Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Tonight, after reading serious books, and realizing that I needed something frothy, in went this film to the dvd player. And a story about history's most notorious lover and some of his escapades sounded like pretty harmless fun.

The film opens with a little boy watching as his mother (Helen McCrory) leaves him with his grandmother to join a lover in Venice. Tearfully, she promises him that when he needs her, she will join him.

Now we leap forward, to where the little boy has grown up into Giacomo Casanova (Heath Ledger), a fashionable young man without too much money, and who makes a habit of leaping out of bedroom windows. He's also in trouble with the Inquisition for his debauchery, and it's appearing that he's going a bit too far even for his friend, the Doge (Tim McInnerny), the leader of the city. The Doge, who actually likes our seducer, tells him that the best way to evade the Inquisition is to marry some modest young virgin and settle down a bit.

Casanova's servant, Lupo (Omad Djalili) also agrees -- the debts are mounting up, and the creditors hammering at the door. Considering a bit, Casanova settles on courting a very virginal, angelic little blonde, Victoria (Natalie Dormer), and it doesn't hurt either that her father is going to settle a nice, fat dowry on her.

But across the canal, is Giovanni Bruni (Charlie Cox), gazing continually at his heart's desire, Victoria. He's a rather inept, graceless young man, too shy to speak up for her. Besides, his family is penniless, as his mother Andrea (Lena Olin) reminds him continually, and the way out is for the daughter of the house, Francesca (Sienna Miller), to money and lots of it. Casanova has seen her before, as she's a lively one, eager to reform the lot of Venetian women, but she's also being forced to marry a merchant from Padua.

Casanova just can't be sensible and resist Francesca, who is eager to spurn him, and soon he's in a complicated courtship of both Victoria and Francesca, and it appears that everything is going well, that is until Rome sends a powerful bishop Pucci (Jeremy Irons) with an interest to arrest Casanova for the Inquisition, and Francesca's real betrothed, Paprizzio (Oliver Platt) shows up.

Casanova duels, debates, woos, and generally leaves mayhem in his wake. Will the right girl end up with the right guy, and Casanova escape the hangman's noose? Sadly for the viewer, we already know how things are going to turn out. There are last minute escapes, bawdy content that is more of a tease than anything else, and by the end I was happy to have the film be finished and over.

But there are several small things that kept this film going. For one, the music is from the period, with plenty of Vivaldi, Handel and Corelli, and the more modern stuff written by Alexandre Desplat. The costumes are perfect, and correct for the 1750's, and downright breathtaking at times, along with authentic Venetian masks. But the best part of this film was that it was filmed on location in Venice, something that can't be recreated on a soundstage or in CGI. That's the real star of this film, and the only successful part of the movie.

Along with the charming piglets (credited as Bimba!) and Paprizzio's barge.

It's a very confusing film at times. Lasse Hallstrom's direction is fine, and pretty straightforward, with plenty of gorgeous scenery. But the plot is so confusing and there are so many players to keep track of that there's not really anything that gives any depth. Along with all that, the film falls completely apart at the end, with far too much use of deus ex machina and some truly stupid stunts -- one in particular make me wince, as anyone who actually tried to do that would be singing soprano for the rest of their days. Finally, there is one very glaring anachronism in this, with the balloon rising over the canals of Venice and modern fireworks. The first manned balloon flight wouldn't take place for another twenty or so years, and that at Versailles at the court of Louis XVI.

So if you don't mind a film that comes down heavy on the silly side, but is gorgeous to look at, this should amuse for an hour or so. In fact, I was more intrigued by the additional features on the dvd -- there are featurettes on the locations, costume design, an extended scene that should have been included in the film and not on the cutting room floor, a 'making of', and an audio commentary from the director. Additional languages include Spanish and French alternate audio tracks, subtitling in English, Spanish and French.

Curiously, this film got an R rating for the sexual content, where you actually don't see anything happening, just a prostitute acting coy, several naked legs in a brothel, and one very brief bit at the begining with Casanova in bed with a lover. You'd see more in most PG-13 films nowadays, so parents, use your own judgements.

But if you want some smart drama about Venice, I would suggest Dangerous Beauty, or one about the game and intrigue of love there is always Dangerous Liaisons, a far far better film set in about the same period. For another film about Casanova, take a look at Metalluk's La Nuit de Varennes.

Somewhat recommended, say three and a half stars. Let's just call it three and leave it at that.

Recommended: No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day