Directed by Benoît Jacquot
Written by Jérôme Beaujour, Benoît Jacquot, Chantal Thomas
Starring Vincent Lindon, Stacy Martin. Valeria Golino
Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes
Unrated
Opening July 14 at the Quad Cinema

by Gary Kramer, Staff Writer

Acclaimed French writer/director Benoît Jacquot’s elegant film, Casanova, Last Love, is a tale of love and suffering. Viewers who appreciate costume dramas about desire and heartbreak should swoon, but those bored by slow-moving period films will be in agony.

The film, adapted from the famous lover’s memoir, opens in 1793 Bohemia, where Giacomo Casanova (Vincent Lindon) recounts the story of the “one who got away.” Cut to 30 years earlier, when the famous rake went to London and becomes bewitched by Marianne de Charpillon (Stacy Martin) a young courtesan.

Casanova sees Marianne before he officially meets her. In one of their first exchanges, she asks him for money, which he is reluctant to give her. But a game of attraction-rejection begins. Soon, he is finding excuses to see her—inviting her to lunch one day, catching her as she is taking a bath another—and the modest drama percolates with sexual tension. Is it simply Marianne’s beauty, and his inability to consummate his desire for her that accounts for Casanova’s passion for Marianne above all other women? Perhaps. Casanova cares little about his beloved being disreputable.

When Marianne insists one day that they had met years ago, Casanova becomes even more enamored with her. He wants to ravish her when they sit in a park to picnic and she is aware of his, ahem, excitement when they go out in a rowboat one afternoon. She teases him, practically delighting in leading him on, and the power dynamic is delicious. (If viewers detect a creepiness to his obsession for Marianne, Jacquot keeps the motivation for his behavior ambiguous).

Casanova, Last Love often depicts the title character’s frustration as Marianne remains elusive. There is almost a wit in how the would-be lovers are interrupted as when Casanova is about to steal more than a kiss from Marianne in a hedge maze. But when their “affair” ends abruptly (that’s not a spoiler), and it is devastating for him.

The film benefits from Vincent Lindon’s hangdog expressions as the aging romantic who has been banished from Venice and now lives in France. There is something about Marianne that awakens him and makes him forget all other women. Lindon’s performance accentuates this quality, and his despair at being denied is palpable.

As Marianne, Stacy Martin gives a agile performance as the elusive object of affection. She conceals herself and reveals herself in each encounter—not unlike Casanova’s snuff box, which features a double-sided image of a nun and a naked woman. Martin’s alabaster skin is emphasized by the film’s crisp cinematography; a stunning close-up of her face at one dramatic moment resembles a portrait from the era.

Jacquot films all this pent-up desire impeccably. The lavish interiors and the fabulous costumes are downright sensual. A ball given by La Cornelys (Valeria Golino) is particularly exquisite, as is an episode in a milliner’s shop. A yellow dress Marianne wears in one scene brightens the entire frame. The film is downright gorgeous.

The filmmaker also does not shy away from showcasing some naughtiness. Casanova has sex with two women, he spies on Marianne having sex, and visits a bar where women expose themselves to lure customers. These moments reflect Casanova’s pleasure, yearning, and anguish. They make him sympathetic as his mind takes control of his body.

Casanova, Last Love is all about control—having it, wielding it, and losing it. Jacquot exerts complete control over his alluring film.