Casanova (mini series)

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Television series
Original title Casanova
Country of production EnglandEngland England ( UK )United KingdomUnited Kingdom 
original language English
year 2005
Production
company		 BBC Cymru Wales
Red Production Company
Granada Television
length 174 minutes
Episodes 3 of 58 minutes
genre Comedy drama , period
film
Director Sheree Folkson
idea Russell T Davies
and Julie Gardner,
based on Giacomo Casanova's memoir
script Russell T Davies
production Julie Gardner
music Murray Gold
First broadcast 13.-27. March 2005
on BBC Three
occupation

Casanova is a 2005 three-part erstausgestrahlte histories - dramedy - Miniseries by screenwriter Russell T Davies . In the leading role of Giacomo Casanova were David Tennant ( Royal Shakespeare Company , Doctor Who ) and Peter O'Toole ( RSC , Lawrence of Arabia ) to see. Directed by Sheree Folkson, the production was directed by the Red Production Company on behalf of BBC Wales and in collaboration with Granada Television ( ITV ).

Overview

Russell T Davies tells the legend of the Italian adventurer Giacomo Casanova (Venice, 18th century), based on his own twelve-part memoir, with the main focus on the love story between Giacomo and Henriette. Another focus of his interpretation of the material is the portrayal of Casanova's "love for the female sex, which unites cleverness and beauty". In contrast to other women heroes of well-known classical legends (e.g. Don Juan , Italian Don Giovanni ) and modern characters based on them ( e.g. Barney Stinson ) Casanova does not indulge in his love adventures for purely selfish, lust-driven, even misogynistic motivation. Characters like Don Juan or Barney Stinson enjoy identifying particularly simple-minded women, impressing them with cheap tricks, and degrade them to sex objects. Life is a game for this type of figure, women play pieces and are intended for their pleasure. Casanova, on the other hand, seems to be genuinely fascinated by the clever women around him and wins their affection by showing them an appreciation that they would otherwise not get to feel in their patriarchal environment. He seduces her as an excellent listener and well-read gentleman, he does not objectify or sexualise women. Of course, he still retains the characteristic of the archetypal womanizer of never being in a relationship for long and instead being constantly on the hunt for a new sexual adventure. In this way, he certainly lives up to his reputation as a heartbreaker . This feature is also relativized in a certain way by the portrayal of his steadily growing love for and lifelong search for Henriette.

background

The executive producer (Exec. Producer) Julie Gardner Davies commissioned with the substance or during their employment at London Weekend Television (part of the co-producers ITV Granada Television). In 2003, however, she rose to the position of Editor-in-Chief, Head of Drama , of the BBC Cymru / Wales and awarded the contract to Davies again, this time from BBC funds. With the same contract, Gardner Davies also made responsible for the revised continuation of the 1989 cult series Doctor Who . Davies took the series to new heights as a showrunner (executive writer and executive producer) and worked with Julie Gardner for another five years on four seasons before they both passed the baton on to Steven Moffat and a new production team. The film composer Murray Gold , with whom Davies has been working regularly since 1999 ( Queer as Folk ) , was also involved in both projects .

Casting the lead turned out to be difficult, according to Davies, but David Tennant, who until 2004/2005 was mainly known as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and other theater companies and had relatively little film experience, surprised Gardner and Davies at the auditions and received the role of the Casanova immediately. The native Scotsman speaks as Casanova with a standard English accent - the same goes for the Irish Peter O'Toole . A few months after it aired, Tennant also starred in Russell T Davies' Doctor Who from his predecessor Christopher Eccleston ; His doctor's character traits and way of speaking are based in part on his portrayal of the young Casanova, including his choice of accent. Due to the high media interest, there are no public auditions for the science fiction series; individual actors are always approached directly by the BBC in the strictest of secrecy. Davies confirmed that Tennant's compelling portrayal of the young Casanova was the reason for the role of the Doctor in Doctor Who . Tennant only left the series in 2010 together with Gardner and Davies.

The first broadcast took place on March 13, 2005 on the digital broadcaster BBC Three , as a result of good ratings, the broadcast was repeated on April 4 on BBC One , the main analogue broadcaster of the public broadcaster. In May 2005, the three-part series was released on DVD in the United Kingdom ( region code 2) . This version can also be played in German-speaking countries. In the US (R-1) and Australia (R-4) the miniseries was broadcast in 2006 as a two-part series. The uncut British version was released there the following week, on October 17, 2006, on DVD.

action

No. title First broadcast in UKUnited KingdomUnited Kingdom  Director script
1 Episode 1 March 13, 2005 Sheree Folkson Russell T Davies
Dux Castle, Bohemia, 1798. Giacomo Casanova, a penniless librarian in his seventies, begins to tell the young kitchen helper Edith his life story. A leap in time follows, we learn of Casanova's childhood and his humble beginnings as the son of an actor in Venice. As a young man he studied theology but was excluded from the seminary. He meets and falls in love with Henriette, on whose hand the Duke of Grimani claims. The versatile Casanova earns his living through his quick wit and as an esotericist; by doing a good deed on the wealthy Bragadin he suddenly becomes rich. Bragadin offers him to adopt him (and thus make him the heir to his property), Henriette accepts his marriage proposal. Grimani is furious and has Casanova arrested for witchcraft, but he escapes from prison and leaves the city.
2 Episode 2 March 20, 2005 Sheree Folkson Russell T Davies
Casanova flees Venice with his young, illegitimate son Giac and his loyal servant Rocco. He can hope for a pardon from the ambassadors of Venice abroad, so he travels to Paris, where he spends a time at the royal court.
3 Episode 3 March 27, 2005 Sheree Folkson Russell T Davies
The young Casanova is now in London, where he spies Henriette again and can sneak into the British court. In Henriette's footsteps, he continues to Naples, where he meets an old friend. Casanova still lives from his quick wits, wins and loses fortunes again and again and is not too good for any challenge or competition, but he always sees his goal in life in finding the love of his life Henriette again. We return to the present (read, the year 1798), in which Edith realizes that Casanova is seriously ill. She knows Henriette and knows that she died six months earlier, but she lets the dying Casanova believe that she has received his letter, is on her way to see him and will arrive at the castle at any moment. The old man dies with a smile. The episode closes with a sequence of the dancing young lovers, finally united in death.

occupation

Comedians Matt Lucas , Mark Heap , Simon Day, and Matthew Holness each have a cameo on the miniseries.

Reception and awards

The three-part series was well received by both critics and viewers. In 2005 he received two awards from the Royal Television Sosciety (RTS), for best camera work / lighting / camera direction and best costumes. In 2006 he received three BAFTA nominations for best music, best mask and best film editing, as well as one each for the Broadcasting Press Guild Award (Best Actor: David Tennant) and the Satellite Award (Best Miniseries).

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) concluded a mean rating of 8.0 / 10 stars from 4,115 audience reports . Exactly one third of the viewers gave all ten, only 6.2% five or less stars. The ratings were constant across all age groups; women rated the mini-series about 0.4 stars more than men on average, regardless of age. In the individual rating of the three episodes, there was no difference between the parts of the mini-series, out of a maximum of ten stars, Part 1 received an average of 8.9 stars in 63 ratings, Part 2 received 8.8 stars in 53 ratings, and Part 3 again received 8.9 stars in 56 Ratings. Metacritic concluded a so-called MetaScore of 67% from the reviews of seven critics, while 14 viewer ratings resulted in a MetaScore of 82%.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Casanova (2005), DVD . In: amazon.co.uk .
  2. ↑ Amazon.com: Casanova (Masterpiece Theater): David Tennant, David Foxxe, Tamzin Griffin, Peter O'Toole, Clare Higgins, Rose Byrne, Andrew Vincent, Dervla Kirwan, John Sandilands (II), Rosanna Lavelle, Tim Scott-Walker , Zac Fox, Mark Heap, Dominic Thomas-James, Joe Cooper (VI), Gabriella Greenblatt, Laura Fraser (II), Rupert Penry-Jones, Matthew Holness, Shaun Parkes, Sheree Folkson: Movies & TV . In: amazon.com .
  3. ↑ Awards section on the IMDb website. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  4. ↑ Ratings section on the IMDb website. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  5. ↑ Episode Ratings section on the IMDb website. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  6. ↑ MetaScore on the Metacritic website. Retrieved October 13, 2017.