Casanova (film)

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Casanova
Casanova film poster
Directed by	Lasse Hallström
Produced by	Mark Gordon Betsy Beers
Written by	Jeffrey Hatcher Kimberly Simi Michael Cristofer
Starring	Heath Ledger Jeremy Irons Sienna Miller Oliver Platt Natalie Dormer
Distributed by	Touchstone Pictures
Release date(s)	December 25, 2005
Running time	108 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

For Italian director Federico Fellini's film of the same name see Fellini's Casanova

For the silent Hungarian film, see Casanova (1918 film).

Casanova is a 2005 comedy film directed by Lasse Hallström based on the life of Giacomo Casanova.

Tagline: A partially true story about lies told, virtue lost and love found.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Posters
4 External links

[edit] Plot

In 1753, in Venice, Casanova, portrayed by Heath Ledger, is notorious for his success and promiscuity with women, his adventures being represented in puppet theatres around the city. The Doge, the ruler of the city, is sympathetic to Casanova, but cannot be too lenient to avoid trouble with the church. He warns Casanova that he must soon marry or he will be exiled from the city.

Casanova is in love with Francesca (Sienna Miller), who writes illegal feminist books under the name of a man, Bernardo Guardi, and argues for women's right as Dr Giordano de Padua. However, her mother (Lena Olin) pushes her to marry Paprizzio (Oliver Platt), a corpulent rich man from Genoa, whom she has never seen. When Paprizzio arrives in Venice, Casanova lies to him and says that the hotel he booked is closed and he persuades him to stay at his house. Casanova also lies and says that his nom de plume is Bernardo Guardi. While Paprizzio, preparing to visit Francesca, stays at Casanova's house, Casanova visits Francesca, pretending to be Paprizzio.

Piazza San Marco, Francesco Guardi, 18th century.

During the Venetian Carnival, Casanova confesses his true identity to Francesca, which makes her angry. Casanova is arrested by the Venetian Inquisition for crimes against sexual morality, such as debauchery and heresy with a novice. However, he saves Francesca by pretending to be Bernardo Guardi, which impresses her very much. At his trial, Francesca reveals that it is in fact she who is Bernardo Guardi, and both are sentenced to death. Just as Casanova and Francesca are about to be hanged in the Piazza San Marco, they are saved by an announcement that the Pope gave amnesty to all prisoners who were to be executed on that day, as it was the Pope's birthday. It is later discovered that the "Cardinal" who gave the announcement was actually an impostor who happens to be Casanova's stepfather, wedded to his long-lost mother who came back for him just as she promised when Casanova was a child. As they all escape on Paprizzio's boat, Francesca's brother, Giovanni (Charlie Cox), stays behind to continue Casanova's legendary womanizing ways.