Casanova (2005)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Casanova (Heath Ledger) is always looking for love, but there is something more about the brilliant Francesca (Sienna Miller). Her brother who's never met Casanova is engaged to Victoria (Natalie Dormer) who lusts after Casanova. Francesca is betrothed to Paprizzio (Oliver Platt) who thinks Casanova is the feminist writer Guardi, who is really Francessca's nomme de plume. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church sends Pucci (Jeremy Irons) to bring Casanova and Guardi to trial for heresy.It's all very complicated and confusing. It's hard at times to keep all the relationships in line. I love the beautiful locations, but it's the winsome Heath Ledger that shines the brightest. He IS Casanova. He is completely believable having all those women orbiting him. Although I wish Francesca was played by another, somebody more bookish and nerdy. It would make Casanova's love more emotional and intellectual.

''Oh Mummy, it is such a rainy day today can my friends and I play with the dressing-up box and do Casanova in Venice? Darling Heath can be Casanova and uncle Jeremy has agreed to play the nasty part. Oh do say yes Mummy it will be such fun and we can have a serious message in it too all about women's rights and it can be funny and rather droll with lots of lovely dresses and Aunty Jemimah promised to do our hair, oh do say yes Mummy it will be so nice in Venice and we can have a carnival too, what fun?'' '' We cam play classical music in the background while we all romp around being terribly silly and kissing and we can have some terribly nice soft porn scenes in it with lots of candles and also we can have a ball and be satirical about religion and torture, oh DO say yes, darling Mummy do''

From director Lasse Hallström (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Cider House Rules, Dear John), I had only heard about the 18th Century guy known for his numerous relations, so I had to see a film about it. Basically Giacomo Casanova (Heath Ledger) is in love with Francesca Bruni (Sienna Miller), but she thinks of him as a friend and he is engaged to Victoria (Natalie Dormer), and she is in love with Francesca's brother Giovanni (Stardust's Charlie Cox). Francesca meanwhile is meant to be marrying Paprizzio (Oliver Platt) who thinks Casanova is the feminist writer known as Guardi, but that is actually the pseudonym author name for her. There is a court case by the Catholic Church in amongst all these secret passions, identity problems and misunderstandings with Bishop Pucci (Jeremy Irons) leading it. Also starring Lena Olin as Andrea Bruni, Omid Djalili as Lupo, Stephen Grief as Donato, Ken Stott as Dalfonso, Tim McInnerny as The Doge, Philip Davis as Guardi and Helen McCrory as Casanova's Mother. Ledger was relatively good, and it was alright spotting the various faces along the way, and there was a fair amount of material seeing the famous character womanising, there could have been a bit more though, and the story is rather dull, so much so I didn't really get it all, a boring and not very funny period comedy. Adequate!

So, where are the other nineteen, who voted "no" on "noralee's" comments herein. Are they, forsooth, idiots? Methinks so. If anyone can, now that young Heath has been long buried and lately celebrated for a cartoon carbon of another juvenile stripe, still ignore Ledger's "prodigious" talents, let them argue their point(s). This young phenomenon out of Perth? in every role I have witnessed to date, has been an authentic revelation of talent, genius?, along with an avid and earnest drive to push the "envelope" of essay, as in trying the limit. Hwre, he is a "boy" for sure, and not quite a "man." Why? Well, maybe it's the postpubertal excess of sexual energy, as in simple studly sufficiency/ After all, it's not the "tea," it's the "sympathy," as in simpatico. Such hilarities aside, most of us are neither satyrs or nymphos, the fact of the matter is that ALL of us "fantasize" one way or another on this "universal" obsession. So long as we can still "ebtertain" same, that is. What a loss. What a waste. Ledger is one more sacrifice at the altar of our joined fears and hatreds and revulsions of the sexist variety. And his far too early passing is a sad comment on our contempo4ary contempts and lack of either guts or understandings of what human "sexuality" truly embraces -- from the nurturing to the murderous.