova the man could have been an impotent barber for all we care. But for Casanova the legend, restricting himself to one woman was as much an anathema as God is to an atheist. And if you want to tarnish that image by portraying him as a monogamist, you better have the license of an extremely good story behind you. Jeffrey Hatcher and Kimberly Sini do not have. As a result their script seems more suited for pre-pubescent girls than an adult audience.

Heath Ledger is very likeable, even though he doesn’t have that naughtiness one might expect. I want to see more of Sienna Miller. She has very earthy looks and can act a bit. Veterans Oliver Platt and Lena Olin revel in their roles. The surprise package is Jeremy Irons who is a delight with his outrageous costumes and great comic timing.

Lasse Hallstrom has given us a picture that is good to look at. The sets are wonderful, and so are the costumes. This could have been a rarity, a good period comedy. But the script goes from bad to worse and ends in a rotten climax. After seeing Casanova one thing became clear. With its hackneyed plot and mind-numbing climax this film is an insult not just to women but even men. No wonder there were no voices on Women’s Day. Why give more publicity when none is due?