Alone in a secluded mansion, Giacomo Casanova cries out then collapses. When the mysterious and beautiful writer, Elisa von der Recke, comes to visit, it breathes new life into the old man. A movie that captures the myth of the greatest seducer of all times, Casanova, his story is told both through fiction and on-stage opera performances that unravel the tale of his adventures, his passions, and ultimately his fear of death.
Acting
Malkovich's final opera scene is unhinged genius.
Direction
Stage and film blur into delicious theatrical madness.
Director
Michael Sturminger
John Malkovich
Giacomo
Fanny Ardant
Lucrecia
Veronica Ferres
Elisa
Maria João Bastos
Lady Doctor
Victoria Guerra
Sophie
Lola Naymark
Cecile
Jonas Kaufmann
Count Branicki
Maria João Luís
Aunt
Miguel Monteiro
Doctor
Maria João Pinho
Fan with Daughter
Marina Albuquerque
Lady in the Intermission
Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė
Isabella I
Miah Persson
Elisa II
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Malkovich originated this role on stage in 2010; the film repurposes much of that live production.
Based on Casanova's actual memoirs and his real late-life relationship with Elisa von der Recke, a poet who did visit him.
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