Fellini's Casanova

Decadent, bizarre, and creative as only Fellini does it. The similarly-structured Satyricon left a bad taste in my mouth, but this has enough quiet moments to balance out the baroque madness (which is wonderful, anyhow).

Casnova was made during Fellini's self indulgent period where he was given access to virtually unlimited funds to realize his fantastical visions. He created increasingly outlandish spectacles that were characterized by ever loosening plots, salacious subject matter and an almost complete disregard for narrative coherence. Casanova is an offbeat character study disguised as a baudy sex romp that boasts spectacular sets and a stunning scene of unexpected depth involving a mechanical doll.

I can definitely see why this is one of Peter Greenaway's favorite movies. That is to say, it's incredibly stylized and artificial and sort of mean-spirited (although to be fair, Giacomo Casanova isn't a very sympathetic character to begin with). Except whereas Greenaway seems merely cynical about sex, Fellini just seems to think that sex is very silly (cue that stupid circus-y music during every sex scene, ugh). I'll forever associate Rota's score with Almereyda's Another Girl Another Planet...

Clock Work Casanova.

Fellini definitely has a knack for directing chaotic spectacle, but there's just so much of it here that I became numb to it and it started annoying me more than anything. Some of the sets and costumes, etc, are impressive. Fellini continues to just not be for me.

Fellini seems to have put himself into a position of having to make a film about a figure who, upon studying his autobiography, he could see only as anti-sex, anti-life and anti-Italian. Consequently, the film is rather at war with its main character, and seems to want the viewer to suffer the emptiness of mechanical repetition, with an occasional veneer of pathos thrown in to lend significance to the relentless parade of emptiness. The women are cardboard cutouts. A spectacle of limited appeal.

At first I was put off by the carnivalesque bacchanalia and the stupid bawdy sex comedy. The imagery is extremely impressive: grand fanciful sets, marvelous costumes, and gorgeous photography contributing to a series of wonderful images. But I could not stand the subject matter. But eventually the film quiets down a bit and finds some poignant moments. Occasionally it slips back into loud and stupid and grating, but for the most part the second half is much better than the first.

Flawed and marvelously decadent telling of the life of Casanova, as seen through the eyes of someone that is, presumably, high as a kite. Still, it manages the feat of never being boring and at 2½ hours that's pretty impressive in itself.

"Il Casanova" is very much like its hero: eccentric and excessive but not much else. Casanova is never developed into anything more than a caricature -not Sutherland's fault, who turns in an enjoyably witty performance. The film does succeed however in sustaining the viewer's interest -similar to the hero's life, it resembles a series of superficial delights. Fellini's direction goes from amateurish (the sex scenes) to inspired, but he manages to keep the audience's interest constantly aroused.

Casanova depicted as a pathetic madman... with none other than Donald Sutherland, a man famous for playing creeps and villains, in the title role. Between this conceit and the sumptuous production design and great color cinematography, I believe this is my favorite Fellini

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it doesn't actually have a point, it's just donald sutherland having sex with a lot of people and being badly overdubbed in italian. so if that's your thing, than yeah, it's pretty good. if not it still manages to be one tally up on fellini's watchable list, it's a heck of a lot better than a couple that have been deemed classics.

"Lavishly dressed and backed by a divine score, but under-acted and poorly thought-out."

Flawed, yet very pretty.

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#523

Sadly underrated, Casanova is really a subtler, more focused film than many of his disproportionately adored earlier works. Also, Donald Sutherland is absolutely brilliant here.

Belo é poético filme sobre a vida de Giacomo Casanova, mas em termos biográficos prefiro o que o Ken Russell fazia em seus filmes nos anos 70.

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