Casanova (1927)

• Year: 1927
• Released: 16 Feb 1929
• Country: France, Germany
• Adwords: N/A
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017736/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/casanova
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/casanova
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: None, French
• MPA Rating: N/A
• Genre: Biography, Drama
• Runtime: 132 min
• Writer: Norbert Falk, Ivan Mozzhukhin, Alexandre Volkoff
• Director: Alexandre Volkoff
• Cast: Ivan Mozzhukhin, Suzanne Bianchetti, Diana Karenne
• Keywords: venice, italy, carnival, st. petersburg, russia, womanizer, palace intrigue, czarism,

7.1/10

Casanova Storyline

A flamboyant portrait of the famous seducer seen by a former baritone of the Moscow Opera who, after a vocal accident, leaves for Germany and then France to devote himself to cinema.

Casanova Photos

Casanova Torrents Download

Casanova Subtitles Download

Casanova Movie Reviews

Light and airy as a champagne bubble

‘Casanova’ shows Mosjoukine at his most light-hearted – like the great artist he was, he makes everything seem easy. This movie is episodic in structure, almost like a collection of short stories. Casanova bounces from one adventure to another, going from Venice to Austria to Russia and finally back to Venice again, and always in the service of women, as he puts it in a letter to a man he’s good-naturedly robbed. In the end, all his romancing catches up with him, and he’s forced to choose between two women – the scene where they both confront him reminds me a little of Moliere’s Dom Juan, though Mosjoukine’s Casanova is far more innocent. He delights in tricking and robbing men, especially the pompous and undeserving, but the moment he realizes that he has hurt a woman, his heart is crushed, and he surrenders to his enemies. Mosjoukine always demonstrates great sensitivity to women and I think this is at the root of his only unconvincing moment in the film. When he meets a young girl who is disguised as a boy, he’s just too aware of her as a woman to be able to play the role of someone who’s fooled into thinking that he’s dealing with another man. But apart from this, Mosjoukine’s performance is flawless. Rudolf Klein-Rogge, as the half-mad Czar Peter, is also brilliantly funny, marching around barking orders for his soldiers to recover from typhoid, and complaining that the business of state keeps distracting him from his fat, plain mistress. He also accomplishes the rare feat of upstaging Mosjoukine in their one scene together, when Casanova gives the Czar a manicure, and where they play off each other like a seasoned comedy team. Their by-play is so natural, and almost under the radar (the scene is mostly filmed in a kind of medium long shot, not at all focusing on them), it makes me think that they might have been ad-libbing. Klein-Rogge is obviously very comfortable playing comedy, and it would have been nice to see him do more in this vein. The music by Georges Delerue for the restoration of ‘Casanova’ is perfectly suited to the light-hearted freedom of the piece, and makes the whole experience a joy.

rare silent adventure, beautifully restored

The legendary libertine comes to life in this mammoth, late silent French production, resurrected by the Cinemathéque François and restored to its original brilliance, complete with hand tinted costumes and fireworks in the climactic festival scenes. The panoramic location photography and lavish re-creation of decadent 18th century Venice make the film a visually spectacular, picaresque epic, following the title character through various chases, rescues, romantic liaisons, and hairbreadth escapes, spanning the continent from Italy to Russia and back again. With his athletic build and hypnotic gaze (the better to make women swoon) the celebrated lover is made to resemble, at least physically, an odd cross between Buster Keaton and Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, but by the end of the film he is transformed from an indulgent ne’er-do-well into a charming and, at times, heroic scoundrel. Variations of the same story have been told many times since, but never with such energy or style.

VISUALLY SPLENDID

This sweeping, humourous, action-filled account of the famous lover is no classic, but it never slows down long enough to be boring. From Venice he travels to Russia, where he becomes involved with Catherine the Great, returning to Venice for a rousing finale. Better than average acting – although the characters are mostly fairly thin – and a wonderful visual style, with one long scene filmed in colour. If you aren’t a fan of the silent era, this isn’t for you, but if you’re interested in cinema pre-sound, it’s worth a look, especially in the immaculately restored version.