"I saw that everything in the world that is famous and beautiful, if we rely on the descriptions and drawings of writers and artists, always loses when we go to see it and examine it up close." (Giacomo Casanova, from History of My Life, 1766-71)

I've always been a big fan of the legendary erotic hero, Casanova, so naturally I was excited to rent the movie Casanova starring the lovely Heath Ledger.  What I saw wasn't a true respresentation of Casanova, although the story was entertaining, the movie is more about the legend of Casanova, and a watered-down version of it to be exact, barely touching the man behind the legend.  Most people who see the film will be young fans who lust after Heath.  At first I wasn't so sure he'd fit the bill, but you can clearly see in his performance that he loved playing the lovable 18th century rogue, and overall that made it even more enjoyable to watch.  The film also lustfully captures the beautiful ancient architecture of Venice and the costumes are top notch.  What usually annoys me about some historic movies is that they just don't get the costumes or the culture of the period "right" and what you see on the screen is more fantasy history.  That's what the current film of Casanova is (I'd say about Casanova but that would be false) and I'm sure it'll be a hit with young women.  However what would be more interesting is to really see the life of Casanova on film instead of just the legend.

Yet all we have is the legend, really.  The man himself wrote an extensive 12-part autobiography that would take the average person years to read through (believe me, I've tried) but unlike most autobiographies from his time, it is a very enjoyable read and makes you want to go back in time to meet him.  Casanova was more than just a man who was popular with the ladies, he was, during different periods of his life, a spy, diplomat, writer, adventurer, philosopher, Freemason, clergyman, secretary, soldier, ceremonial magician, and violinist.  His life would make a better television series or a series of films like that of James Bond or Indiana Jones for that matter.  We really have yet to truly see an accurate portrayal of Casanova (or "Giac" prounced like "jack" as I like to call him) and I really am kinda miffed that his life hasn't been better done on film.  Maybe it's just because I'm such a big fan, and knowing the history behind the legend sorta spoils it for me whenever I attempt to watch a movie about an historical figure.

Why, may you ask, am I a fan of Casanova whom you may think was a womanizer who loved women only when it was convenient for him and then left them bereft of life?  Well, you may be surprised by this, but he was probably the first "real" male feminist to really put pen to paper.  Even though his name is now used to describe men who use women for pleasure, the real Giacomo Casanova treated women as his intellectual equals, rarely initiated break-ups (which got him into a lot of trouble at times because he simply hated to part from any woman he had an affair with), and most of his lovers later became his friends whom he kept in touch with throughout the rest of his life.  Women trusted and loved him for a reason; because he was more than just a romantic.  But, more accurately, Casanova was a Libertine, a person who embraced and celebrated the voluptuary life; a kind of hippy "free love" kind of thinking that existed centuries before the sexual revolution of the 1960's -- more like "a lover that loves outside the box" kind of love that freed men and women from the constraints of marriages and social mores dominated by family or religious duty.  Libertines were way ahead of their time and are not to be confused with Libertarianism!  Think of them as how most people are today; we are free to love whom we choose. I think Giac really loved women because his own mother was frequently abscent in his own life.  He was always seeking the eternal feminine and wasn't solely after sexual pleasure.  No wonder he was such a hit with women!  In an age when men, as a rule, misunderstood and disregarded the female sex, Casanova was there to give the ladies a boost of self pleasure and compassion.  Strong women dominated his life; his mother was fiercely independent (she refused to remarry after the death of her husband) and he was nursed by a Witch who healed him from his chronic nosebleeds as a child and instilled in him an intense desire to learn more about magic, folk cures, and medicine.  He even once taught a simple woman, a serving maid he fell in love with, to read and write so that they could carry on their affair on paper while he was away.  How sweet is that?

Unknown to most people, Casanova only had sex with 122 women, disliked orgies (which were popular among the rich), and wrote unexhaustingly about love.  Casanova met in 1749 his great love, the young and mysterious Frenchwoman, Henriette, in Cesena. "People who believe that a woman is not enough to make a man equally happy all the twenty-four hours of a day have never known an Henriette," he said.  When she left him, he was devastated.  He then compared love to an incurable illness and divine monster that refuses to let you go.  Once he said: "Real love is the love that sometimes arises after sensual pleasure: if it does, it is immortal; the other kind inevitably goes stale, for it lies in mere fantasy." 

Also contrary to the image we have of him, Giacomo Casanova was dark skinned and stood at 5 feet 9 inches tall; not unlike most Italian men today.  He wasn't blond, his hair was black and curly, though you'd never see it underneath the wigs men wore in his day.  So you can see why I would have a difficult time seeing Heath Ledger stand in his place!  Yet what Heath captured in his performance was Giac's essence, and it is this that I truly appreciate.  So, when and if you see 2005's Casanova, realize that you're getting the fantasy version of Giac -- let it whet your appetite for further reading on the life of Giacomo Casanova.

Links about the real life Giacomo Casanova:
Casanova Research Page
Casanova at Wikipedia
An online tour about Casanova (in German)
Casanova: Latin Lover of Life (BBC News)
Volume VI, Chapter 10 of Casanova's Histoire de ma vie (Story of my Life)

THE FEMIVORE: AN UNDISCOVERED ARCHETYPE A very negative article on Casanova (just to give you insight into how other feminists see him, complete with plenty of quotes taken out of context by the author who obviously hasn't really understood Giac's Histoire de ma vie)

I have yet to see The Libertine starring Johnny Depp as John Wilmot, a.k.a. the Earl of Rochester, an infamous 17th century poet who drank and debauched his way to an early grave, only to earn posthumous critical acclaim for his life's work. John Wilmot was a mean drunk of a man who never apologised for his behavior. I've heard a few people compare him to Casanova, but the two men are very different in character, the both of them being Libertines is the only similiarity I've found. In any case, seeing Johnny Depp and Heath Ledger in historical garb is a big turn-on! We need to see more hot men in tights and breeches if you ask me.