Casanova

Paul and I are off to the Berg for a weekend at the Royal Natal / Mahai campsite. As a result, I’m having a half day (this company is very accommodating of things like that) so I’ll be out of here today by 12:30 at the latest.

Anyway, I saw Casanova (starring Heath Ledger and Sienna Miller) on Tuesday evening, only succeeding in dragging Paul with when I promised to pay for his ticket, as well as his popcorn and Coke.



It turns out the film was a bit of a dud. Visually, it’s very beautiful, and it certainly goes a long way towards making people want to visit Venice. But the entire film plays out like a very mediocre, very silly Shakespearean comedy- There’s cross-dressing, masked disguises, mistaken and stolen identities, arranged marriages, underdeveloped characters exchanging clichéd banter about society’s gender roles, sword-fighting, a lot of general physical clumsiness, and the inevitable happy ending.

From the outset you can see which couples will end up together. And Jeremy Irons, the ‘villain’ of the film is never portrayed as a great threat, or even sinister. When he removed his hat for the first time in the film, you see what I mean.

Another major negative was how tame the film was. You would think a film about one of the world’s legendary, supposedly super endowed, lovers would be saucy, visually and in terms of innuendo. The Matador was sexier.




Ultimately I suggest that if you do want an excellent romance, head on down to your local video store and try to get hold of a copy of Don Juan, starring Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando. That’s a romance, centred on a legendary lover, that really works while avoiding all silliness. Plus, it aint a period piece, which may make it an easier sell to yur significant other.

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