Casanova

A light farce dressed up as a lush 18th-century costume drama, Casanova offers a fictional spin on the exploits of history's most rakish seducer of women. As played by Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain), this Casanova bears no resemblance to Donald Sutherland's unrepentant turn in Fellini's Casanova, filmed 30 years earlier. Instead, the great ladies man of Venice here is just biding his time by bedding women, waiting for true love (and the promised return of his long-absent mother) to settle down into blissful monogamy. True love finally appears in the form of Francesca (Sienna Miller), a feminist who initially resists Casanova's affections, but not before director Lasse Hallström serves up a variety of lightweight subplots, including: Casanova's flight from the Vatican's inquisitor (Jeremy Irons); a host of mistaken identities involving, among others, the portly “Lard King of Genoa” (played with scene-stealing perfection by Oliver Platt); and the romantic negotiations of Francesca's mother (played by Hallström's wife, Lena Olin), whose bumbling son Giovanni (Charlie Cox) has his own promising future as a lover of women. The scenery is splendid, and Ledger's fans won't be disappointed, but this is a bit of a misfire compared to the 1998 film Dangerous Beauty, another Venetian lover's tale blessed by the presence of Platt, who gives this Casanova the majority of its entertainment value. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Lasse Hallström, a “Creating an Adventure” making-of featurette (13 min.), “Dressing in Style” on costume design (6 min.), the six-minute extended sequence “Hidden in Plain Sight,” the production design featurette “Visions of Venice” on recreating the 18th century city (4 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uneven film.] (J. Shannon)