Ahhh, Casanova… the famed lover of women, whose exploits caused his name to be forever synonymous with men who are able to attract any woman. His life has had its fair share of film adaptations and to be sure he has made appearances on any number of TV shows. For some reason, the first one that always comes to mind is that of the famed British comic Benny Hill in his series. (Imagine Hill, dressed up as the famed lover… sitting next to a fair maiden at a dinner table. Both hands on the table, yet he is able to pinch the maiden's derriere. Of course, one of the hands IS fake…) The most recent telling of the tale is Touchstone's Casanova, starring Heath Ledger as the legendary womanizer. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, this version of the tale purports to tell the story that was never told. That of the one woman Casanova really loved and his desire to win her over. Sienna Miller stars as Francesca, the fabled 'one woman.'

What Casanova is in actuality is more of an attempt at making a wacky comedy. The film is not based on any of Casanova's actual memoirs and while some of the episodes might have occurred, it is only slightly closer to the reality of the times that Ledger's earlier A Knight's Tale was. This film isn’t quite so anachronistic, but some of the attitudes and dialogue are, to be sure.

That said, it begs the question, is the movie any good? Actually, it is quite funny at times just not as funny as it should be. This is in part due to the performance if it's star, Heath Ledger. The rest of the cast is delightful. Miller is especially good as the woman who can actually spurn his affections. And the casting of Jeremy Irons as the Church Inquisitor is inspiring. I'm so used to seeing Irons in very dour roles, and being the excellent actor that he is, he rarely disappoints. Here is a rare opportunity for him to do comedy and he steals the movie out from under the entire cast. His delivery of each and every line really makes the movie worth seeing.

As for Ledger, I found it interesting that he chose this role immediately after doing Brokeback Mountain. Much in the way that Jake Gyllenhaal jumped on Jarhead, Ledger was obviously ready to move into a character that was geometrically opposed to the previous one in order to… I don’t know… prove that he was actually heterosexual. Normally, I wouldn't put too much into it, but in the case of these two actors it was WAY too obvious. Both chose roles that were extremely 'manly', so to think it wasn't on their minds at all would be a naïve thought at best.

The problem though, was that Ledger, who is an okay actor, really isn’t believable as the rakish womanizer. He's not really good looking enough, though to be fair the real Casanova relied on charm more than he did looks. But even in that case, Ledger doesn’t really elicit that much charm either. He merely… is. He delivers a fair overall performance, but he is so outshined by Miller, Irons and even Oliver Platt, that he comes across more like the lead in a high school production than a feature film.

Still, Casanova is not a movie to dismiss. The comedic aspects, when they hit, are quite funny and again the performances of the rest of the cast beg to be seen. There is also the fact that the movie was filmed on location in Venice, and being Italian myself, I loved much of the lush cinematography that complements the overall production.

The DVD for Casanova offers up a commentary by Hallstrom, which is one of the better extra features. I've loved a lot of his earlier films and he delivers an amusing commentary. Beyond this, you'll find some short featurettes on the making of the film, including the costume designs and the look of the Venice. There is also one extended scene.

Casanova was not the movie I expected it to be, so for that reason I think I enjoyed it more than I would have otherwise. I didn't realize it would be such a madcap comedy, and expected more of a light historical romance. I was surprised by the humor and the wit, even during the moments where it fell a little flat or seemed forced.

Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom
Starring: Heath Ledger, Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, Oliver Platt
Extras: The Making of Casanova, "Dressing in Style", Extended Sequence, "Visions of Venice", Audio Commentary with Director Lasse Hallstrom
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1), DTS 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Touchstone
Release Date: 4/25/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Some Sexual Content)
Website

We'll give Casanova a C+.