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Fellini's Casanova

Fellini's Casanova (Il Casanova di Federico Fellini) is a 1976 Academy Award-winning Italian film by director Federico Fellini.

It was adapted from the autobiography of Giacomo Casanova, the 18th century adventurer and writer.

Plot

A carnival in Venice is the prelude to a series of erotic encounters that follow Giacomo Casanova through the cities of 18th century Europe. It is the age of Voltaire – sexual and intellectual awakenings abound.

Instead of adventure though, Casanova's life becomes a freakish journey into sexual abandonment. Any meaningful emotion or sensuality is eclipsed by increasingly strange situations. In Venice he defiles a nun for the pleasure of a voyeur, in Paris he attempts to convert a mature woman's soul into a man's (using intercourse), and in Dresden his body is pounded by two hefty women and a hunchback. Hence the film's narrative presents Casanova's adventures in a detached, methodical fashion, as the respect he yearns for is constantly undermined by more basic urges.

The script also highlights a number of other incidents from Casanova's life, including his escape from a Venetian prison and his visit to a London Frost fair.

The film was shot entirely in Rome's Cinecittà studios and received an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, with the Oscar going to Danilo Donati.

Fellini-esque

Fellini’s Casanova is often noted for its symbolic, highly stylised mise en scène and the casting of Donald Sutherland in the lead role. By using a range of visual effects Fellini attempted to depict Casanova as a debauched figure incapable of displaying any genuine emotion.

This Fellini-esque signature is most noticeable in Sutherland’s acting and appearance which was made overtly graphic at the director's request. Other unusual techniques include a scene where Sutherland rows across a stormy sea made from black plastic sheets.

Fellini’s dislike of the character was well documented and in one interview he even referred to exposing "the void" of Casanova's life. Consequently, Fellini’s interpretation goes against the more traditional notion of Casanova as an enlightened gadabout. Donald Sutherland explains in an interview that Fellini's dislike of Casanova was somewhat lessened during the filming of the mechanical doll scene, which inspired Fellini to rewrite the ending.