Casanova

This week, I decided to watch BBC'c production of Casanova, Russel T Davis's view on the story of the legendary womanizer. In the course of three episodes, we see Casanova's rise to power, fame, fall, rise again and repeat this over and over again.

The cast is lead by the brilliant David Tennant, who, I have to confess, isn't your usual choice for the role of Casanova. Especially if you consider that Heath Ledger starred in the same role the same year. The old Casanova is played by Peter O'Toole.

The story sets of as Casanova stories usually do - with a flashback. The old Casanova is in a castle, writing his memoir. There he is joined by a young servant, Edith, who asks him to tell her the story of his life. The story of an unhappy love, a man who indulges himself, but beneath all the love and sex, there's a basic story of pride and rivalry between two men.

Casanova arrives in Venice, after having finished his studies in Padua. There he meets the love of his life, Henriette, but she's engaged to another man whose best quality is that he's rich. Casanova doesn't seem to be too heartbroken, he finds condolence in the beds of many different women. One of the most important is Bellino, a woman he thought was a castrato. They're supposed to get married, but she realizes that Giacomo is in love with Henriette and decides that she can't go through. Henriette admits she's in love with Casanova, but also says that she could never be with him because he's poor. In a twist of weird luck, Casanova gets adopted by a rich priest and is now a suitable husband for the golddigging Henriette. Grimani, the man who she was supposed to marry, doesn't want to go down without a fight, so he manages to get Casanova arrested and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. The hero of the story quickly escapes prison and is on the run with his manservant and the boy who is his illegitimate son. Their adventure from all over Europe begins and takes place in the most memorable places like Paris, London and Naples. The old Casanova tells Edith that the most shocking story is set in Naples, that's where he reunites with Bellino who admits that she gave birth to his daughter and that very same daughter is about to start a sexual relationship with his son. That's where Casanova realizes all's gone to hell. Quite literally.

Bellino, Casanova and Henriette

One thing that usually boggles my mind is how come every portrayal of Casanova is so likable. I mean, if we knew him in real life, we'd probably think he was a douche. This dude is somewhat of a Barney Stinson from two hundred years ago. This one is a bit different. Casanova is still likable enough. He's funny, adorable and honest, but he gets to face the consequences of his actions. He has a son and his son is his own reflection. In the end, he has to face the fact that the boy is exactly what he saw. I find it a bit ironic that Casanova wanted to make the money and fight so that he could be a good role model for his son, and yet, he does become a role model, but only in the bad. We can see the sad, the mournful side of the man who is thought to have been a decadent living to his fullest, never looking back. The dialogue is a bit more worldly than I would believe it to have been and brings us a dash of the twenty first century. I highly doubt it that in the middle of the eighteenth century anyone would be as open and encouraging of a homosexual relationship as was Henriette. 

The story in Naples felt a bit pushed and unnecessary. If the point was to show that his son ends up in the same way as he did, it could have bee done a bit differently. It's too short and too jumbled up. The other part of the plot I found silly was the whole story with Henriette. I thought it could have been handled a lot better. She's a golddigger and that's it. How do all these men want her? First, she wants to marry one just for his money and he's OK with it. Then the other one gets rich. All of a sudden, he's acceptable and she dumps the first guy. The second guy gets arrested and loses everything. Suddenly, the first one doesn't seem so bad. I'm not saying that you can eat and drink love, but this isn't love it's pure interest. Yet, we're supposed to believe that she wasn't in all of her relationships for money. Had she chosen Casanova before he was rich, she probably couldn't have been promised the life of a lady, but it was comfortable enough. But she wanted to be a lady, she put the material before her emotions. After toying with these men for so long, why do they want her? Can't they see that she doesn't care about anything other that herself?

I love the humor behind the story. It's a wonderful self-satire where we see the racy Brits who are governed by their lust, they drink tea with lemon and some even like sandwiches! Oh, the insolence! It's even more funny because the story set in London comes after the one set in Paris where the court is shown as a total joke and all the women wear extremely short dresses.  

Casanova is just one of the many wonderful mini series produced by BBC and I give it my highest recommendation!