Il ritorno di Casanova

This movie was a real surprise for me. I've had it for several months and did not expect anything special but I was wrong. Of course, it may lack a decadent surreal grandeur of Fellini's film or unsurpassed perfection of Kubric's "Barry Lyndon" that "Casanova's Return" strangely reminds but it has the best possible actor to play the greatest lover of the 18th Century in the end of his career who tried to win one last woman - the most beautiful and the most desirable of all. Unfortunately, he made a mistake to desperately fell in love with her for the first time in his life. "A Man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her" – the famous seducer forgot this simple rule and had to face the burning humiliation and disappointment that lead to the tragic end.

Earthy humor, subtle irony, high drama, interesting characters, fine script and above everything, Alain Delon's command of the screen make "Casanova's Return" one of the underrated gems of the European Cinema.

Those who saw the everfamous French police adventure films during 60s and 70s probably remember some few figures very well. I mean, the films were also great, but some faces were as great and representative of those days. Alain Delon was certainly the leading one among them. He always was "the man" of those films. A unique combination of ice-blue eyes, French arrogance and a bit of Meditterannean womanizer. He always had that air on him. The Man of ultimate beauty. Today, there are stars like Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Ralp Fiennes, who might be at the equal ground as Delon once played, but none of them come closer to his aura. He was a unique formula, and that formula only worked around Europe and Far East. Delon made several films in his career. He had his full actions, loved many women, killed many men, got killed sevral times. Naturally, like everyone in this universe, he's had his screen time come to an end. He is no longer the ultimate seducer, his looks don't penetrate as before, his face gathered wrinkles, the glimmer in his eyes faded. Unlike some others, Delon took all this natural process in piece. He didn't dye his hair, didn't have any surgical operation to make him look artificially younger. He took the hard fact of being old "like the brave men he portrayed in his films". It is a pity that although he still lives we no longer can watch such a star on the silver screen.

But, this is the last film he delivers the last remittances of his ever famous qualities. Casanova is a perfect match for Delon. He should have played the younger Casanova during 60s or 70s, when he was at his best appearance levels. But, this film also works very well for him. He is an aged Casanova, who is getting towards the end of his "usuall career", and he wants to put an end to this via his last seduction. The Return of Casanova is a very nicely designed film with carefully delivered details of the time Casanova lived. The scene where Casanova delivers a mission to the landlady is incredibly nice. Delon, unlike most of his films, also delivers a very deep acting. Most importantly, the screen images he throws fits perfectly well with the Casanova role. Some parts of this film reminded me of Kubrick's masterpiece, called Barry Lyndon, particularly in some interior scenes. Unlike Barry Lyndon, this films lacks some of the filmographic qualities, such as music. It could have been a true masterpiece if the director thought of using some of the classic tunes of the time to match with the heavy atmosphere of the time. The duel at the end and Casanova's final arrival to Venice with his wonderful blue hat could have been much greater if the cinematography and music were enhanced. Delon had given his most dramatic looks, but the director didn't spend enough screentime and didn't add some dramatic music to go with it.

In summary, if you are among the ultimate Delon fans, don't miss this film because this would be the last where you can feel Delon's everfamous aura, watch his ice-cold blue eyes glimmering for a last seduction. Adieu Delon, the ultimate seducer. Women will miss you a lot.

P.S. this film can be obtained from on-line stores, in a dvd format with several bonus trailers of other Delon films, but the pity was that the film didn't have English subtitles, like many of Delon films released recently in dvd format in France.

The novella 'Casanova's Homecoming' is considered a minor work of Arthur Schnitzler but is no less effective for that. It is a gripping piece that depicts a fictitious episode in the life of adventurer, occultist and chronicler Giacomo Casanova, now "an old fellow in reduced circumstances" who lives in hopes of being pardoned and allowed to return to his beloved Venice. He is shown hospitality by an old friend Olivio whose wife Amalia has been one of Casanova's many conquests. He no longer finds her physically appealing but proceeds to seduce her thirteen year old daughter, having previously slept with the girl's grandmother! His attempts to seduce Olivio's lovely and intelligent niece Marcolina are repulsed but he is determined to find a way into her bed..........

When adapting this torrid tale for the screen Jean-Claude Carriere has been obliged to clean it up and tone it down. The teenage seduction is merely hinted at and in the final duel between Casanova and Lieutenant Lorenzi both men are clothed and not naked as Schnitzler envisaged them. The dialogue has also been simplified so as not to tax the patience of the average cinema-goer. An interesting addition of Carriere's is that the character of Amalia prefers to pray whilst kneeling on broken glass. Carriere's former colleague Luis Bunuel would have approved I'm sure! Bunuel would also have appreciated the scene where the priest urinates on the hedgehog. Carriere has also introduced a servant named Camille who fulfils pretty much the same function as Leporello does to Don Giovanni in Mozart's opera. This is basically a pretext for a rather silly sub-plot involving a chambermaid which doesn't really contribute much to the film.

Alain Delon plays the title role and is roughly the same age as the character. Delon is as physically miscast in this as he was as Baron de Charlus in 'Swann in Love'. He is wearing well here and is in far better shape than Casanova would have been. It is hard to believe that Marcolina rejects him because he is 'too old'. The Casanova of the novella is a dissipated, seedy, cynical, thoroughly unprincipled and morally repugnant sociopath but the compromises of this film require him to be more sympathetic. In this regard at least, Monsieur Delon is perfect casting and he conveys wonderfully the anguish of a man 'whose day is done'. His performance reminds one of the advice given by Laurence Olivier to Charlton Heston regarding Mark Antony: "Play him like an ageing film star."

Marcolina is beautifully played by Elsa Lunghini who made her debut in 'Garde a Vue' at the age of seven and later proved to be a fine musician. We are of course treated to the obligatory shot of her walking across her boudoir in all her natural glory. Wadeck Stancjak as her lover Lorenzi also impresses and although some might detect in this a hint of homo-eroticism, what is certain is than when Casanova looks at him he sees his own lost youth.

The performance that lingers longest is that of eighty-three year old Alain Cuny as the Marquis. His is the most well rounded character of all and in this, his final film, Monsieur Cuny effortlessly steals all of his scenes.

There are some very effective scenes here notably the fateful card game and the fatal duel. The film looks wonderful and director Edouard Niermans has done a pretty good job. No one does costume drama better than the French but one is left with the feeling that the makers have played it safe here and missed a chance to give us a film of more substance.

Casanova's animosity in the novella towards Voltaire is also absent here but there is a line of Voltaire's which suits Casanova's predicament very well and is certain to strike a chord with us all: "We die not once but twice, and the insufferable death is when our time for loving ends."

It is one of films remembering other films and novels and legends. seductive for the presence of actors more than for their performance. nostalgic, bitter, romantic, portrait of the end of a world. Casanova is the same from his Memories. and obvious the other. and that does to be more interested by Alain Delon than his character. short, a decent film. maybe an useful one.