Casanova

I enviously watched the trailers for Casanova when I didn't have access to BBC3 - I thought it looked like an exciting, colourful romp. I waited everso patiently until it was repeated on BBC1 and was not disappointed in the least. Peter O'Toole is brilliantly cast as the older Casanova, remembering his past and all the women he had ever loved. His portrayal was poignant and sometimes a little scary, but as his quest for Henriette comes to a close you really do feel sorry for the man with so much potential having become a fairly lowly Librarian and object of ridicule. Laura Fraser is stunning as Henriette - the kind of enigmatic and beautiful woman we all strive unsuccessfully to be! Rose Byrne is the picture of innocence and amused shock at the older man's tales. Both women play their parts beautifully. Russell T Davies' writing was already known to me to be something special, my particular favourite being 'Queer As Folk'. Again, he manages to give us a lively tale with great one-liners, action, punches and sex - lots of it. The way he explores Jack's fears over falling in love with Bellino is brilliantly done and he doesn't shy away from controversial topics (In fact, such topics are becoming more mainstream and less hidden thanks mainly to people like him). And finally ... how could I review this without mentioning David Tennant? I can't. That man is such a talented actor, he makes every part his. He is quirky, cheeky and devillishly charming. A previous review said that RTD wanted to steer away from someone conventionally handsome for the part - maybe David Tennant isn't conventionally handsome, but I certainly wouldn't kick him out of bed! This is a must for any fan of Russell T Davies or David Tennant; they are a winning combination as Doctor Who's tenth incarnation only proves.

Great condition. Thank you.

This represents a wonderful piece of work by David Tennant from shortly before he started in his timelord role as Doctor Who. And this work is made even better by also featuring the great Peter O'Toole. Unfortunately, for reasons that will be obvious when you watch it, we don't get to see the two of them playing on-screen together - a pity, given the dynamism that would most likely have produced. There's also what I consider to be a nice cameo part, played by some guy called Matt Lucas. Oh, and Rupert Penry-Jones, also known for his role in "Spooks" plays the "bad guy" role very well too. But I shouldn't single out any of the actors really, because everyone in the film gives a great performance. The Casanova story is beautifully written in a very tongue-in-cheek style, with plenty of modern references, by Russell T Davies (who, of course, was also later responsible for the brilliantly successful resurrection of The Doctor). It's a long film, at three hours, though when it was originally shown on TV, it was as a short series of one-hour episodes. But many will enjoy watching the film all in one sitting, because it never flags or fails to hold your interest. Naturally, there are some sex scenes, but there's nothing that should cause any offence to anyone with an open mind and a sense of humour! All-in-all, I'd say that this film belongs firmly in my all-time top twenty 'greats' and will, I'm sure, be regarded as a 'classic' in the fullness of time. The acting, scriptwriting and production are all superb, but most of all, if you watch it, you'll be entertained wonderfully - and that's what it's all about, isn't it?

Excellent film, David Tennant at his best. A very versatile actor. A good mix of drama, intrigue and especially comedy. Well worth a second watch.

Finally! A period drama that isn't swamped with earnest-looking actors in ruffs or boring to anyone who doesn't know the original text off by heart. Casanova shines with colour and comedy, while the drama left me counting down the days until the next weekly installment. An aging Casanova, meticulously portrayed by Peter O'Toole, tells a young serving girl about his bawdy exploits from his youth. All this seems a bit superfluous, though, to the mighty David Tennant and the dashing, handsome Casanova who took the 17th Century by storm. Tennant steals the whole mini-series; being completely gorgeous didn't hurt, either. The story itself is quite sad, as Casanova never did get the girl, but any melancholy is soon drowned in the costumes and liveliness of the script. The only (pathetically minor) quibble about it is that they kept the ad breaks in, repeating bits of the episode you've just seen before starting on the next one, which is a bit annoying when you continue from half-way through an episode and know what's just happened. Quibbling aside, this is a fantastic program and definately worth buying - just don't take it as historic fact.

I absolutely love Casanova. I missed it when it was shown originally on tv. It was beautiful, funny, happy and emotional. David Tennant and Laura Fraser were a lovely match and have since gone to work on other projects together. Very entertaining and worth the purchase. After all it was Casanova that led to David Tennant becoming the Tenth Doctor Who. And a worthy career onwards and upwards.

Not for the children, but nonetheless entertaining.

I bought this for my grand-daughter who loves all things involving David Tennant. He was a great Casanova, with lots of humour and not a trace of a Scottish accent. (No offence to Scots - I just didn't know he hailed from north of the border until after he finished his stint as Dr Who). I made sure I watched that, after recognising him from Casanova.

This should have been released in the theaters, it's that good. David Tennant's performance is captivating and will bring you to tears and what is there to say about Peter O'Toole except that IMO he is probably the greatest English speaking actor ever. All the performances are first rate.

I think I would have enjoyed this film more if I had read more about it first, and if I hadn't watched it immediately after binging on "The Musketeers" series. I was expecting "Casanova" to be a biographical, historical comedy/drama and was confused at first to find it was more of a fantasy than anything else. (I'm thinking mainly of the cartoonish costumes and 20th century-musical choreography in the party scenes.) I kept thinking it would work better as a comic opera. Enjoyable enough if you like fantasy. I watched it once and then gave it away.

Russel T Davis e David Tennant prima del Dottore. Commedia brillante e scanzonata, a tratti volutamente sopra le righe, un lungo flashback delle avventure del giovane Giacomo Casanova. La commedia è l'altra faccia della tragedia e le due sono divise da un filo sottilissimo. Casanova finge tutto il tempo, come il film, che indossa una maschera briosa per nascondere il suo lato oscuro e triste.

C'est un tourbillon, c'est vif, coloré, intelligent, touchant parfois et c'est très divertissant. Encore une magnifique réalisation de la BBC. Les costumes sont parfois hors du temps, mais chatoyants, ils n'appartiennent à aucune époque, mais qu'importe, le tout est un ravissement. Quel plaisir aussi de retrouver le grand Peter O'Toole à l'oeil malicieux (Casanova âgé), Rupert Penry-Jones (Wenworth de Persuasion) et de découvrir David Tennant (Casanova adulte). J'ai vu cette mini série en 2 parties, en anglais (sous-titré anglais au besoin). Mais ce qui m'a semblé le plus remarquable c'est la lumière de ce film, j'ai rarement vu d'aussi belles images. Les scènes un peu osées sont toutes habillées et rien ne m'a choquée.

Die Geschichte von Casanova wurde hier neu und etwas abgeändert verarbeitet. Der hier etwas jung wirkende David Tennant spielt Casanova, was man ihm auch vom ersten Moment an abkauft. Obwohl einige Elemente sehr modern abgewandelt wurden (Kleider, Häuser, etc.), hat man noch das Gefühl, sich in Casanovas Vergangenheit zu bewegen. Peter O'Toole als alternder Casanova ist leicht ins Herz zu schließen und seine Erzählweise fesselt einen an den Fernseher. Zudem möchte ich hier erwähnen, dass man kein Englisch-Studium abgeschlossen haben muss, um den Text zu verstehen, alle sprechen klar und deutlich und allein schon die Mimiken sagen das Meiste aus. Sehr empfehlenswert!