French novelist Catherine Rihoit is also an accomplished biographer and there are certainly biographical elements here. It approaches the realms of fantasy however to imagine that notorious adventurer and chronicler Giacomo Casanova, lecher/pornographer Restif le Bretonne and American revolutionary Thomas Paine would all be passengers on the same 'diligence' that is just a few hours behind the one which is carrying the French Royal Family in its desperate flight to Varennes.
This film of Ettore Scola is so splendidly realised and acted that the anomaly doesn't seem to matter and comes under the heading of 'artistic license'.
It is certainly nothing less than 'artistic' with sumptious cinematography by Armando Nannuzzi, superlative production design by Dante Ferretti and understated score by Armando Trivaioli, all of whom are masters of their craft and who have worked with some of best directors in the business.
The legendary Sergio Amidei who died before the film was released, has contributed to the screenplay and among those privileged to speak his dialogue are Marcello Mastroianni as Casanova, Jean-Louis Barrault as Restif and Hanna Schygulla as a Countess who is also a lady in waiting to Marie Antoinette. Her presence on the the same coach is therefore more plausible.
This talented trio are absolutely mesmerising. Barrault's film appearances are rare as he was primarily a stage actor and director who ran his own theatre company with his wife Madeleine Renaud. The fascinating Miss Schygulla has the distinction of having survived the making of numerous films with Fassbinder. It is the performance of Mastroianni as raddled, dissipated Casanova that lingers longest. He has reached that sublime state when he has ceased to act at all and simply 'is'. Harvey Keitel as Paine has been cast for the benefit of the North American market and is 'dubbed' as one would expect. He is a wee bit young for the role as Paine would have been in his late fifties at this time.
The post-synchronisation, always a hit-and-miss affair in Italian cinema, is generally very good.
There is a delightful scene where Casanova sings a few bars of Leporello's 'catalogue' aria from Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'. Legend has it that Casanova helped da Ponte with the libretto. Perhaps he was also 'technical advisor'!
A beautifully made film that just sustains its running time and typifies both the traditional excellence of European costume drama and its preference for character over plot. Not to mention its appeal to a more literate audience.
Although politically Ettore Scola does not appear to take sides, all that we see of Louis XV1 and Marie Antoinette are their lower legs and feet whereas there are plentiful close-ups of the downtrodden peasantry.
This director has always been fascinated by history and the part played by 'ordinary' citizens. "The flow of history lies with us" he once said.
