User reviews

This version of 'Casanova' is worlds apart from the one which ran on UK TV some twenty plus years ago. Now, in 2005, Russell T Davies (in demand at the moment as the key writer of the new Doctor Who) has developed a Casanova for our times, with modern phrases and references (there are National Lottery slogans; Casanova sings 'the wheels on the carriage' to his young son), while still devoting attention to the serious aspects of the story.

David Tennant plays the young Casanova, swaggering his way from the Italian peasantry to the faux-aristocracy of France, and to England. He is by turns irritating, sprightly, and sexy, a convincing character study of the most legendary seducer in history. His on-off relationship with the beautiful and mysterious Henriette (Laura Fraser) is central to the story, as she betrays and entices him into dangerous situations. His sexual romps are done very much in 'Carry On' style.

Peter O'Toole is the old Casanova ('an old librarian in a damp castle'), reduced to little more than a servant with his memories. As usual, he is magnificent in a complex role. Funny and charming, but with a painful past. The old Casanova makes you laugh and tugs at your heartstrings too. A - I hope - Bafta-worthy performance.

Other names to watch for in the cast include Nina Sosanya as Bellino, the castrato singer who steals our hero's heart in episode 1; Nickolas Grace as the French Chancellor; Matt Lucas as a perfumed Duke of Villars; Rupert Penry-Jones as the odious Grimani; and Shaun Parkes as Rocco, the observer on the sidelines of the young Casanova's life.

Inventively filmed (repetitions, odd angles, slow motion, extreme close-ups) and with a lively (if silly at times) script, this is an entertaining three hours.

I've read through all the previous comments and there is a puzzling divergence in the reactions to this work. There are significant numbers who seem to have expected this to be a documentary drama and have berated Davies for writing something at odds with the historical Casanova's life. This is missing the point entirely. It's like criticising Shakespeare in Love for being "inaccurate." This is a romp, with a hint of sadness, based upon Giacomo Casanova's memoir/autobiography. It is obviously intended as a diversion, every aspect of the production aiming at no more than the spirit of the thing, mixing today's argot and attitudes with those of C18 Venice.

Russell T Davies's work is of a very particular style, knowing and self-conscious (one critic here seemed to think this was inevitably a bad thing) and, above all, camp and celebratory. If you don't warm to his style then avoid his work is my advice. For those who can accept it for what it is and what it intends, it is glorious stuff.

After watching bits of "Queer As Folk", a season of the new "Doctor Who", the "Doctor Who" Christmas special (also listening to the accompanying commentary) and the three parts of "Casanova", I think I've figured out what it is that frustrates me about Russell T. Davies's writing: its inconsistency. If it was merely mediocre, I'd simply dismiss it as such--but it's not.

His stories do have characters, scenes, and story arcs that are absolutely wonderful; his attention to detail can be minute; his dialogue can be scintillating in its irreverence and vivacity and his plot development can display astonishing originality. But these moments of brilliance are offset by under-developed secondary characters, unconvincing gaps in the plot, frankly ridiculous surprise twists, huge leaps of logic, jarringly crass jokes, lines intended merely to shock and unexplained dialogue non sequiturs. When I watch his work, I find my reactions alternating between, "Wow, this is great!" and "WTF?"

As for "Casanova" specifically: on balance, I love it. It's funny, engaging, exciting, romantic, sexy, and devastatingly sad at the end. It portrays a compellingly sympathetic Casanova and makes me curious about the real historic figure. While I personally already enjoy a lot of "costume dramas", I applaud this production's efforts to bring a younger and hipper audience to the genre. The acting is fine across the board and the leads (David Tennant and Peter O'Toole especially) are excellent. The innovative direction is effective. Since I knew beforehand not to expect historical accuracy, most of the anachronisms didn't bother me.

My chief complaint aside from the Russell T. Davies stuff mentioned above is probably with the music, the quality of which, like the writing, varied widely in my opinion. Some of it was fantastic, to be sure, but a significant amount was irritating and intrusive. And, call it a personal pet peeve if you will, but I really really dislike the sound of synthesized strings and brass. If it's a choice between what are obviously synthesizers and minimal or no instrumental accompaniment, I almost always prefer the latter.

Russell T Davies and the enthusiastic cast has given this a real feeling of life and excitement using the exterior shots in Venice to their best advantage. David Tennant is brilliantly engaging, funny and attractive playing the 'lad about town' with such confidence and swagger and a touch of vulnerability that it's not difficult to understand why he attracted all his conquests. Casting O'Toole was inspired and at one point with both he and Tennant on screen I was struck by how well they seemed to 'match up' in a way that Ewan Magregor and Alec Guiness (for example) could not. Laura Fraser who I always thought was overlooked in "Knight's Tale" is perfect as the elusive Henriette. I'm looking forward to the rest

I absolutely LOVED this Casanova creation. So far, only seen the first part of the series yet but I 100% adored it. The acting, in my opinion, was just brilliant - David Tennant creates his own cheeky yet appealing characterisation of young womaniser Casanova and Peter O'Toole - being the amazing thespian he is - is just sensational as the older Giacomo Casanova. The acting, casting and directing of this mini-series is such a thrilling, refreshing change from all the junk on TV and movies nowadays! Back to the pure drama that so often gets lost in the midst of big-headed celebrity-movies, this Shakespearian-influenced mini-series is a MUST SEE! Cant wait for the second part! I give it 10/10!!

David Tennant plays the young Casanova so cheeky yet appealing , charming , hilarious and unique. Peter O'Toole plays the old Casanova and his performance is undoubtedly outstanding . The scenary, costumes and colours along with the acting , directing and witty script makes me take my hat off . This mini series will put a smile on your face and it's a must watch . Thank you so much Russell T Davies's for such a piece of magnificent work !

I was fortunate enough to catch this on television one evening, right out of the blue.

Normally I don't watch much TV, but this came on following some programme that was playing to itself and it grabbed me almost instantly with its humour.

Being broadcast on Finnish television over two evenings, I was agog to see the second part, for the first half of this one was touching, funny, and so uniquely entertaining - with a brilliant cast to boot!

By the end of the entire thing, I felt a strange sensation within me: INSPIRATION.

Oddly enough, some American-produced film based on the same individual came out not long after, with some daft Australian actor at the helm. That piece was pretty hyped-up and well marketed, being released into cinemas rather than straight to TV.

I've not seen this other "version" and don't intend to ever - I've heard enough about to to know that it couldn't possibly stand up to the challenge of comparison I'd be making whilst watching it.

Read other reviews if you want to get a plot over-view; this article is simply to sing the praises for what was a beautiful, witty and powerful piece of film - recommended viewing for all!

Now: if only it had been THIS film that had the backing of millions of Hollywood cash...

Russell T. Davies's "Casanova" is a biopic of the real-life ladies-man from 17th century Venice, the infamous Giacomo Casanova. The 2-part series uses the real Giacomo Casanova's biography "The story of my life" as frame-work. The story is told by Casanova himself (Peter O'Toole), at the age of 73 when he was employed as a librarian for a wealthy nobleman. The aged Casanova tells his story to the curious servant-girl Edith (Rose Byrne) whose father told her tales of Casanova and all his adventures. David Tennant of 'Doctor Who' fame plays the young Casanova, and Shaun Parkes his loyal side-kick, Rocco. By 1750 the real Casanova had worked as a clergyman, secretary, soldier, spy, and violinist and bedded some 122 women. Davies's series touches on Casanova's talents, but at the heart of the old cad's story is his love for the one woman he could never have; Henriette (Laura Fraser), who was engaged to a nobleman in Venice when she and Casanova first meet, and then the two were torn apart when Casanova was imprisoned in 1775. After his famous escape in 1756, the story follows Casanova, Rocco and one of Casanova's many bastard children as they travel around Europe looking for legal pardon while meeting the greatest men and women of the day.

Russell T. Davies is fast making a name for himself; having written for cult television shows like "Queer as Folk" and the current series of "Doctor Who", "Casanova" is another triumph for Davies. The writing is fresh and witty, and extremely well delivered by the irrevocably charming David Tennant, who passes well for the infamous 17th century cad. The best part of the series is the costumes and sets – absolutely over the top and fabulously colorful outfits with modern twists coupled with dazzling, spectacularly lavish sets. It really is a welcome eye-ful.

"Casanova" is an absolutely wonderful 2-part series written by the up and coming Russell T. Davies and starring one of Scotland's best new commodities, David Tennant. Definitely worth a watch.

Giacomo Casanova (Peter O'Toole) is working in obscurity as a poor librarian in a nobleman's castle. Edith (Rose Byrne) is a new servant. Her father gambled away the family wealth before his death. She is educated and in awe of Casanova's legend. He is writing his memoirs and recalls his life to her. As a boy, he is left behind by his courtesan mother. As a young man (David Tennant), he is penniless and without any connections. Henriette (Laura Fraser) likes the young pretender and immediately steals his purse. He takes Rocco as his manservant. He starts pretending to be a lawyer, a physician, an astrologer, a musician and others. Flirtatious Henriette gets engaged to pompous Duke of Grimani. Casanova falls for singer Bellino who is pretending to be a boy. Henriette continues to be his great love but she prefers the safety of Grimani's money. He saves rich noble Bragadin from callous physicians and their operation. Bragadin adopts Casanova and Henriette agrees to marry him. The jealous Grimani has Casanova imprisoned.

Peter O'Toole is a terrific Casanova. He exudes charm. I love his flirtatious cat and mouse game with Rose Byrne. If that is all in the movie, this would be a great masterpiece. It would be a movie worthy of some acting awards. O'Toole is bringing a power deep within him. It's a sight to behold. I am less in love of David Tennant as Casanova. He's more jokey. He doesn't have O'Toole's reservoir of darkness. Those parts feel less weighty and more like a TV movie of Casanova. It's still worthwhile to see but I wish the movie stays with O'Toole more.

I turned on PBS last night and ran into this movie completely by accident. I was hooked immediately. It is so funny and unusual. The fact that everything happens to the young Casanova by chance is one of the things that makes it good. He is goofy, low-born, and self-effacing, as opposed to Heath Ledger's smug, overly confident Casanova in the film recently in theaters (which I found very boring.) This CASANOVA is definitely worth my time and yours. The supporting characters are enjoyable and the sets and costumes are amazing, full of color and authenticity. It was a spectacle for the ears and the eyes, I especially liked the colorfest during Casanova and Bellino's ball. Enjoy!

So this is a modern, upbeat take on the legendary 'swordsman' Casanova. And for the most part it bombs along quite nicely with some decent set pieces, heartfelt moments and humour.

However, there are some 'bum notes' in the production. The direction and camerawork has some literal shaky moments. Russell T Davies, famous for writing the excellent 'Queer As Folk' and the catastrophic last series of Doctor Who, crams in as much identity politics for 'modern audiences' as possible in a story about a historical philanderer. Make it make sense.

The scene with the 'castrato' was cringeworthy, the scene with, and leading up to the duel, was pathetic. The treatment of his son by the writer and his ending was laughably bad.

Aside from from those. It's OK. Nothing more than that.

I cannot express how wonderful this drama is. I watched it when it was first on BBC 1, and then watched the re-run on BBC 3...i have now just bought the DVD and can watch it over and over again. This dramatic comedy was fantastically written by Russel.T.Davies (Doctor Who) and wonderfully produced and directed. The acting too is superb (and i'm not just saying that because i'm a HUGE David Tennant fan either!). Peter O'Toole as the older Casanova deserves the Oscar he never received, for this role alone! Such emotion, such tension, such comedy, such tragedy...a true British masterpiece. Which brings me on to my favourite subject...David Tennant...could a better Casanova have been cast?? He has the character traits of the legendary Casanova down to a tee, and injects that quick wit and hilarious comic timing like he was born for the role (although check him out as the Doctor!) 11/10 *BIG thumbs up*

A disappointing, low-farce approach to the subject at hand, contradictorily fettered with maudlin high melodrama in the latter-day scenes with O'Toole.

As biography it's a mess, full of deliberate modern-day anachronisms and tacky music-video flashiness, completely lacking in credibility (and a disgrace to the name of Masterpiece Theatre) -- but as low-brow British comedy, in the tradition of the CARRY ON films, it's great fun and mostly successful (thanks to Tennant's charming performance as young Casanova). It would have worked much better as a normal-length film, with the entire of the old Casanova scenes with O'Toole left out of the picture.

Apparently ran 10 minutes longer on the BBC than it did here in the US on PBS (censorship?).

If I were a budding TV writer, I'd change my name to Davies. First there was Andrew who produced a fascinating and quirky little series called A Very Peculiar Practice, and the next thing you know he is writing every single adaptation we see, not infrequently for both rival terrestrial UK channels at the same time. Now it appears to be the turn of Russell T., who parlayed his gay sex shockfest Queer As Folk into Bob and Rose, Doctor Who and now this irreverent and somewhat over the top examination of the life of the infamous lover, Giacomo Casanova.

It's funny, it's irreverent, it's very fast moving and it keeps you watching. Completely eschewing period-ese language, David Tennant portrays Casanova as a cheeky on-the-up spiv who in the 21st Century might well have put himself forward as a contestant for Big Brother. He is instantly likable. Laura Fraser is very strong as the "lost love" interest, Henriette.

Disappointingly the programme seems to regard Casanova's lovemaking prowess as a minor detail, relegating it in the opening episode to a montage of fully-clothed sex scenes that are little more than snapshots. This sense of holding back was compounded when Casanova ripped his new wife and former fake-Castrato-in-travéstie singer Bellino's dress open so that it gaped for the assembled crowd - but not for the camera! This apparent prudishness seems to go against the spirit of the remainder of the enterprise. Perhaps after the Jerry Springer débacle, the BBC is taking no chances.

Peter O'Toole, as the older Casanova explaining his life story to a girl of formerly high family who has fallen on hard times and is acting as his maidservant, performs his part with all the best elements of his enormous experience, both as an actor, and of his own scarcely stain-free life story. He is so remarkably vigorous, agile and attractive (at 73!), he reminds you why he nearly turned down his Life Achievement Oscar in the hopes, still, of one day "getting a real one".

A worthwhile little production for the fledgling BBC Three, much better than the scanty Alan Clark Diaries.

I have watched it with my girlfriend and normally I wouldn't care anything bout such movies but this one, this one made my heart break almost as hard as in the movie ...

It has lots of funny parts and David Tennant is just an incredible actor (can't wait to see him in the Hobbit) who has proved on many occasions to be one of the best (together with James Nesbitt) actors BBC has to offer.

The composition of the music works wonders with the screen, and really can describe the feeling that the actors are having, many credits for that goes to Murray Gold (respect for that)

Even if you are a big guy like myself, watch this mini series or movie... there will be others about Casanova but none will be as good as this piece of art.

This is the second Casanova movie to come out in 2005. It's hard to say which one is better, because although they have the same main character, the approach is very different.

Here, Casanova is portrayed as a man constantly in love. A hopeless romantic, one could say. The evolution of the character is handled beautifully: in the beginning of the movie he's just a young boy, trying to find himself, developing slowly into a confident man, to the end, when he's a bitter old man, who stopped dreaming.

The direction is certainly memorable, shocking in some places, but the true asset of this movie is David Tennant. He's a spectacular actor, and (being an avid Doctor Who fan) I expected to watch this movie and say: "Look, there's the Doctor.", but he just detached himself from any previous role and he just was Casanova. I really ended up loving this movie because of his beautiful portrayal.

There's of course Peter O'Toole who was just as brilliant, in portraying old Casanova. Also, this is the first movie I've seen with two actors playing the same part -young and old- in which I could see the same character. Sure, O'Toole's Casanova is bitter and old, but you can see Tennant's Casanova developing into that person.

It's a movie definitely worth seeing. If you can't find the DVD, maybe you'll be lucky and catch it on BBC.

Absolutely wonderful!! Never knew that David Tennant can be so cheeky and adorable! This is way much better than late Heath Ledger's Casanova. Ledger was sexy and everything, but Tennant really has what it takes to be a Casanova; he's cute, kind, and extremely funny. Peter O'Toole also fascinated me with his performance as usual... he really added grandeur and beauty to the work. Although it is a TV mini-series, the direction was really beautiful and managed to capture the fast-moving, adventurous and dazzling world of Casanova (the dark side of it as well!); Sheree really did a great job. This mini-series will make you cry, laugh, love and live!!

This is costume drama at its unique best. Definitely displaying Tennants best work, Casanova is a hugely entertaining romp with plenty of action both in and out of the bedroom, along with lots of humour and heartbreaking romance. I admit I was devastated by the ending (you'll have to watch to see what I mean) The costumes and sets are wickedly done, the acting is first rate. There are moments people will find disturbing and scenes you wouldn't watch with your granny, but its still just in good fun. You are guaranteed to fall head over heels for Tennants Casanova who's character literally sweeps you off your feet within the first ten seconds of watching with his wit and charm. This is a great recommendation for romance lovers anywhere, but some moments in it are a little bit laddy!!!

Of course, every bio-pic has some inconsistencies, and there's no denying that Casanova does have quite a number. However, to document someones life, especially someone such as Casanova, is always difficult. Russel T. Davies has done a superb job in bringing this character to life and choosing only selections of the full story. The storyline is funny, sweet, and sad... but with an extra kick that keeps the audience entertained throughout. There was a complaint in another comment, stating that Russel T. has issues with writing about homosexual relationships, but I would like to draw your attention to Torchwood, a series in which there are quite a few homosexual elements in, which proves any of these claims, that he is in some way against showing homosexual relations on TV, are completely incorrect. The acting is fantastic, with some of Daivd Tennants reactions and movements cracking you up before he even has to say his line.

Before concluding this, I feel the need to state that I have only watched this Casanova TV mini-series and the recent Casanova movie and to compare the two on their accuracies (although the movie did not boast itself as a bio-pic) that this version far surpasses as the accurate account. Clearly some out there feel that they have seen better versions of Casanova films/series however, any Casanova film will be judged as a biography, regardless of what the director says or not. I enjoyed the recent Casanova film, but the mini-series blew me away, and to say that I merely enjoyed this version of Casanova would be a crime. Russel T. Davies is proving himself to be a brilliant script writer and works brilliantly with David Tennant, whether in Casanova or Doctor Who.

I registered here just so I could say this. I've also written a review of this marvellous book for amazon. I'd watched this BBC3 mini-series,then seen the recent Heath Ledger movie,but I wasn't convinced.I felt the urge to go back to the source, Casanova's Memoirs, as written by the man himself. I started off with an abridged edition, now I can't wait to read the whole thing! Many fellow reviewers here seem to consider this mini-series historically accurate. It's definitely better than the Heath Ledger version, but still only a pale shadow of the Casanova that comes to life when you read his autobiography. It's not so much that the facts are wrong (though some are),as the emphasis laid on events, and the tone is just totally off.

I approached the Memoirs with some fear,as I imagined they'd be rather boring, or dated, or rambling.How wrong I was! I found myself taking the book to the loo with me, unable to put it down while I was doing things around the house. I took it to work with me and read it whenever I had a spare moment in the office.I cannot express how fascinating the real figure of Casanova is, and how amazing, bizarre, amusing and exciting his adventurous life was. If this wasn't the most interesting man that ever lived, he came damn close. His life was so eventful, it could have filled the lives of a dozen normal men. The best fiction can only dream of being half as entertaining! His beautiful writing style, smooth as silk, makes him come across as clever, witty, insightful, sharp, elegantly sarcastic but not cynical. He was arrogant, yet self-deprecating. He was also comically big-headed, but ultimately likable for his emotional honesty, his amazing intelligence and great imagination,some would argue *too great* an imagination, even! He was interested in so many aspects of life, from the recipe for making the best hot chocolate to the great philosophical issues of his age. He mingled with rich and poor alike and was interested in all walks of life.

In contrast, David Tennant's Casanova is just an ordinary cheeky, good-looking young buck. He has the subtlety and culture of a Big Brother contestant.His wit and ways would probably not charm people two and a half centuries from now. He is not someone you could imagine outwitting Voltaire, impressing Frederick the Great, making revisions to the libretto of a Mozart opera, writing history books, being a magician and an alchemist, dabbling in sci-fi (no,I'm not kidding you!),translating the Iliad, playing the violin, a chemist and mathematician and many more things besides. Reading Casanova's memoirs, you'll feel like you've been teleported to the 18th century! I never felt that way while watching the mini-series,it was just another swashbuckling adventure starring a nice-looking but predictable cheeky chappy not even pretending to be anything but an ordinary English lad. Of course the now-obligatory "woman of character" who wins his heart was also there -I have to say Laura Fraser was quite lovely,though.

The real Casanova was famous for being a great seducer, but it wasn't so much the number of women he bedded, as the way he did it that's remarkable. Scholars say he had just over 200 lovers,which isn't huge by the standards of someone like a successful contemporary rockstar. Bur Casanova was interested in every aspect of seduction and that included engaging the lady in discourse as well as showing her a good time between the sheets.He wouldn't bed any old bimbo.In an age when women had no right to a satisfying sex life,Casanova was well ahead of his time. He wasn't moralistic about women and their sexual behaviour, believing they had as much of a right to enjoy sex as men, something unheard of at the time.He was more concerned with giving one woman he really liked several orgasms during the course of one night, than bedding more women during that same night, just so he could add more notches to his bedpost. Also, it isn't true, as the movie adaptations say, that no woman could resist him, as some did reject him. Also oftentimes it was women who seduced him rather than the other way round, he was also duped and exploited by some of them,and he did meet many strong and intelligent women in his lifetime.

Before you think I'm idealising him,let me say that he was also an appalling figure (again, something you never get a sense of in the mini-series) and was a living contradiction. He could be an exquisite gentleman and on other occasions, a rogue. He also spread std and unwanted pregnancies around Europe, though he did occasionally do his best to avoid fathering illegitimate children. But by his day's standards, Casanova was a man who genuinely loved and respected women,believing them to be rational creatures rather than bundles of hysteria and emotional fragility. It's difficult today to appreciate how revolutionary that was. Unlike proper cads, he remembered all his conquests as individuals, describing them in detail as thinking,feeling creatures one by one.He was also famously bisexual,something that the mini-series doesn't even hint at! Despite macho the stereotype, Casanova was actually worlds apart from this laddish model of masculinity. Though some scenes in the book are rather explicit, even shocking,he is never vulgar or gloating. He also saw the humour in sex.

I even got my parents a copy of Casanova's Memoris, and they're in their late 60's! On the other hand,Tennant's Casanova occasionally comes across as smarmy,and the sex scenes are nothing special,just sex as anyone could have it. If you ever read the Memoirs, you'll never look back! Even the escape from prison is far more interesting in the book. Please do yourself a favour and skip this mini-series,as well as the Heath Ledger movie. Treat yourself to Casanova's autobiography instead,something I assure you you won't be regretting. You can thank me later! ;-) Mini-series:4/10, Casanova's Memoires: 10/10

Have now seen it twice and looking forward to do so again. Something new to find with each viewing. Colourful, exhilarating and, at the end, desperately sad.

I'm not a great Peter O'Toole admirer but he was excellent, as was David Tennant and all the cast - couldn't fault the performances. The bonus for me were the two stunning female leads - Laura Fraser and Rose Byrne - the joy and sadness that Henriette (Fraser) expressed beautifully shown, and the fascination with the ageing Casanove and anguish of Edith (Byrne) perfectly depicted.

Yes, the plot was maybe shaky but the production just swept you along with it's own momentum, a feast for the eye and the ear – witty (the Lottery catch phrases just a small jar to the senses), musical, well filmed and seemingly no expense spared for costumes or locations.

A love story where you wouldn't expect it and if you didn't shed a tear at the end you have to be too cynical a person to be watching in the first place!

Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) was a Venetian adventurer and author.In this British mini series we see the older Casanova telling his story to a young maid.He tells about his cool jailbreak but a big part of his stories contain sexual experiences with several women.There was something in this man women just couldn't resist.But there was only one woman he truly loved.Her name was Henriette.I saw Casanova (2005) in two parts.This is a modernized version of this 18th century adventurer.It works awfully good.David Tennant is absolutely fantastic as the protagonist.He's often comical, sometimes moving.It's a real treat to see Peter O'Toole as the older Casanova.He gives a touching performance as the elderly librarian.Other actors do also a good job.Laura Fraser plays Henriette, the number one girl in Casanova's life.Rosa Byrne is Edith, the maid.They're both pretty and talented.Shaun Parkes is very good as Rocco, Casanova's servant.I had good times watching the story of Casanova.So why don't you just tune in.